Published Monday 3 July 2017 at 8:36
A local health boss says the 10th anniversary of the smoking ban has “really helped to change attitudes to smoking”, with smoking rates in Blackburn with Darwen falling.
Councillor Brian Taylor, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Assistant Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care, and co-Chair of Tobacco Free Lancashire, said:
Statistics show us that fewer people in Blackburn with Darwen are smoking now than ten years ago and I think the ban has really helped to change attitudes – particularly among young people where we have seen a big drop in those starting cigarette smoking in the first place. This is great news. It shows that creating healthy environments for all is the way forward for the future.
However we must continue to do all we can; we have a successful stop smoking service and over the past few years have backed such campaigns as smokefree cars, parks and play areas. By creating healthy environments we can actively tackle issues around smoking as well as drinking, diet, weight and exercise and this remains a key priority for us now and in future.