ASH Daily News for 19 August 2008

Industry to fight tobacco display ban

Tobacco companies and retailers are preparing to fight proposals that would further restrict cigarette sales. They say there are more effective and cheaper ways to regulate the industry.

A consultation period on the Department of Health’s “future of tobacco control” document ends on September 8 and opponents are railing against some of the plans, which could see the end of vending machines and put tobacco products out of sight below shop counters.

Using statistics from Canada, one of the countries to have banned displays of tobacco products, the association estimated that the cost of removing display gantries, redecorating and installing a replacement secure unit under the counter would cost retailers a minimum of £1,850  each, with the industry facing a total sum of £250m.

The Department of Health’s consultation document said: “Point of sale promotion had become vital as virtually the only route for tobacco promotion – persuading existing smokers to keep smoking and encouraging young non-smokers to start.”

It said manufacturers had borne the cost in other countries where similar measures had been enforced, while any cost to the retailer was small. Other parts of the consultation examine ways of helping smokers quit and restricting children’s access to cigarettes.

Mr Lowman acknowledged that it was possible that manufacturers would contribute to the cost of any change. But for the time being, the tobacco companies are concentrating on their own rejection of the proposals.

Bob Dyrbus, finance director of Imperial Tobacco, said at an industry event. “We believe that product display restrictions are unnecessary, ill-conceived and will not deliver the government’s stated objectives to reduce tobacco consumption. We are not aware of any credible evidence that consumption has declined as a result of such legislation introduced elsewhere.”

Some newsagents were scathing about any attempts to tighten regulations further on tobacco sales. Kamal Patel, a newsagent in central London, said: “This is stupid, because the government will lose out on tax revenue and putting tobacco under the counter is a lot of hassle for us."

“Next they will be banning sweets because they are fattening. They have to be sensible. As long as kids can’t get hold of them, that’s all that matters. How can taking them off of display be a deterrent?”

Narinder Patel, another newsagent, who said he makes about 4 per cent of turnover on tobacco sales, argued there were also safety issues at stake. “While I am looking under the counter I could lose custom and people could use the opportunity to steal. It’s not safe.”

Source: The Financial Times, 19 August 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6jetoq

Scotland: Sweet cigarettes for children spark anger

A sweet shop in Paisley has been slammed for selling packets of chocolate cigarettes to young children.

The cartons which contain eight lookalike cigarettes are selling for 40p a pack.

An angry mother, Lydia Smyth, fumed: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw these packets of fake cigarettes on the shelves."

“I haven’t seen them around for years and thought they were long gone. I don’t think we should be encouraging children to pretend to smoke.”

Lydia’s friend Julie, 29, added: “I just think it’s irresponsible. Millions are being spent trying to discourage people from lighting up. I honestly think we should stamp out this type of sweet.”

However, Sammy Rostron, manager of the shop, played down the row over the confectionery.

She said: “It really is just a fuss over nothing. They are just sweets. If people want to buy them, and they appear to, then we will sell them."

An anti-smoking campaigner has called on parents to stop their kids buying the Krakatoa and Coronation confectionery and others like them.

Last night Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland, warned: “Sweet cigarettes look like harmless fun, but the research is clear. Children playing with them are more likely to go on and experiment with real cigarettes."

“The re-emergence of candy cigarettes is worrying, particularly in terms of undermining measures in the Scottish Government’s Smoking Prevention Action Plan encouraging children not to take up smoking."

“Tobacco is a highly addictive and lethal substance but candy and chocolate cigarettes make smoking look harmless and fun. We need to keep these products well away from children.”

But Simon Clark, director of smokers lobby group Forest, blasted back: “We are talking about sweets here and as far as we are concerned there is no evidence to suggest that children buying these sweets end up smoking in the future."

“We certainly do not want to see them banned and parents should use there own judgement in these situations – it is not up to politicians or anti-smoking groups.”

Source: Paisley Daily Express, 18 August 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6q43fw

Philippines: You don’t like graphic? Then we’ll make it plain

Anti-smoking lawmakers pushing for graphic-based health warning on cigarette packs are poised to file a bill which could be the worst nightmare of tobacco firms: to go for plain packaging instead.

Valenzuela Representative Magtanggol Gunigundo said if the firms continue to resist House Bill 3364, a law which proposes the use of prominent, coloured and graphic-based health warnings on cigarette packs, they would call for plain packaging instead.

Gunigundo explained that if the law would make plain packaging of cigarette products mandatory, it would completely deter tobacco firms from using their products as advertising tools, which could hurt their sales. "It is the worst case scenario to them," he said.

Authors of the bill include Representatives Anna York Bondoc, Arthur Pingoy Jr., Teodoro Casiño, Neil Tupas Jr. and Jose Antonio Roxas, who recently attended a study tour in Thailand to learn from their counterparts on how to wage the legislative battle in pushing for the bill.

"We can file another bill that would call, not for graphic warnings, but for plain packaging and banning advertisements at points of sale. Hopefully they will compromise and agree to picture-based warning. That's the way we will negotiate on the bargaining table," said Gunigundo.

The lawmakers also agreed to push for a national body called "Pinoy Health Foundation" that would exclusively manage and use the 2.5-percent excise tax on tobacco sales, which according to them remains stagnant in the national treasury, for anti-smoking advocacies.

The proposed body will be based on the Thaihealth Promotion Foundation, which plays a major role in anti-smoking tobacco programs successfully implemented in Thailand.

Thailand is the fourth country in the world to win legislative grounds over giant tobacco firms in mandating graphic-based health warnings on cigarette packs.

Cigarette packs sold in the Philippines for over 20 years have been carrying text-based health warnings on them but have failed to put a dent on the growing population of Filipino smokers.

Source: Philippine Daily Enquirer, 18 August 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5w8wlk

Denmark: Smoking ban a success

There is broad support for the smoking ban one year after it was introduced and a decrease in the number of smokers .

A year after the ban was introduced the uproar over its introduction has subsided, with more people wanting to avoid smoking.

The latest figures published by Statistics Denmark show that the average use of cigarettes per head of population has dropped and that the tobacco industry has been hit in the pocket as well.

Since the introduction of the smoking ban last year, cigarette sales have dropped by three percent, which translates to about 200 million fewer cigarettes.

The Cancer Society's latest report shows that in 2007, 40 percent of smokers wanted to quit. This is almost double the number from 2005.

Those who want to quit may find the process easier if the regulations banning smoking inside all workplaces were tightened, as recently suggested by the Ministry of Health's prevention commission.

Last month the commission announced that it would like to see a total ban on smoking in sports clubs and schools. It also wants the government to levy a higher tax on cigarettes and only make them available for purchase in certain outlets, such as pharmacies.

A poll by Zapera shows that three out of four Danes are pleased with the way the smoking ban is working, and that 34 percent of them would like to see smoking regulations tightened.

Fifty-four percent of the 1020 respondents want to see increased taxes on cigarettes to help improve public health.

'It's clear that we need a helping hand from the state to make a healthy choice as the poll by Zapera shows that 72 percent of Danes think the authorities should take a greater responsibility for public health,' Inge Haunstrup Clemmensen of the Cancer Society said.

According to recent estimates 25 percent of Danes over 13 years old smoke every day.

Source: The Copenhagen Post, 15 August 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5uf33u