Illicit Tobacco featured on BBC’s The One Show

July 22, 2010 Tags: , ,
in Illicit Tobacco, Partner news, Whats Happening |

The One Show 21 July 2010

The One Show's Louise Minchin and Matt Baker with two packets of cigarettes... but which is fake?

The trade in illicit tobacco was the lead feature on last night’s The One Show (21 July 2010) and is available to view online and by download from BBC iPlayer for the next six days.

The item highlights the growing problem of smuggled and fake tobacco.

Smokefree North West is a key agency in The North of England Tackling Illicit Tobacco for Better Health programme, along with colleagues from Fresh Smoke Free North East and Smokefree Yorkshire and the Humber.

The illicit tobacco programme is responsible for the Get Some Answers campaign to stamp out illegal tobacco, which particularly highlights the danger to children that affordable illicit tobacco represents.

Working with partners from Trading Standards and their Scambuster teams, HM Revenue and Customs, the UK Border Agency, police forces, the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and the Association of Chief Police Officers the programme is believed to be the first of its kind in the world.

New campaign aims to ‘Get Some Answers’ on illegal tobacco

July 15, 2010 Tags: , , ,
in Illicit Tobacco, Whats Happening |

How do our kids afford cigarettes? Get some answers -- click hereNorth West mums who are worried about the impact illegal tobacco is having on their communities have inspired a new crack down which hopes to ‘Get Some Answers’ about how it ends up in the hands of children and young people in their areas.

Over 8,000 teenagers aged 14 to 17 in the North West admitted to regularly buying fake cigarettes last year, according to a survey by Trading Standards in the North West.*

A recent You Gov survey** highlighted that 74 per cent of people support a crack down on tobacco smuggling. Around 75 per cent of people – many of them mums – who took part in a 2009 NEMS survey were more likely to report someone for selling tobacco if they thought their own children may be at risk from being targeted. (more…)