Illegal tobacco warning signs
CHILDREN are putting their health at risk by smoking illegal smuggled tobacco in Peterborough.
Now a campaign is being launched to try to rid the city streets of the dangerous and illegal cigarettes.
New research has shown that 12 per cent of youngsters aged under 15 are smoking, and the amount of illegal tobacco being smuggled into the area is increasing.
Smuggled cigarettes discovered in Peterborough in the past have included dangerous ingredients, including arsenic and even rat droppings.
Children are being targeted by people selling the illicit tobacco at lower costs than shops are selling it, increasing the risk for youngsters to get hooked.
And the trade in smuggled cigarettes is also being linked to drug and alcohol offences as well.
Information about the problem will be offered in Bridge Street, Peterborough, when campaigners Peterborough Tobacco Alliance will be meeting residents to explain the issues over a two day period from, Friday, April 13 to Saturday, April 14.
Cheryl McGuire, Live Healthy Senior specialist (Smokefree Programme) at NHS Peterborough, which is leading the campaign, said it was vital to reduce the risk to youngsters.
She said: “People who are addicted to cigarettes can be drawn in to purchasing illegal tobacco because of its price. However, if they were aware of the effect that their actions are having on their community we are confident they would think twice.
“It is a scary fact that illegal tobacco also goes hand in hand with the sale of drugs and alcohol.”
Councillor Sheila Scott, Peterborough City Council cabinet member for children’s services, backed the campaign.
She said: “I am extremely supportive of any campaign to stop children smoking at all, including illegal tobacco.
“We are all becoming increasingly aware of the risks and dangers from this, but that does not mean that people are not willing to sell them to children.
“Illegal tobacco is a lot worse than normal tobacco, as we know what is in normal tobacco. We do not know what is in this illegal tobacco, and I will do everything I can to support this campaign.”
Representatives from groups across the community – such as children’s centres, stop smoking services and environmental health officers – are also using campaign materials to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal tobacco with those they come into contact with on a day-to-day basis.
The new campaign is also encouraging people to help stop the trade in illegal tobacco and cigarettes in the city by reporting people seen selling the drug.
For more information about the campaign visit www.no-illegal-tobacco.co.uk
Anyone with information about the sale of illegal tobacco should call Crimestoppers on or police on 101.
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