By Jamie Black

INCREASED SPECIALIST training and more available treatment is required to combat smoking in Scotland, according to an addiction expert at Dundee University.

The call is in response to yesterday’s announcement of record funding being made available to help people in Scotland kick the habit in the run-up to the ban on smoking in public spaces due to be in place in the spring.

During a visit to the Pitstop project in Addiewell in Midlothian Jack McConnell revealed that a further £2 million would be allocated to health boards in 2006/7, bringing the total for the year to £11 million.

The First Minister said, “The ban on smoking in public places is a far-reaching and ambitious step that will help many people to stop smoking, as well as protect many more from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke.

“I know how hard it is to stop smoking. It is much more than just kicking the habit.

“But I also know how an individual’s health can be transformed by stopping smoking, and how much more productive Scotland could be if fewer people smoked.

“That is why this year the Government will be supporting Scots who want to quit smoking more than ever before.”

According to recent figures more than 300,000 people have made a new year’s resolution to stop smoking before the legislation takes hold in March.

Professor David Balfour, a leading expert in tobacco addiction at Dundee University’s Centre for Addiction Research and Education Scotland (CARES), says that more expertise must be cultivated in anti-smoking techniques in Scotland, and he has called for greater access to specialist clinics for dealing with addiction to tobacco in the area.

He said, “There are two issues to be considered here. The first is public campaigns in anti-smoking which use advertising and try to encourage people to quit. But tobacco is highly addictive and many people find it very difficult to give up.

“What is also needed are specialist anti-smoking clinics that offer more considerable personal help to individuals who might be referred to them by local GPs or medical practices. There are many cities around the world that have projects involving specially trained doctors and nurses in smoking cessation.

“We have policies like this for other addictions, such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and morphine. There are a number people in the Dundee area who have some training in these smoking cessation techniques but there is no driving policy in place and there is a lack of availability to these facilities for smokers.

“It is a good thing that the Executive is increasing the funding, but they are a bit weak on the delivery. We need more emphasis on how you go about helping people to quit. There are still very few people in the UK who are qualified in the practical and effective techniques of dealing with individual tobacco addiction, and most of them are based in London.”