Tobacco.org

• MOD Supports Military No Smoking Day 

The Ministry of Defence is gearing up for the ninth Military No Smoking Day in a bid to slash the number of Service personnel who have a tobacco habit.

As part of the wider UK campaign, Military No Smoking Day takes place on Wednesday 11 March 2009 and is seen as the ideal opportunity for those who wish to stop the habit to begin a new lifestyle.

The MOD provides free patches, gum and other cessation services to Service personnel who want to quit smoking and units across the country will be holding events to raise the profile of the day and provide support and advice for those who want to stub out their cravings.

Smoking rates across the Armed Forces vary. The Royal Navy at 19 per cent and RAF at 15 per cent are lower than the national average of 26 per cent. Although the Army at 29 per cent is slightly above the average, they are reducing on average at about one per cent a year.

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Support for those giving up on No Smoking Day 

HEALTH campaigners are gearing up for No Smoking Day 2009, a day aimed at encouraging people to stub it out for good.

Smokefree South West is hoping to see hundreds of smokers quit as part of a national campaign to drive home the health benefits of becoming smoke free.

Events will be taking place across South Devon and local NHS Stop Smoking Services and GP surgeries to provide help, support and advice to smokers who wish to quit on No Smoking Day, March 11.

Fiona Andrews from Smokefree South West said the campaign message will be driven home by customised double decker buses and interactive stalls at shopping centres and supermarkets including in Newton Abbot.

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£30 voucher incentive for those who quit cigs  

ext Wednesday.

Smokers can monitor their carbon monoxide levels, learn how people become addicted to smoking and access free information on quitting and nicotine replacement products. East Sussex Stop Smoking Service will have a stand in the main reception of the DGH and displays in Boots in the Arndale Centre and Tesco in North Street, Hailsham

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Suffolk smokers can try a nicotine patch for a day  

The Suffolk Stop Smoking Service has teamed up with local pharmacies to offer those wanting to quit smoking the chance to try out a free nicotine replacement patch for the day.

The scheme will run all day on Wednesday 11th March – which is national No Smoking Day.

Details of where people can claim their free patch-for-a-day will be advertised.

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Ex-smokers helping hospice campaign 

SMOKERS are stubbing out and giving their cigarette cash to a local hospice which cares for cancer patients in time for No Smoking Day next week.

Three quitters have already signed up to Lindsey Lodge Hospice's Drop the Ash and Donate the Cash campaign and are hoping to inspire others to do the same.

Richard Forrington (24), of Chaucer Avenue, Scunthorpe, gave up smoking and joined the Lindsey Lodge campaign 11 days ago.

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Smokers urged to 'Treasure their Chests'  

AS thousands of smokers prepare to quit smoking on Wednesday to mark No Smoking Day, the Dudley Stop Smoking Service is urging them to ‘Treasure their Chests’.

This year the Dudley Stop Smoking Service will be hosting a number of events before, as well as on No Smoking Day (March 11) to raise awareness of the damage smoking can do to your lungs.

Using the theme ‘Treasure Your Chest’ the team, who will be dressed as pirates, will be taking their Stop Smoking trailer to Halesowen Town Centre on Saturday, Sedgley Co-op on Monday, Stourbridge Town Centre on Tuesday and Dudley Town Centre on Wednesday.

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£30 voucher incentive for those who quit cigs  

HELP and advice are to be available across Eastbourne for Stop Smoking Day next Wednesday.

Smokers can monitor their carbon monoxide levels, learn how people become addicted to smoking and access free information on quitting and nicotine replacement products. East Sussex Stop Smoking Service will have a stand in the main reception of the DGH and displays in Boots in the Arndale Centre and Tesco in North Street, Hailsham

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Get Ready Now For 'No Smoking Day' 

With only two weeks to go before this year's No Smoking Day - Wednesday 11 March - the Ulster Cancer Foundation (UCF) is encouraging smokers to think about their wealth as well as their health.

Judith West, (pictured) the Cancer Prevention Officer with UCF said: "As the impact of the credit crunch starts to bite, many families are feeling the pinch. And for smokers it's particularly tough. Those with a 20-a-day smoking habit spend a staggering �2,000 a year on cigarettes - enough to buy a second-hand car.

"It's no surprise then that most smokers would like to quit. No Smoking Day this year is an invitation to smokers to take the first step to a lifelong change.

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Minister Wallace URGES smokers to give up smoking 

Ms Mary Wallace, T.D. Minister of State for Health Promotion and Food Safety at the Department of Health and Children today, 24th February 2009, called on smokers to try to give up smoking. She is urging smokers to resolve to use the opportunity of 25th of February, “National No Smoking Day”, as the starting point to try to give up smoking.

“National No Smoking Day” is a traditional day that smokers attempt to quit. There is more support available today to help smokers quit than ever before.“The link between cardiovascular disease, cancers and smoking is well documented. Giving up smoking is the single most important thing smokers’ can do for their own health and the health of those around them”, the Minister said.

Anyone wishing to quit or those who need further information should contact the Smoking Quitline at 1850 201 203

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Players in anti-smoking drive 

Partick Thistle Football Club players have teamed up with a smoking cessation service to urge smokers to quit.

The team is helping to drive home an anti-smoking message in the run-up to No Smoking Day on March 11.

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Pupils promote anti-smoking law  

It's time to butt out when it comes to smoking in vehicles when there's a child inside.

New provincial legislation -- part of the Smoke Free Ontario Act -- came into force on Wednesday and carries a fine of $250. It's being hailed as a victory by health protection workers and parents trying to protect children from second-hand smoke. It bans anyone from smoking or having a lit tobacco product in a vehicle when a person under the age of 16 is also inside. The law is enforceable whether windows are up or down or whether the vehicle is in motion or parked.

Wednesday was the annual "Weedless Wednesday" designated by health officials as a day to help stomp out smoking.

Representatives from the Simcoe- Muskoka District Health Unit have been carrying out public education programs since the beginning of the month through 'article 4', the unit's youth-based anti-tobacco team.

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Quit smoking before surgery: Doc  

Dr. John Oyston became so frustrated with seeing his patients who smoked do poorly during surgery that he started a stop smoking program to help them to quit.

Oyston, the chief of anesthesiology at The Scarborough Hospital, said he felt so passionate about helping smokers quit that he took it upon himself three years ago to create a "stop smoking for safer surgery" plan in which he refers patients to support programs.

In honour of national non-smoking week, the Ontario Medical Association, the Ontario Pharmacists Association and the Ontario Dental Association are partnering to promote Oyston's initiative along with other programs to help patients quit smoking.

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Is it time to butt out?  

While efforts have increased in recent years to dissuade people from smoking cigarettes, in the first half of last year, New Brunswick reported the lowest percentage of people who say they've never smoked.

The Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS), a Health Canada initiative, says 47 per cent of New Brunswickers surveyed say they've never smoked. The province has roughly 750,000 people in it, meaning approximately 352,500 people in the province have at least tried smoking in their lifetime.

Ontario reported the highest percentage of "never smokers" at 57 per cent.

CTUMS collects provincial and national data on smoking rates and other tobacco usage trends.

The current smoking rate in the province is approximately 21 per cent (roughly 157,500 people), and it has hovered around that same level for the past few years.

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Smoking-related fires focus for national non-smoking week  

Smoking fires are preventable. It’s a message the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control is sending to smokers during national non-smoking week – Jan. 18-24 – and on Weedless Wednesday (Jan. 21).

“A smoking fire is still the No. 1 preventable fire,” said Doug Bell, captain of fire and loss prevention for Nanaimo Fire Rescue.

The department responded to 40 fires last year related to smoking materials. It was 10 per cent of all fire calls and damage was an estimated $161,750.

The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs found that 70 people die each year through smoking-related fires, 300 people are injured and cigarettes are the leading cause of Canadian residential fires.

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• National non-smoking week begins  

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Today is also the first day of National Non-Smoking Week which runs until Saturday.

Most of us know how badly smoking can impact your health, so this year, National Non-Smoking Week is focusing on house fires.

“We all know about the negative effect of tobacco smoke on health, but very few of us may think about other consequences, such as house fire fatalities,” stated Trish Hill, senior tobacco reduction co-ordinator with Interior Health. . . .

Partners in this week’s awareness-raising effort include the B.C. Lung Association, the B.C. Cancer Agency and the Interior Health Tobacco Reduction program.

B.C. smoking rates are at 14 per cent, the lowest in Canada.

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