The Chief Medical Officer for Wales Tony Jewell has announced the start of a consultation on new plans to reduce smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke.
The Tobacco Control Action Plan for Wales builds on the Welsh Assembly Government’s programme of measures to discourage young people from starting to smoke, support smokers who want to give up and promote smoke-free environments, but will particularly aim to protect children and reduce inequalities in health.
The main aim is to drive down smoking levels to 16% by 2020 with an ultimate vision of a smoke-free society for Wales, in which the harm from tobacco is eradicated.
Examples of these actions include:
- Continuing to deliver the ASSIST smoking prevention programme to over 40 schools per year;
- Public Health Wales to lead on brief intervention training for health care professionals to support smoking cessation;
- Lobbying the UK government on non-devolved issues such as price increases through taxation and reducing young people’s exposure to tobacco imagery;
- Encourage Local Authorities to introduce smoke-free playgrounds;
- Consider the possibility of amending the smoke-free legislation to ban smoking in areas of hospital grounds where volumes of smoke may be high and where patients, visitors and staff congregate.
Dr Jewell said:
“Just as Wales took a bold step in creating smoke-free environments in public places, we recognise that the time is right to champion new approaches to further protect children from the harms of second-hand smoke.
“The plan proposes that local authorities will be encouraged to introduce smoke-free policies for playgrounds and to initiate a debate on smoking in cars carrying children.
“The NHS should set an example when it comes to creating smoke-free environments and supporting staff to quit smoking. The NHS should also encourage patients to stop smoking, particularly before elective surgery.
“Reducing children’s exposure to second-hand smoke will help to protect the most vulnerable in society and promoting smoke-free cars carrying children will bring home to parents the risks of smoking in front of their own children.
“Children are not able to protect themselves from this exposure and it must be shown to be a serious public health risk through the development of legal protections, where appropriate, and policy initiatives.”
