Transcript

Reducing the Demand and Supply of Illicit

Tobacco and Underage Tobacco Sales across

Cheshire and Merseyside

Peter Astley MBE

Head of Public Protection

Warrington Borough Council

Effective tobacco control:

its more than smoking

cessation!

Regulatory Services:

have a key role to play in reducing

the supply of tobacco to young

people and illicit tobacco to all!

The case for tackling supply:

Underage access:

• Two-thirds of smokers start before the age of 18!

• Reducing access = reducing the chance of nicotine dependency!

Illicit tobacco:

• Undermines current tobacco control initiatives (e.g. reducing under-age access) and perpetuates health inequalities.

• Cheap price undermines quit attempts.

• Impacts on community cohesion.

63%

Agree: “illicit tobacco brings

crime into our communities”

87%

Agree: “illicit tobacco is a

danger to our children”

“14-15 year old smokers are

more than twice as likely as

their adult counterparts to

be often offered illicit

tobacco to buy” (NEMS 2011)

“1 in 7 young smokers have

gone to a private address,

or fag house, to buy illicit

cigarettes” (NEMS 2011)

Reducing supply in C&M, achievememts:

Underage access:

• Exponential impact in compliance work

Illicit tobacco:

• Exponential increase in enforcement work across the region at a local level.

• Developed ‘world first’ regional solution: The ‘North of England Tackling Illicit Tobacco for Better Health Programme’ is a multi-agency approach which has focussed on reducing demand and supply at the heart of the community.

Reducing supply: outcomes

• Underage access:

– Big rise in compliance, reduced supply to under-18’s

– Reduced prevalence?

Underage purchasing rates

0

5

10

15

20

25

2007 2009 2011

14-16 % Prevalence: North West Chesire & Merseyside

Reducing supply: outcomes

• Underage access:

– Big rise in compliance, reduced supply to under-18’s

– Reduced prevalence?

• Illicit tobacco:

– IT market shrinking in the area (volume change

estimated as 23% reduction, when those struggling

financially increased from 20 – 25%!).

– Raised awareness of illicit tobacco among consumers

and stakeholders – impacting on demand

– Improved partnerships, both formal and informal

which has impacted on IT strategies/actions locally

Illicit Tobacco Levels:

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2000/1 2001/2 2002/3 2003/4 2004/5 2005/6 2006/7 2007/8 2008/9 2009/10

Cigarettes HRT

tobacco supply reduction:

challenges

Public Protection 2012!

The future:

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2009 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Under 18's prevalence

Impact of reducing

tobacco supply

Current impacts:

•Public Health budgets & lack of leadership?

•Reducing budgets = reducing underage sales

& illicit compliance work = increased availability.

•Economic climate.

•Developing markets.

•Border control changes.

?

Conclusions

• Conclusions?

• Peter Astley: [email protected]

• Thanks for listening!


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