Russia defies WHO antismoking convention by allowing misleading advertising

The Russian government is flouting the World Health Organization’s convention against smoking, despite having ratified it earlier this year. In defiance of the convention a new Russian standard permits the use of misleading advertising of cigarettes, including the use of the word "light" to describe certain brands, and allows representatives of the tobacco industry to take part in the legislative process.

The lower chamber of the Russian national parliament, the Duma, has passed the national standard for tobacco products in its second hearing. The standard, which was prepared by a lobbyist from the tobacco industry, legalises the trade of cigarettes under names that include words such as "light." Although a third hearing is needed before the standard becomes law, this tends to be a formal approval process only, and changes at this stage are unlikely.

Russia took part in the development of WHO’s convention against smoking and voted for it in 2003, when tobacco industry representatives were members of the Russian delegation. However, ratification of the convention was delayed until April 2008. Russian tobacco industrialists used the time before ratification to draft the national standard, which contradicts a number of articles of the convention. The standard was supported by some MPs, including the Duma’s healthcare committee member Tatiana Yakovleva.

Members of antismoking groups pressed the healthcare committee to draft an amendment to the law on smoking to include further application of the principles of the WHO convention, but discussion was delayed indefinitely. Two months earlier the head of the national consumer protection agency filed a suit against the tobacco industry for using misleading names on cigarette packets but lost the case.

About 60% of Russian teenagers smoke, and life expectancy in the country matches that of the world’s poorest countries, at just 60 years for men. An estimated 330,000 people die from tobacco related disease in Russia every year. In Moscow a packet of non-filter cigarettes can cost as little as 2.5 roubles (£0.06).

Source: British Medical Journal, 01 December 2008
Link: http://tiny.cc/lz6Lv

Prenatal smoking can affect baby brain

High levels of prenatal smoking exposure modify sleep patterns that may have serious consequences for infant brain development, French researchers said. Results indicate preterm infant born to mothers who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day displayed disrupted sleep structure and sleep continuity, the study said.

The study, published in the journal Sleep, found that newborns slept almost two hours less from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. than controls who were born to non-smoking mothers. Their sleep was also more fragmented -- newborns born to smokers displayed more body movements and, as a result, more disturbed sleep.

Frederic Telliez of the University of Picardie Jules Verne in Amiens, France, said that sleep integrity is critical in the brain development of newborn children. Disruption of sleep mechanisms by prenatal smoking exposure may predispose these babies to alterations in some physiological function and can result in long-term neurocognitive disorders, Telliez said.

Prenatal smoking exposure can lead to deficits in sustained attention and impulsivity in adolescents and a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood -- effects that could be partially mediated by sleep changes, the study said.

Source: redOrbit, 01 December 2008
Link: http://tiny.cc/Xl5Fo

Australia: Doctors warned over quit-smoking drug

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has warned doctors to take care when prescribing a drug commonly used to quit smoking.  The TGA says it has received 254 adverse drug reaction reports for Champix, covering a variety of side effects, including nausea, aggression, suicidal thoughts and insomnia.

The TGA says some patients without any known psychiatric conditions have experienced suicidal thoughts after taking the drug. The drug is still available, but the TGA wants doctors to warn patients of possible side effects and to advise patients to seek immediate medical help if they experience these symptoms.

Source: ABC News, 01 December 2008
Link: http://tiny.cc/oxQ6D

Planned curbs on smoking to be axed

According to The Times, measures to help cut smoking and drinking are expected to be shelved this week because of fears they will alienate voters during the recession.  Ministers have decided they cannot justify some of the more draconian measures to reduce cigarette and alcohol sales during the economic downturn. A proposed ban on shops displaying tobacco, and steps to force tobacco manufacturers to remove logos from cigarette packs are expected to be abandoned, along with proposals to stop supermarkets discounting alcohol.

The U-turn follows pressure from backbenchers and trade groups, who argued that there was little evidence to show the steps would have health benefits. Last night the health department was examining whether any part of the proposed tobacco restrictions could be salvaged in time for Wednesday’s Queen’s speech, which sets out the legislative programme.

It is understood, however, that ministers have reluctantly conceded there is not enough evidence to support the tobacco proposals and have concluded it would “not be in the nation’s best interests” to press ahead. Some in the cabinet feared the crackdown, which included packaging cigarettes in plain “vanilla” boxes with no branding, would jar with the key message about shoring up the economy.

Senior Labour sources say the legislative programme is designed to appeal to “white van man”; that is, working-class swing voters who are more likely to smoke and drink. The government is still expected to press ahead with plans to ban so-called “happy hours” in pubs and clubs.

Also reported in The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal

Source: The Times, 30 November 2008
Link: http://tiny.cc/S4IWb