Fears over cut in tobacco education
Wednesday 12th December 2012, 5:00PM GMT.
Gasp’s political patron Deputy Heidi Soulsby with St Martin’s Primary schoolchildren.
SMOKING education in schools has drastically been reduced now the responsibility of it has been handed over to Health and Social Services, Gasp’s political patron Heidi Soulsby has said.
The Guernsey Adolescent Smoke Free Project, which has led campaigns and worked in schools since 1997, claimed no work had been carried out in schools since September.
There are now fears that if tobacco education is stopped or even reduced, Guernsey will see a rise in the level of smoking among young people.
‘The only reason we supported the handover of responsibility for tobacco education to HSSD was that our grant had been reduced to such an extent that Gasp was unable to afford to pay our staff past the end of 2012,’ Deputy Soulsby said.
In response to Deputy Soulsby’s comments, Health and Social Services said work had been carried out to support schools and funding for smoking education was being allocated from the department’s revenue budgets.
In a statement, it admitted that although the tobacco education post was approved to start at the beginning of next year, this could now be put on hold.
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More anti-smoking nazism. Just leave everybody alone.
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Do you wish to be left alone as well, when you get lung cancer, heart disease etc. etc. or do you expect the rest of us to foot the bill for your treatment?
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Let their parents take the initiative. Life skills are born from the home.
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Is a full time post really needed though? The health risks of smoking are well known and surely can be handled by teachers during PHSE lessons using resources readily available from the Internet.
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Supreme Dalek
I am in agreement that the way to stop children from smoking is through education. I was annoyed when the funding for G.A.S.P. was stopped.
HSSD has already stated that the tobacco education post has been put on hold.
I get annoyed when the States go for the easy target every time and increase taxes for the smoker, drinker & the motorist. These are treated as a cash cow.
They are not so keen to tax the wealthy so quick, must not upset the rich as they might leave. No thought at all about the people born and raised in this Island who are leaving because it is becoming harder and harder for them to live in their birthplace.
More tobacco tax agreed today, I agree that G.A.S.P. do a good job but is it only smokers children who start smoking? I don’t think so. Why keep adding the costs to tobacco?
I wish they would stop being so hypocritical, if smoking is the burden that is putting extra strain on HSSD, then make it illegal.
No, that won’t work as more will live longer and put more strain on our finances. The 7 – 8 million a year comes in handy.
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The Guernsey Adolescent Smoke Free Project is the best thing that could be happening to our children, teaching them the evils of the lung-killer weed at an early age. Keep the ‘tobacco education’ as a priority!
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R. Frank.
Smokers foot the bill due to excessive tax paid on cigarettes. They also have a shorter life expectancy which also saves money in the long run. Imagine everyone living to a ripe old age, living off a States pension for 20, 30 or even 40 years. The States try and cover their own mistake whilst pretending to care for those who smoke, it really is as Neil said “a cash cow”. Everyone knows the dangers of smoking when they take it up and have done for years. There are warnings on the packets, parents give warnings, the schools give warnings (with the help of G.A.S.P or not, this will continue).
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Surely education on the environmental and even greater health issues;cancer,heart disease and obesity to name a few,surrounding the obsessive use of the internal combustion engine to move us(ever more slowly in bigger and bigger vehicles)about our beloved island, needs an equal if not greater amount of attention? I would suggest the motor trade is carrying an unfair advantage over the tobacco trade as the motor car is still free of any government health warnings? (it goes without saying that smoking offers very little other than reducing your life expectancy, on the other hand the motor car CAN (diversions permitting)GET YOU SOMEWHERE whilst reducing ours and the planets life expectancy! Reduction in smokers..great.. so lets now see a Guernsey Green health tax on the motor trade.
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Mr Knee perhaps if you drove more you wouldn’t have required the heavy prosthetic.
Slightly off topic but I do agree with the majority of what you’ve said.
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