Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill - Key Facts
- Almost 13,500 people die in Scotland each year from smoking-related diseases- that makes smoking the most important preventable cause of ill health and premature death in Scotland.
- Around 15,000 young people take up smoking each year in Scotland.
- It is estimated that 47,000 under 18s smoke.
- Around 80 per cent of smokers start in their teens.
- Smoking prevalence among 15 year olds has declined since its peak in 1996 from 30 per cent for both boys and girls to 14 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.
- Smoking is dangerous at any age, but the younger people start, the more likely they are to smoke for longer and to die early as a result.
- Someone who starts smoking at 15 is three times more likely to die of cancer due to smoking than someone who starts in their mid-20s.
- 12 per cent of 15 year olds in the least deprived areas reported being regular smokers compared with 29 per cent in the most deprived.
- Studies indicate that point of sale displays can increase the odds of a young person smoking by up to 50 per cent.
- Young people do not find it difficult to buy cigarettes under the legal age. Data indicates that 57 per cent of 15 year old smokers and 42 per cent of 13 year old smokers buy their own cigarettes from shops.
- Whilst the cigarettes sold from vending machines accounts for less than one per cent sold in Scotland, 13 per cent of 13 year olds and 10 per cent of 15 year olds report purchasing cigarettes from vending machines.
Sources:
NHS Health Scotland & ASH Scotland :An Atlas of Tobacco Smoking in Scotland Smoking in Scotland: 2007
Scottish Executive: Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey National Report 2008
Department of Health: Smoking Kills: A White Paper on Tobacco: 1998