New campaign urges city’s smokers to switch to ‘safer’ e-cigarettes

A CAMPAIGN has been launched to curb the number of people in Sheffield reliant on tobacco.

A three-year plan by Smokefree Sheffield, which brings the city’s tobacco control board and other local services under a single umbrella, includes urging people who still want to smoke to switch to e-cigarettes – which the organisation says are a “significantly safer alternative”.

Five years ago, an official report indicated that smoking was the largest, “reversible cause” of ill health and early death in Sheffield. It called for the implementation of “a comprehensive tobacco control programme” to reduce smoking in the future.

Greg Fell, director of public health at Sheffield Council, said: “We are passionate about achieving a future where no-one can remember the last time they knew someone who started smoking.

“We are determined to reduce the harm caused by smoking in Sheffield.

“Children become hooked on cigarettes from a young age and develop lifelong habits. Our goal is to ensure this becomes a thing of the past.”

Coun Mary Lea, cabinet member for culture, parks and leisure, added: “Making this exciting vision a reality is something that will need to involve not just current smokers and quitters but also people who have never used tobacco before at all.

“Everyone can play a part in reaching a Smokefree Sheffield and a healthier, happier city that sets a great example for future generations.”

The 2013 report found that the number of pregnant mothers in Sheffield who smoked had increased during the current decade, contrary to the national trend. It now stands at about one in seven