EFA

On the 29th of November, Irish MEP Marian Harkin hosted a dinner debate in the European Parliament entitled ‘Quitting: the way forward’, to discuss how best to motivate and support smokers to quit. It was agreed that reducing the prevalence of smoking through prevention of uptake and increase of quitting is the only truly effective way to stop tobacco-related deaths in the coming decades form rising. What the most effective cessation programmes consist of and what the best practices for preventing and treating tobacco dependence were all discussed, with general agreement that greater emphasis needs to be placed on this as a political health priority in the future. EFA was represented at the event by Patricia Murray, and agrees with the conclusions; there are millions of people at risk of COPD in Europe not to mention the hazards of smoking and exposure for people with asthma and allergy. Report