Plymouth: Breaking smoking chain

Young smokers are being targeted as part of a bid to stop people lighting up in the city.
A meeting was held by the Plymouth Smokefree Alliance to discuss ways to stub out the problem of cigarettes.
This follows the news that across Plymouth a higher than average number of adults smoke, with 27 per cent reaching for cigarettes, compared to 21 per cent nationally.
"We are looking at three themes: motivating smokers to assist them with quitting, protecting communities and families and stopping the inflow of young people recruited as smokers," said Jane Bullard, tobacco control lead at Plymouth NHS Stop Smoking Service.
"I think one of the reasons young people smoke is because often they copy parents and in certain communities everyone smokes," she said.

The aims, which were discussed by members of Plymouth City Council, the police, youth service, fire service and NHS are part of a wider national strategy to slash the number of people smoking.
"What we would like is for people growing up nowadays to never even try smoking," said Jane.
"And I would love it if in 30 years time they would say: what is a cigarette?"
The meeting comes just a few days ahead of No Smoking Day which is being held on March 10.
The national event is an ideal opportunity for smokers to throw away their cigarettes and get help to quit.
The NHS Stop Smoking Service, which launched this year's event with the help of the Plymouth Raiders, works with would-be quitters to let them know about the support available to them.

Source: thisisplymouth, 04 March 2010