Ban fails to reduce smoking rate in Scotland's deprived areas

The Daily Record tells us that smoking rates are up. The BMA in Scotland and Scottish Labour both say that resources need to be concentrated on poor areas, with Jackie Baillie, Shadow Health Secretary, criticising cuts in smoking cessation funding.

The one who has it nearest the mark is probably the professor from University College London, who blames the high mortality rate and general poverty. The best way to encourage people to give up is to create an economy and housing infrastructure that will support people's security and stake in the future. The current economic climate is not helping anyone in this respect and funding smoking cessation is money down the toilet. Good for the SNP for reducing this budget, painful although it is bound to be for them. A recent US study reports that the long-term prospect of stopping smoking is only 6 per cent: to the best of my knowledge this rate reflects other studies.

Only four people from Glasgow were interviewed for this piece but not one of them supported the BMA's theory that most people want to give up smoking: the only one who reported attempting did so on grounds of cost. It used to be common knowledge that motivation was key. The key now seems to be social pressure (denormalisation), and it doesn't work.

Ironically, areas with fewer smokers will be less likely to lose their social amenities as a result of the smoking ban. It is not surprising that areas with few prospects and effectively no public houses will see smoking rates rise. This is what the government calls 'tackling health inequalities'.