22 October 2010
The Council of Ministers has endorsed a new Tobacco Control Strategy - a range of measures which aim to reduce harm caused by smoking in Jersey.
The strategy proposes 3 areas for action:
- reducing the number of children and young people taking up smoking
- protecting families and communities from tobacco related harm
- motivating and helping smokers to quit
Smoking remains a major cause of premature death in Jersey. Most smokers start young and once addicted, people often need specialist help to stop. Smoking kills half of all long-term users. In Jersey, an estimated 355 years of life are lost prematurely every year due to respiratory cancers – mainly affecting the lung – which are closely related to tobacco use.
Medical Officer of Health, Dr Rosemary Geller, said “I’m pleased the Council of Ministers has recognised the importance of tackling smoking in Jersey. This Strategy is an important step towards achieving further reductions in premature smoking-related deaths.”
This new strategy replaces the existing Tobacco Strategy (2003). In the past 7 years, the actions implemented have led to the number of adults smoking decreasing from 29% to 19%.
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