Media Clipping – September 20, 2007, The Amherst Daily News ~ Editorial

Effort needs to move ahead

$1 billion can buy a lot of cigarettes, but that's what it's costing this province in sickness, lost time at work, productivity losses and the impact on an already struggling health-care system.

A report released by GPI Atlantic, The Cost of Tobacco Use in Nova Scotia, said the number of smokers in this province has declined since 2000 but it should provide a wake-up call that there's much more that has to be done before we live in a smoke-free society.

The province has shown leadership in tackling the smoking issue by implementing a comprehensive tobacco strategy that has included tax increases, stronger smoke-free legislation, smoking cessation programs and social marketing campaigns.

However, as much as the province may want to celebrate all that it has accomplished – and it is to be commended for everything it has done – the statistics are not all positive because they also indicate that the anti-tobacco campaign has levelled off over the last three years.

The fact is smoking still kills one in five Nova Scotians and results in a huge drain on the health budget. There are still too many younger smokers and too many pregnant women lighting up. Despite tougher advertising and marketing standards, cigarettes are still not that hard to find and very easy to buy.

As much as the money that's poured into the anti-tobacco campaign could be used elsewhere, such as on road construction, better schools and reducing wait times at provincial hospitals, it's a campaign the province is going to have to continue to wage.