Figures from health service stat body, ISD Scotland, have shown that the number of smokers in Perth and Kinross has increased by 2% in 2016/17.
The figures have also revealed that the number of quit attempts has dropped over the past year and now stands at its lowest level since 2009.
The SNP Scottish Government has said that it would like to see Scotland smoke free by 2034.
Added to this are figures from the Scottish Government detailing a dramatic fall in funding for smoking cessation services as only £133,977 was spent in 2016/17 compared to £588,230 in 2015/16.
Commenting, Liz Smith MSP said:
“Any increase in the number of smokers in Perth and Kinross is concerning, particularly when viewed in conjunction with figures outlining a decrease in the number of people attempting to kick the habit.
“Figures released in February revealed that funding for smoking cessation services had suffered a drastic cut under the SNP Government and this is being evidenced in the falling number of people trying to quit.
“Unfortunately smoking is still responsible for far too many deaths and we need to work harder to reduce the number of people starting smoking. The NHS smoking cessation service has a big role to play in this and I would hope that funding in the future respects this fact.”