Smokefree Lincolnshire Alliance - Tackling Illicit Tobacco
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Author(s)
Julie Cavill
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| Presenter(s) |
Liz Clarke Public Health Intelligence Team, Lincolnshire County Council, Lincoln |
Abstract Lincolnshire’s illicit tobacco work has been developed over a number of years in a bid to tackle the broad ranging implications of the illicit tobacco market; the loss of over £2 billion a year in tax revenue, the associations with criminal activity and most importantly the harms to health means this is an issue we must continue to tackle at a local level.
Aims
Use public awareness campaigns to make smokers and non-smokers alike, aware of the risks of illicit tobacco within their communities and to encourage them to report any suspicious sales to Lincolnshire Trading Standards.
Use intelligence collected by Trading Standards to plan intelligence led operations on traders that are suspected of selling illegal tobacco.
Outcomes
Following the launch of the campaign:
• Reports to Trading Standards increased by over 80% during the campaign when compared with the same period the previous year.
• 73% of respondents would consider reporting their suspicions to Trading Standards.
• 73% of smokers would think twice about buying illegal cigarettes
As a result of the intelligence led operations Lincolnshire Trading Standards have achieved several successful prosecutions including a landmark case that successfully prosecuted a trader for general product safety offences for selling unsafe cigarettes.
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Source of funding: Public Health
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Declaration of interest: None
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