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ASH Daily news for 07 February 2011

HEADLINES

  • Tobacco taxes set to boost smuggling according to big tobacco companies

    Big tobacco companies are warning Ministers and Customs officials to brace themselves for a tsunami of smuggled cigarettes hitting Britain’s pubs as George Osbourne prepares to push through above-inflation excise duty rises next month.

    The industry, dominated by Imperial Tobacco and Gallaher, claims the rate of smuggling and volume of contraband sold on Britain's streets rockets when excise duty goes up.

    Health campaigners dispute assumptions that there is a necessary link between tobacco tax rates and smuggling. Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: "Tough law enforcement measures are the way to tackle tobacco smuggling. The tobacco industry is being disingenuous in claiming that tax increases will result in massive leaps in smuggling. This did occur in the UK in the 1990s but only because the tobacco industry allowed it to happen.

    "Since the government started cracking down on smuggling and new laws were put in place with the threat of heavy fines for manufacturers which allow their products to be smuggled, smuggling has reduced dramatically. Tobacco taxes have risen above inflation for the last two years and there has been no sign of an increase in smuggling."

    Source: The Guardian, 06 February 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/hgpgfl

  • RAF cigarette smugglers jailed

    Three RAF servicemen have been jailed for their part in an operation which saw seven million cigarettes smuggled into Britain on military flights from the Middle East.

    Senior Aircraftman Paul Garbutt, 31, along with Corporal Stuart Helens, 31, and Sergeant Stuart Walker, 43, all admitted their part in the conspiracy.

    Helens was sentenced to a three-year prison term, Paul Garbutt was jailed for three years and four months, and Walker was imprisoned for two years.

    Judge Michael Longman said the three RAF servicemen had abused their positions of trust.

    He said: "You were all serving members of the RAF at the time, all trusted implicitly to deal with air cargo, and you all breached that trust. I accept this behaviour was out of character for you all and you were motivated by greed."

    Source: BBC News, 04 February 2011
    Link: http://bbc.in/fvCsv5

  • Wales: Decline in lung cancer threatened by schoolgirls taking up smoking

    New figures published by the Welsh Cancer Intelligence and Surveillance Unit show a decline in the number of lung cancer cases in men and women.

    Fewer men were diagnosed with the disease in 2009 than in 2008, prompting hopes that lung cancer rates could be starting to decline.

    There was a 10% fall in the number of women diagnosed with lung cancer, although the numbers have been fluctuating over the last five years.

    Experts have warned that the despite the one-year fall, the overall reduction could be threatened by the large number of young people- especially teenage girls - who continue to start smoking.

    Source: Wales Online, 07 February 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/iiv4QS

  • Welsh mums-to-be top UK league for smoking during pregnancy

    Alarming new figures show more women smoke during their pregnancy in Wales than anywhere else in the UK.

    Helen Rogers, director of the Royal College of Midwives in Wales, said: “Although we know adult women have stopped smoking there are still high levels among younger women in the general population and these are the ones who are also getting pregnant. Part of the image of smoking is that you don’t put on weight and there’s an idea that if you smoke when pregnant you stay quite slim, you’ll also have a smaller baby which is easier to give birth to."

    She added, “This is a real issue and Wales has got a public health problem here.”

    Tanya Buchanan, Chief Executive of ASH Wales, said: “Educating both young and older mums about the dangers of smoking during pregnancy is extremely important both for the mother’s health and also their baby’s."

    Source: Wales Online, 06 February 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/hvf9Pj

  • Spain: Sales of smoking cessation products soar

    The sale of smoking cessation products has soared since a tough anti-tobacco law came into effect in January.

    Sales of the products increased by almost 600 percent in January while at the same time the sale of prescription drugs to help smokers quit rose by 145.6 percent.

    Source: People's Daily Online, 05 February 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/ijDLpb

  • India: Oral cancer is one of the most common cancers

    Experts in Varanasi, India, have warned that oral cancer is one of the leading health risks in the region.

    M Tewari of the Banaras Hindu University said 50 out of 100 patients getting treatment at the surgical oncology department are diagnosed with oral cancer.

    He added that the threat is increased by smoking, chewing tobacco and betal quid.

    Source: TopNews, 05 February 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/haze7b