Colin Smyth: ...her motion. The great vape debate is often, “Are e-cigarettes saving smokers or creating new addicts?” The reality is that it is probably a bit of both. We have seen a welcome decrease in smoking rates in Scotland from 28 per cent of adults in 2003 to 11 per cent in 2021, thanks to policy interventions such as the ban on smoking in public places. Given that vaping is clearly dangerous...
Colin Smyth: ...that and, as we have heard from a number of members, it is also important to note that we face a growing avalanche of children and young people who never smoke—and never had any intention of smoking—but are now choosing to vape. As ASH Scotland highlighted in March, using the Government’s figures, regular e-cigarette use by 15-year-olds has tripled in the past five years and has more...
Colin Smyth: ...the first time, prevalence is higher among women than it is among men. As well as demographic factors, there are a number of other key risk factors. The most significant, as has been mentioned, is smoking, but there is evidence that other environmental and genetic factors also contribute. Certain occupational hazards such as dust, chemicals and fumes have been found to increase the risk of...
Colin Smyth: ...likely to die from it. It is vital that we gain a better understanding of the risk factors that contribute to this cancer in order to take a holistic approach to reducing incidence and mortality. Smoking has been identified as a potential cause of pancreatic cancer, and factors such as age, weight and family history are all thought to contribute. However, there remains a great deal more to...
Colin Smyth: ...data sticks and the internet, the newspaper has no doubt covered much of our Parliament’s work and delivery of groundbreaking legislation, such as free personal care for the elderly, the ban on smoking in public places and, of course, the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill—the borders railway bill. It is my hope that soon it will be able to report on plans to extend that railway to...
Colin Smyth: ...why doing what we can to prevent strokes is so important. As members will know, the most common and well-known causes of strokes are hypertension—or high blood pressure, as it is better known—smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and excessive alcohol intake. The benefits of a healthy diet and regular exercise in reducing the risk of suffering a stroke cannot be overstated....
Colin Smyth: ...also a need for a revised and tougher tobacco strategy that sets out the priority actions and clear targets along the way to measure progress towards the Government’s welcome ultimate aim to have smoking prevalence below 5 per cent by 2034. With Scotland continuing to have the highest levels of alcohol consumption and harm in the United Kingdom, the need for a new alcohol strategy is...
Colin Smyth: ...and happiness. Frankly, such work could be life saving, because we know that loneliness kills. Loneliness increases the risk of mortality by 10 per cent and it has been likened to a 15-a-day smoking habit. It increases stress, anxiety and depression, and it doubles the risk of dementia. It manifests itself in physical health by raising blood pressure, thus contributing to heart disease,...
Colin Smyth: ...seen a fair few budget debates, some in the context of a minority administration, and some in the context of coalition with colleagues in the SNP. However, in all that time, I have never seen the smoke and mirrors and dodgy double counting that I witnessed when the cabinet secretary delivered his statement on the draft budget in this Parliament in December. In that statement, he said:...
Colin Smyth: There has been a welcome decrease in the proportion of people who smoke—not least as a result of the ban on smoking in public places that Labour introduced in 2006—but the rate of decline is much slower in the most deprived areas. That level is not expected to reach the Government’s 2034 target, although 60 per cent of those who access smoking cessation services live in the most...