ASH Daily News for 22 September 2008

'Plain packets' law to strip cigarettes of their glamour

The tobacco industry is worried that a ban on branded cigarette packaging would undermine its sales.

Government plans that would force tobacco firms to sell cigarettes in plain, unbranded packets could be the most powerful tool yet unleashed in the war on smoking.

The tobacco industry has admitted that the tactic, being pioneered in Britain but likely to be followed elsewhere, will slash profits and inflict enormous damage on cigarette manufacturers.

Tobacco analysts have warned in a leading industry magazine that a ban on branding and logos on packets would lead smokers to abandon well-known brands such as Marlboro and Silk Cut, which cost up to £6 a pack, and switch to cheaper options. Public health officials say it will strip cigarettes of their glamorous image and reduce the numbers of young people taking up the habit.

The Department of Health is considering outlawing the use of logos, colours and graphics on packets and requiring them to be sold in plain packaging. The latest issue of Tobacco Journal International reports that 'according to analysts from Morgan Stanley, if generic packaging becomes a legal requirement in the UK, not only could it have a domino effect on other markets, but it could also have a materially adverse impact on cigarette brand equity and could result in considerably reduced profits'. David Adelman of Morgan Stanley said: 'If plain packaging were adopted in the UK, some other nations would most likely mandate it as well.'

Adam Spielman, a tobacco analyst at Citigroup, told the publication: 'Plain packaging would level the playing field, making premium brands less attractive to smokers, and would lead to a rapid worsening of the downtrading [falling sales] trend which has been going on for years in the UK, far and away the most expensive country in Europe for smokers.'

Tobacco companies fear that introducing the plain packaging would prompt many smokers to abandon the premium brands such as Marlboro and Benson and Hedges, and instead switch to much cheaper makes costing £3.50 to £4.

As for the global tobacco industry, the seminal legislation could pose a real risk to profitability in the future, reports TJI. It points out that, as cigarette advertising is banned in the UK, packs have become more elaborate as they are the best way manufacturers can promote their brands and distinguish them from rival products.

In an insight into the industry's finances, the journal says: 'While the cost of production is roughly the same for both and, according to analysts, the difference in quality is barely perceptible, the profit margin of premium brands is considerably higher than that of low-priced cigarettes.'

The Health Department recently closed its consultation on a raft of measures to reduce the number of smokers even further, which has fallen to 22 per cent of the adult population. They include plain packaging, banning cigarettes from public displays in shops, outlawing packs of 10 and getting rid of vending machines.

It received even more responses than the 55,000 it got before last year's public smoking ban. Most respondents supported the plans, including plain packaging.

Deborah Arnott, director of health campaigning charity ASH, hailed plain packing as 'an idea whose time has come. The industry knows that plain packs spell the death knell to industry profitability,' she said. 'The industry cannot survive without recruiting replacements for the 100,000 UK citizens its products kill each year. Most of these new smokers are children and young people, who our research shows find plain packs much less attractive.'

The tobacco industry argues that the moves will lead to a rise in cigarette smuggling, more counterfeiting of tobacco products and will threaten small retailers' livelihoods.

Source: The Observer, 21 September 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/3zcpnw

Electronic cigarettes no safe alternative to tobacco, WHO warns

The World Health Organization (WHO) said electronic cigarettes do not help smokers to quit as marketers claim and may be toxic.

The devices resemble a real cigarette, but consist of a stainless steel tube with a chamber that holds liquid nicotine. The E-cigarettes have been marketed as a healthier alternative to tobacco, and since they do not need to be lit, some people are using them to evade smoking bans in public places, the UN health agency said.

The device is powered by a rechargeable battery and produces a heated mist of nicotine that is absorbed in the lungs.

Electronic cigarettes were first developed in China in 2004, and are now sold there as well as in Brazil, Canada, Finland, Israel, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

Douglas Bettcher, acting director of the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative said, "The World Health Organization knows of absolutely no scientific evidence whatsoever that would confirm that the electronic cigarette is a safe and effective smoking cessation device."

Some manufacturers have implied that WHO considers electronic cigarettes to be a legitimate form of nicotine replacement therapy, like nicotine gum, patches and lozenges.

"Manufacturers of the electronic cigarette around the world have included WHO's name or logo, for example, on their website, on package inserts or on advertisements," Bettcher said, without naming any company or manufacturer.

Dr. Ala Alwan, assistant director general of WHO's noncommunicable diseases and mental health branch, called on electronic cigarette marketers to immediately remove any suggestion that WHO considers it a smoking cessation aid from their websites and promotional materials.

Source: CBC News, 19 September 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/4ttg5u

Scotland: Online chat to help smokers quit

Smokers will be able to chat to health advisors on the internet to help them quit the habit, as part of the latest NHS Scotland campaign. 

Advisors will be available at the www.cantstopsmoking.com website every day between 1800 and 2000 BST.

Kerry McKenzie, of NHS Scotland, said the new service offered an alternative to the telephone helpline, for people who were more comfortable with the web.

"We're always looking at new ways to reach potential quitters," she said.

An interactive text messaging service will also be introduced later in the year.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison said the government was introducing a range of measures designed to make smoking less accessible and less attractive.

She said: "As well as discouraging young people from starting to smoke in the first place - by raising the age for buying cigarettes to 18 and legislating to restrict display of tobacco products - we're also helping existing smokers to quit.

"The Smokeline telephone advice line has proved popular in the past and I'm sure that making use of new technology will enable even more people to access these services and take the first vital step to becoming a non-smoker."

Source: BBC News, 21 September 2008  
Link: http://tinyurl.com/4p5km5

Australia: Cigarettes to have reduced fire risk

Cigarettes for sale in Australia will be subject to stringent new regulations to reduce the fire risk from smouldering butts.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced a new mandatory standard which will require cigarettes to be tested for combustibility.

"Cigarettes will be subject to performance standards and a testing regime which will reduce the likelihood of inadvertent fires occurring when smouldering cigarettes are left near combustible materials," federal Consumer Affairs Minister Chris Bowen said in a statement.

"Cigarette caused fires cost Australia in excess of $100 million each year not to mention the injuries and deaths that result from carelessly discarded cigarettes."

Cigarette makers will be required to change their products to ensure they self-extinguish more readily, before the regulations come into force in March 2010.

A study conducted by the Victorian Institute of Forensic Science found that between June 1, 2000, and June 30, 2006, 67 deaths nationally were caused by cigarette related fires. 

Source: news.com.au, 21 September 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/4n4g9p