Salmond Welcomes High Smoking Cessation In Grampian

Local MSP for Aberdeenshire East, Alex Salmond, has today welcomed figures which show over 20,000 people have attempted to quit smoking in the NHS Grampian area.

The figures, recorded since April 2008, show that the North East is one of the most eager regions in Scotland to quit smoking, with the Scottish Government’s target for smoking cessation smashed by 6.1%.

Commenting on the figures, Mr Salmond said:

“If there’s one thing someone can do to dramatically improve their health, it’s quit smoking. It is extremely encouraging to see that people in the Grampian area and across Scotland have recognised this and have helped to exceed the Scottish Government’s challenging targets.

“These figures are also a positive reflection on the support network in place for those who want to quit, specifically, the work of NHS Grampian, who have improved their capacity to respond to increased demand and to deliver these impressive results.

“Whilst we should welcome this news, we should also recognise that there is still great work to be done in tackling this habit. The Scottish Government has introduced tough new display regulations for cigarettes and tobacco, and will continue to think of new and innovative ways to encourage people to lead a smoke-free life.”

The figures can be viewed at:

http://www.scotpho.org.uk/home/Publications/scotphoreports/pub_scotphoreports.asp