Action on Smokingand Health

Pressrelease: immediate Sunday 17^th June 2001

Tobacco advertising ban:reaction from health and medical organisations on the reports that thegovernment is to delay the ban on tobacco advertising

It has been reported (in the SundayTimes, 17 June 2001) that the government is to exclude the TobaccoAdvertising and Promotion Bill ­ a manifesto commitment from 1997 - from theQueen's speech on Wednesday 20^th June and further delay theintroduction of a ban on tobacco advertising. Leaders of health and medicalorganisations expressed their dismay.

Professor Gordon McVie,Director General of Cancer Research Campaign said:

“We can hardly believe this, and if it's true it'san utter disgrace.  How can they beserious about tackling cancer when they're so half-hearted about dealing withthe most powerful commercial driver of smoking?  Cancer Research Campaign's research shows that tobacco advertisingis a key ingredient in persuading young people to smoke. It should be banned,and it should be banned without further delay.”

Sir Paul Nurse, Director General of Imperial Cancer ResearchFund said:

“Tobacco is the most toxic of all drugs and equivalentin addictiveness to heroin or cocaine. If you think about the 35,000 lives that are lost every year to lungcancer alone, there is an obvious justification for an immediate and completeban on tobacco advertising.  Thegovernment really shouldn't dither a moment longer over this vital measure.”

Professor Sir George Alberti, President of the Royal Collegeof Physicians said:

“This is a bitter blow for all UK doctors.  The children we fail to protect from tobaccoadvertising today will be our patients with cancer and heart diseasetomorrow.  We're astonished that thegovernment should fail to implement legislation which will help them meet theirown targets for reducing smoking-related disease.”

Professor John Moxham, Vice Dean of Guys, Kings and StThomas' School of Medicine said:

“This is intensely disappointing and many doctorswill be deeply disillusioned.  The NHSalready has a very tough job dealing with the consequences of smoking, and thelast thing they need is aggressive companies spending millions of poundspromoting a product that drives people into the cancer, cardiac and respiratorywards.  At least ministers have untilWednesday to rethink, and we hope they recover their senses and make sure thetobacco advertising ban is back in the Queen's speech.”

Clive Bates, Director of ASH said:

“We really can't understand what they are playing at­ it's such a straightforward and obvious measure that will save thousands oflives and cost them nothing.   InDecember, Ministers were telling us that banning tobacco advertising would save3,000 lives per year, which would be a huge victory for health by anystandards.  But it also means an 18month delay will cost another four and half thousand unnecessary deaths.  The question the government needs to answeris: are they somehow indifferent to the thousands of lives involved, or are thefigures wrong?  [1]

Contact: Clive Bates,ASH 077 6879 1237 (m) 020 8800 1336 (h)

Professor John Moxham020 7703 4396 (h)

Jean King, CancerResearch Campaign ­ 020 8509 2493 (h)

Linda Cuthbertson, RoyalCollege of Physicians ­ 079 4105 7494 (m)

Dawn Boyall, ImperialCancer Research Fund ­ 078 7942 5267 (m)

 [1]  Departmentof Health press release - 6 December 2000 ­ quoting 3,000 lives per year asthe benefit of banning tobacco advertising.