HEADLINES

• Stop smoking group for mums honoured
• Australia: Queensland bans smoking promotions in stores
• USA: Strong tobacco control policies could save lives, cancer group says
• Ireland: Customs seize cigarettes worth €4.2m
• Cuban cigar sales on the rise again

• Stop smoking group for mums honoured

  A support group which helps pregnant women quit smoking has been praised at a national awards ceremony.

  The Stop Smoking in Pregnancy Team at the Jessop Wing maternity hospital in Sheffield has been commended at the national British Journal of Midwifery awards.

  The dedicated team of stop smoking advisors and midwives enabled 183 pregnant smokers to kick the habit in 2010-11, along with 22 of the women’s partners.

  The team have also established a multi-agency Stop Smoking in Pregnancy Forum which meets monthly to share ideas, examine research and design and develop resources to support the new National Institute of Clinical Excellence compliant strategy.

  Helen Baston, consultant midwife and co-ordinator of the group, said: “The team have worked tirelessly to support women, through a ‘can-do’ and flexible approach to meeting their diverse needs.”

  “This dedication and effort is reflected in the outcomes they achieve and we are extremely proud of the pregnant women who have stopped smoking and the staff and partners who have supported them.”

  Source: The Star, 15 June 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/ihNUoX

• Australia: Queensland bans smoking promotions in stores

  Retailers in Queensland will soon be banned from openly displaying cigarettes and other tobacco products in their stores.

  Under laws to be introduced to parliament on Thursday, all retail advertising and promotion of tobacco and other smoking-related products will be banned.

  Premier Anna Bligh says research has shown exposure to tobacco promotion at the point of sale, particularly for children, normalises smoking and can make people more likely to take up the habit, or experiment.

  The new laws will toughen current legislation that already restricts tobacco displays to a square metre for general retailers and three square metres for specialist tobacconists.

  Health minister Geoff Wilson said the move was aimed at saving lives.

  Mr Wilson said, "The research shows that advertising of cigarettes normalises smoking for young children. Too many young people are taking up smoking, and not enough people who are already smoking are getting the support and taking those life-changing decisions, oftentimes, that will help them give up smoking."

  Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 June 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/jgGn0q

• USA: Strong tobacco control policies could save lives, cancer group says

  According to research released by the American Cancer Society states could save as many as 2 million lives and as much as $2 billion in health care costs by adopting strong tobacco control policies.

  Two reports which were released simultaneously by the public health group attempt to estimate the impact of comprehensive smokefree laws and increased tobacco taxes have made in states that have enacted the policies.

  American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network chief executive officer John Seffrin said in a statement, "We now have concrete evidence that enacting comprehensive smoke-free laws and increasing state tobacco taxes can save millions of lives, prevent smokers from picking up the habit and save states significant dollars in health spending."

  Source: Reuters News, 16 June 2011
  Link: http://reut.rs/lNloWa

• Ireland: Customs seize cigarettes worth €4.2m

  Customs officers in Cork seized 10 million illegal cigarettes worth €4.2 million and a potential loss of €3.5 million loss to the exchequer when searching a container on a ship from Malaysia.

  The branded cigarettes were concealed in a 40ft container from Malaysia which was listed as containing 'paper stationery'.

  Customs service said the operation was completed with European anti-fraud office assistance. Some 54 million cigarettes worth €22.5 million have been seized by Customs this year.

  Source: Irish Times, 15 June 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/lLH4jO

• Cuban cigar sales on the rise again

  Production of Cuban cigars has started increasing after a period of decline due to smoking bans and the international financial crisis.

  According to a report released by the National Statistics Office, Cuban cigar makers produced 81.5 million cigars last year, compared with 75.4 million in 2009.

  While production figures have increased, they are still well below 2008 when Cuba produced more than 100 million cigars for export and Pinar del Rio's tobacco harvest totalled 26 million leaves.

  The partial recovery is due largely to growing demand in Asia –particularly China –"where the new rich are keen for the largest and most expensive cigars", said Gonzalo Fernandez, deputy director of marketing at Habanos S.A., the worldwide distributor of Cuban cigars.

  Source: The Telegraph, 14 June 2011
  Link: http://tgr.ph/jkWQ6U