This could be one of the biggest changes in public health in decades
Jump to full article: Belfast Telegraph (uk), 2007-03-14
Author: Matthew McCreary
Intro: More than 25,000 lives would be saved in Northern Ireland if just one in 10 smokers took heed of the new smokefree legislation, which comes into force next month, to give up.
According to figures released today - National No Smoking Day - 11% of smokers in the province have said they will either try to or definitely stop smoking when the UK's complete ban on smoking in enclosed public places is introduced on April 30.
And if successful this would equate to no smoking-related deaths in the province for one-and-a-half years.
Ben Youdan, Chief Executive of charity No Smoking Day, which commissioned a poll on public awareness of the ban, said: "Today is the ideal opportunity to stop smoking before Smokefree comes into place this summer.
"More than two-thirds of smokers in Northern Ireland say they want to quit smoking and should seek advice and support from stop smoking services to do that.
"This could be one of the biggest changes in public health in decades and we need to be ready to give all these smokers the help and support they need to quit. Around £56m has been spent on NHS stop smoking services who are expecting their busiest ever year."
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