Scottish Government's 2012 smoking campaign

You've read this story before, there is never a better time to stop smoking, and you are more likely to quit if you call the government stop smoking helpline.

Not even  recent mainstream reports of nicotine replacement as a failed treatment stops the Scottish Government in its tracks.

Also in the Evening Times, which also reports on the deferred tobacco display ban, which the Scottish Government now believes will be in place by 2015. It includes the provocative line:

The Scottish Government also needs to notify the European Union (EU) of the revised regulations – including one specifying how much of the area where cigarettes are stored can be seen when a sale is made.

Needs to notify the European Union? Are we really under that kind of obligation to the EU? 

Non-report on smoking cessation in Aberdeen

Under the heading 'No smoking targets on track', we are told that 'Over 20 thousand people have tried to quit smoking in the NHS Grampian area over the last year'.

They're not even bothered about success now, an attempt is all they're looking for.

In Dick Puddlecote's latest, he links to this, which discusses the use of NRT as a long-term strategy rather than one limited to 12 weeks.

I wonder how they'll express their targets in future ... more people using gum and patches? Yet more people attempting to give up smoking but let's not talk about whether they managed it beyond the first four weeks?

Don't forget to attend to DP's other link:

only a small amount of data is available concerning the safety of persistent NRT use. At the present time we therefore have no basis for declaring that the population of long-term users are under cover (we are only able to state that persistent use of NRT is undoubtedly safer than the continuation of smoking). Consequently, there is a need to conduct large-scale studies with the primary aim of monitoring for misuse of OTC NRT and assessing the possible physical and mental health risks of persistent NRT use.