There's never been a better time to quit smoking
To mark the 40th anniversary of the national No Smoking Day (13 March), health leaders in Cheshire and Merseyside have joined forces to urge smokers to use the range of free support available to them give up a dangerous habit that kills two in three of those who do not successfully quit[1].
This year’s No Smoking Day is the 40th anniversary of the day, which started on Ash Wednesday in 1984.
Dave Bradburn, Director of Public Health for Wirral, said:
We all know how damaging smoking is to our health and wellbeing. Many smokers want to stop smoking to improve their health and the health of those around them, but struggle because it’s highly addictive.
Thankfully, there has never been a better time to quit, as smokers can access a range of support to help them quit for good.
As well as being the 40th anniversary of No Smoking Day, 2024 is also set to be the year that will see the introduction of a historic new piece of legislation that will create the first smokefree generation in the United Kingdom. The comes after a commitment from the UK’s Government to achieve Smokefree 2030 targets, in which less than five per cent of the population will be smoking 2030.
This commitment has been championed by Cheshire and Merseyside’s Directors of Public Health and Population Health, who are doing their bit to ensure that the subregion meets this target, working in partnership with local authorities, the NHS and third sector organisations.
Dave Bradburn said:
The Government has announced its intention to introduce legislation to effectively phase out cigarettes and tobacco for good. The changes mean anyone aged 15 or under in 2024 will never legally be sold cigarettes or other tobacco products, even after they turn 18.
These changes are in line with our commitment to creating a Smokefree Cheshire and Merseyside, and I wholly support them.
- Free, local support from health experts at Wirral's Stop Smoking provider, ABL Wirral, is available to anyone who wants to cut out cigarettes and stop smoking. You can call the service for support on 0151 541 5656 or visit www.ablhealth.co.uk. You can also free text ‘ABL’ to 60777 for free advice and support.
- Smokers who are ready to quit can visit https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/ to learn more about the support available to them.
- To find out more about the Champs Public Health Collaborative, please visit: https://champspublichealth.com.
- For more information about the Government’s commitment to a Smokefree Generation, visit: What is the Smokefree Generation - Better Health - NHS (www.nhs.uk).
[Source [1] https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-015-0281-z].
