HEADLINES

• Plain packs consultation delayed over legality fears
• Researchers find smoking is strongly associated with squamous cell carcinoma among women
• EU promises Sweden it will review snus ban
• Australia: Governments eye court action to make cigarette companies pay
• Netherlands: Weak Dutch tobacco controls to cost lives: experts

• Plain packs consultation delayed over legality fears

  The government's plans to launch a consultation on plain tobacco packaging by the end of 2011 appear to have stalled over legality fears, states the Grocer.

  A Department of Health spokeswoman said before a consultation could be published the Government needed to review the evidence and conduct an impact assessment on the cost and  public health benefits.

  Source: The Grocer, 07 December 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/rEAUjW

• Researchers find smoking is strongly associated with squamous cell carcinoma among women

  According to a new study published in Cancer Causes Control, women who have non-melanoma skin cancers are more likely to have smoked cigarettes compared to women without skin cancer.

  The researchers found that cigarette smoking was associated with non-melanoma skin cancer overall, and that the risk increased with numbers of cigarettes per day, total years of smoking, and pack-years smoked.

  Source: Newswise, 08 December 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/twd6zM

• EU promises Sweden it will review snus ban

  According to the Swedish trade minister, the European Commission has promised it will take another look at its ban of the tobacco product snus.

  The sale of snus is allowed in Sweden but banned in the rest of the European Union.

  The Commission is expected to propose a new tobacco products law during spring next year and released the results of a survey in July of attitudes to the current law, including the ban on snus.

  Source: Reuters News,
  Link: http://reut.rs/vHu4uP

• Australia: Governments eye court action to make cigarette companies pay

  Federal and state governments could take Big Tobacco to court, seeking compensation for smoking's health-care costs.
  
  Commonwealth lawyers and public-health law experts will meet with veteran anti-tobacco campaigner Matthew Myers, who helped US states claim health-care compensation from tobacco firms.

  Source: Herald Sun, 12 December 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/tzmu1V

• Netherlands: Weak Dutch tobacco controls to cost lives: experts

  In a letter to The Lancet medical journal, leading health experts have accused the Dutch government of "all but closing down" its tobacco control policies which could lead to 145,000 preventable deaths by 2040.

  The specialists from Europe, the United States and Canada said new policies which include weaking the smoking ban and ending the reimbursement of quit-smoking aids would inevitably cost lives.

  Source: Reuters News, 09 December 2011
  Link: http://reut.rs/w1ydII