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Thursday December 2 1999

ASH Daily News

Headlines

Dutch approve Zyban
New study on passive smoking
Passive smoking threat to casino workers
FDA ‘jurisdiction’ debate continues
‘Smuggler ran £23 million Empire from prison’
‘How to live 10 years longer’
Irish raise the price of cigarettes by 50p
Further coverage of the Staffordshire Smoke free Pubs report
Customs swoop on tobacco gang
FOREST letter to the Publican

Full Text

Dutch approve Zyban

Glaxo Wellcome’s smoking cessation aid, Zyban has been approved by the
Dutch Medicine Evaluation Board.

Source: Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, 2 December 1999

New study on passive smoking

Secondhand cigarette smoke may be more dangerous than previously
believed, writes Paul Recer.

An examination of tissue from 106 non-smoking Missouri women, who
lived with smokers and had lung cancer, found that those with a common
gene mutation – in this case, the absence of a gene – were 2.6 to 6
times more likely to develop lung cancer.

The research conducted by Dr William Bennett of the City of Hope
National Medical Center, Los Angeles. “This is a small pilot study
that needs to be confirmed and extended. But if our findings are
correct, then ETS (environmental tobacco smoke) may be significantly
more dangerous than previously thought”.

Source: Associated Press, article number 31935, Paul Recer, November
30 1999

Passive smoking threat to casino workers

Medical tests organised by the Miscellaneous Workers Unions of
Australia have highlighted the dangers of passive smoking, even at
venues with non-smoking areas.

The Miscellaneous Workers’ Union organised the tests, which were
conducted on 52 smokers and 12 non-smokers working on the gaming floor
at Burswood Casino, which is 60 per cent smoke free.

Blood samples and the lung functions of the casino workers were taken
before and after their shifts.

Source: Tobacco News, 30 November 1999

Zyban can produce allergic reaction?

In a letter to JAMA, Bupropion hydrochloride (the chemical name for
Zyban), Dr Paul Peso reports a case of a 21 year old man, who after 10
days he noted achiness of the shoulders and hips. The next day, he had
diffuse swelling of fingers, toes, knees and eyelids and next day
attended the emergency department of Royal University Hospital. He was
diagnosed as having an allergic reaction to Bupropion.

Source: JAMA, 17 November, 1999 – Vol 282, No 19, p.1817

FDA ‘jurisdiction’ debate continues

The Supreme Court yesterday heard further arguments over the issue of
which branch of government should make national policy on smoking and
the nine justices expressed doubts that federal law gave this job to
the Food and Drug Administration.

The tobacco industry is reported as ‘playing a game of legal chicken’
by arguing that if the FDA is awarded the role, the administration
will have no option but to ban cigarettes.

However, Star Scientific, the first company in the tobacco business to
support FDA over its ‘right’ to regulate the tobacco products has
repeated its support for the FDA.

Source: Financial Times, Wall St Journal, International Herald
Tribune, Business Wire, Newsedge, 2 December 1999.

Smuggler ran £23 million empire from prison

Ellis Martin, 41, ‘masterminded one of the largest smuggling frauds
uncovered in this country while already serving a five year sentence
for bootlegging’. Ellis was jailed for nine years.

Customs will seek to seize the entire proceeds, believed to be in the
region of £23 million.

Source: The Guardian, The Times, Daily Telegraph, The Sun, 2 December
1999

‘How to live 10 years longer’

A healthy lifestyle can help you survive for an extra six to ten
years. Those who smoke, eat all the wrong things and shun exercise
could lose up to a decade from their natural lifespan’ reports Jenny
Hope.

Source: Daily Mail, 2 December 1999

Irish raise the price of cigarettes by 50p

The Irish government yesterday used their budget to announce that the
price of 20 cigarettes would rise by 50p to £3.75.

Source: Irish Times, 2 December 1999

Further coverage of the Staffordshire Smoke free Pubs report

There is more coverage of the Staffordshire Smoke free report

Heather Temperton is quoted in the article as saying “The message to
the industry is don’t be afraid to try it out”.

Clive Bates of ASH told the Publican, “With this sort of evidence, ASH
is pressing the industry to move on from talking and to start
delivering on its commitments”.

Source: The Publican, 29 November 1999

Customs swoop on tobacco gang

The Publican reports that, ‘Custom investigators have broken a gang
involved in a massive diversion of export-bound cigarettes to pubs and
clubs across the UK. Officers estimated that the entire operation
could involve as much as £50 million worth of cigarettes.’

Source: The Publican, 29 November 1999

FOREST letter to the Publican

The Director of FOREST, Simon Clarke writes that, some ‘restrictions
to combat’ the problem of passive smoking in the workplace ‘are not
unreasonable’ and we also accept that ‘employers have a right to
choose a policy that best suits their business’.

However, FOREST are not ‘prepared to accept the sort of mindless
discrimination that encourages some employers, advertising for new
recruits, to boldly state “only non-smokers need apply”.

Source: The Publican, 29 November 1999

Karl Brookes
Project Manager
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