Health & Wellbeing / Waveney Valley April 18, 2012

People in Norwich will be given the opportunity to find out more about the dangers of illegal tobacco when health and trading standards staff take to the streets for a special event on Thursday (19 April 2012).

Taking place at St John’s Place in Castle Mall from 9am to 5pm, the roadshow has been organised by NHS Norfolk and Waveney and Norfolk County Council Trading Standards. Representatives from the council and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust’s (NCH&C) stop smoking team, Smokefree Norfolk, will be on hand to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal tobacco, the health risks associated with it and its links to crime.

The event has been organised following the launch of a regional campaign to clamp down on cut-price counterfeit tobacco, which took place last week.

Dr Jenny Harries, joint director of public health at NHS Norfolk and Waveney, said: “One in ten people in Norfolk have admitted to buying illegal tobacco, yet independent research shows it can have higher levels of cadmium, lead, arsenic, tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide than cigarettes available in shops.

“We hope that this campaign will help raise awareness of the health dangers, as well as the social impact, of illegal tobacco and would encourage anyone who wants to find out more to go along to Thursday’s event.”

Cllr Harry Humphrey, Norfolk County Council’s cabinet member for community protection, will be attending Thursday’s event. He said: “Norfolk County Council Trading Standards works hard to remove these illegal products from our communities; counterfeit products, such as tobacco, as well as not being genuine can also contain harmful substances.

“People can be drawn in to purchasing illegal tobacco because of its price. We want to make people understand how their actions might be impacting on their own communities; we all have a role to play in protecting our children and keeping illegal tobacco out of our communities.”

The campaign is asking members of the community to:

* TALK:

Help stop the flow of illegal tobacco by telling friends and family about the issue

* PLEDGE:

To support the campaign against illegal tobacco

* REPORT:

To share any information about illegal tobacco by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

Katie McGoldrick, Smokefree Norfolk’s team leader, added: “As well as discussing the health risks associated with illegal tobacco, we’ll also be on hand to talk about giving up smoking in general. We will be inviting people to find out more about the expert support on offer and how Smokefree Norfolk can help them to kick the habit for good.”

To find out more about the campaign, or pledge your support, visit www.no-illegal-tobacco.co.uk