Cheshire and Merseyside Peter Astley MBE Head of Public Protection - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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,

• r 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

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:

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:

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: pastley@warrington.gov.uk
• Thanks for listening!