ASH Briefing on e-cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes are marketed as a cheaper, safer alternative to conventional cigarettes. As they do not produce smoke, research suggests that e-cigarettes are relatively harmless in comparison with smoking.
Author: ASH Published By: Published : 14/01/2013
How we can bring an end to smoking
Article by Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of ASH, in The Guardian explaining why
more effective regulation of nicotine is needed. May 2012
The case for harm reduction
Presentation by Professor Ann McNeill, Addictions Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, given at an ASH seminar held in October 2012 that brought together experts to inform the public health community on the current status of tobacco harm reduction in the UK.
Author: Ann McNeill Published By: Published : 12/02/2013
Draft NICE guidance on tobacco harm reduction
Presentation by Professor Linda Bauld, Chair, NICE PDG and Professor of Socio-Management, Stirling University, given at an ASH seminar held in October 2012 that brought together experts to inform the public health community on the current status of tobacco harm reduction in the UK.
Author: Linda Bauld Published By: Published : 12/02/2013
Electronic cigarettes: A review of their efficacy and potential for harm reduction
Presentation given by Dr Maciej Goniewicz, Queen Mary University of London, at an APPG meeting on harm reduction.
Author: Maciej Goniewicz Published By: Published : 12/02/2013
Nicotine regulation – the next steps
Presentation by Jeremy Mean, Group Manager, Access & Information for Medicines & Standards Group, MHRA, given at an ASH seminar held in October 2012 that brought together experts to inform the public health community on the current status of tobacco harm reduction in the UK.
Author: Jeremy Mean Published By: Published : 12/02/2013
Tobacco harm reduction: what smokers in England are doing
Presentation by Professor Robert West and Emma Beard, University College London, given at an ASH seminar held in October 2012 that brought together experts to inform the public health community on the current status of tobacco harm reduction in the UK.
Author: Robert West Published By: Published : 12/02/2013
Smoking and harm reduction
Presentation by Tabitha Brufal, Deputy Director, Health Improvement Division, Department of Health, given at an ASH seminar held in October 2012 that brought together experts to inform the public health community on the current status of tobacco harm reduction in the UK.
Author: Tabitha Brufal Published By: Published : 12/02/2013
Beyond Smoking Kills
Chapter 8 examines alternatives to smoking and the case for providing pure nicotine products within a regulatory framework. To reference this report please cite as: Beyond Smoking Kills: Protecting children, reducing inequalities. London, ASH, 2008.
Author: ASH Published By: ASH Published : 06/10/2008
Report from the commission to the European Parliament, the council and the European economics and social committee. First report on the application of the tobacco products directive
First report of the European Commission on the Tobacco Products Directive
Author: Commission of European Communities Published By: Commission of the European Communities Published : 26/07/2005
Review of the implementation of the European Tobacco Products Directive 2001/37/EC
The report makes the following observations:
Maximum tar/nicotine/CO yields: All 15 EU countries complied with the deadline. The accession countries did not request transitional periods for compliance.
Measurement of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels: The Commission acknowledges that the use of machines to measure yields does not reflect actual smoker intake of these substances. However, the Commission is not proposing to revise the current standards until “solid evidence shows that better methods exist to replace them”.
Labelling: Implementation overall is satisfactory but there have been reports of industry attempts to circumvent the legislation by attempting to hide the warnings, e.g. by the placing of cardboard covers or stickers over the warnings. However such practices are now limited. Evidence suggests that the large warnings are having an impact, with smokers being more motivated to quit smoking. The warnings appear to have been particularly effective among 15-24 year olds.
Ingredients: There has been little progress in developing a proposal for a common list of ingredients. The Commission argues that the WHO should co-ordinate regulatory efforts through the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Author: Anne McNeill, Luk Joosens, Martin Jarvis Published By: ASH Published : 29/02/2004
Protecting smokers, saving lives: the case for a tobacco and nicotine regulatory authority
Report by the Royal College of Physicians. Calls for a new regulatory approach to tobacco and nicotine products including pharmaceutical nicotine, novel nicotine products, smokeless tobacco, potentially reduced risk smoking tobacco and ordinary cigarettes. Argues the onerous regulation is applied to the less hazardous products and visa versa. 10 December 2002
Regulation of Nicotine Replacement Therapies: a critique of current practice
This paper looks at all the main controversial applications of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) with youth, in pregnancy, heart disease sufferers, for harm reduction, smoking reduction, as a recreational drug. In each case, there is an assessment of the evidence and discussion of appropriate approach - and a critique of the failure of regulators to tackle these issues adequately. Addiction 96 (December 2001) pp: 1757-1768.
Author: Ann McNeill, Jonathan Foulds, Clive Bates Published By: Addiction Published : 30/11/2001
Royal College of Physicians: Nicotine addiction in Britain
February 2000: Major report on nicotine addiction - includes basic neuroscience, behavioural aspects, comparisons with other addictions and policy implications. Recommends a new regulatory approach to tobacco and nicotine in the UK and Europe.
What goes in? What comes out? The constituents of cigarettes and tobacco smoke
Collection of sources on additives and smoke chemistry. About 600 additives are allowed in tobacco products and about 4,000 chemicals are in cigarette smoke. You can find out more about these here - and about how they are regulated.
Author: ASH Published By: ASH Published : 10/02/2001
Tobacco Additives - what are they adding to cigarettes? (and why...)
Cigarette Engineering and nicotine addiction. Over 600 additives can be used in tobacco products in the EU. some can be used to make the product more addictive and to disguise the harsh taste of nicotine and keep smokers hooked. This survey of tobacco industry documents shows what the industry was up to and makes the case for new regulation. Published in collaboration with the Imperial Cancer Research Fund.
Author: Clive Bates, Martin Jarvis, Gregory Connolly Published By: ASH Published : 13/07/1999
The Safer Cigarette
WHAT THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY COULD DO... AND WHY IT HASN’T DONE IT
A survey of 25 years of patents for innovations to reduce toxic and carcinogenic chemicals in tobacco smoke. Published in collaboration with Imperial Cancer Research fund.
Author: ASH Published By: ASH Published : 01/01/2000
Food and Drug Law Journal Tobacco Supplement
An insight into the complexities of regulating nicotine products. Volume 53, Issue no 4, Tobacco Supplement 1998
EU Directive 2001/37/EC
This Directive sets out the rules regarding the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products. Article 5 outlines the labelling regulations and Annex 1 the list of additional health warnings.
Oslo Monograph: Advancing knowledge on regulating tobacco products (pdf)
This report gives an excellent summary of the issues in regulating tobacco products - for example attempts to reduce the toxicity of cigarettes. The full report is available as a PDF at the icon to the left. The link above is a summary of the WHO's consultative expert meeting in Oslo in February 2000, from which the full report was developed
Government response to the Health Select Committee
The government offers few new initiatives on tobacco regulation, but overall it is a positive response giving a clear sense that the Government understands the thrust of the Health Select Committee's recommendations and it is steadily making progress.
Author: Department of Health Published By: Department of Health Published : 29/10/2000
Second Conference on the Regulation of tobacco dependence treatment products
Partnership to reduce tobacco dependence. The target being by the year 2015, the adverse health effects from the consumption of addictive substances such as tobacco, alcohol and psychoactive drugs should have been significantly reduced in all European Member States.
Author: World Health Organization Published By: World Health Organization Published : 26/10/2000
Is it the nicotine or the tobacco?
By David Sweanor and Why taking the nicotine out of tobacco is a bad idea by Clive Bates. World Health Organization Bulletin vol 78, no 7. August 2000
Author: David Sweanor, Clive Bates Published By: World Health Organization Published : 31/07/2000
The future of tobacco product regulation and labelling in Europe
Implications for the forthcoming European Directive. Special report published in Tobacco Control August 1999. A major critique of the existing system including misleading low-tar cigarettes and concerns over additives. Offers proposals for alternatives.
Author: Clive Bates, Ann McNeill, Martin Jarvis, Nigel Gray Published By: Tobacco Control Published : 31/07/1999
Should nicotine be removed from tobacco products?
Should nicotine be taken out of tobacco product to make them less addictive? Some people think so. ASH believes this would do more harm than good. These letters in Tobacco Control Journal outline why. Tobacco Control, 1998, 8: 106-112
Author: Stan Shatenstein, Martin Jarvis, Clive Bates, Murray Laugesen, Jack Henningfield Published By: Tobacco Control Published : 28/02/1999
Letter to Tessa Jowell: Tar and nicotine regulation
Letter from the Royal College of Physicians, ASH and others to the Health Minister, Tessa Jowell, regarding the regulation and labelling of harmful contents and smoke emissions of tobacco products.
Author: George Alberti, Paul Nurse, Gordon McVie, Leslie Busk, Ian Bogle, Tony Close, Clive Bates Published By: ASH Published : 01/10/1998
The Tobacco Industry and the Health Effects of Smoking
Health Select Committee
June 2000: Outstanding UK parliamentary report on the tobacco industry, going through its claims and history of deceit with surgical precision. Concludes that a much tougher regulatory authority is needed and that BAT should be investigated for smuggling.
