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ASH Daily News

5 December 2005

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HEADLINES

Smoking age could be raised to 18

Raising the age limit may be a smokescreen for the smoking ban debate

Voice of the Daily Mirror: "No if or butts"

Tobacco giant, Gallaher, accused of smuggling

FULL TEXT

Smoking age could be raised to 18

>From the Observer:

Labour MP, Jeff Ennis, has put forward a private members bill to raise the legal age at which people can buy cigarettes from 16 to 18. Ennis has criticised the government for failing to take steps to curb teenage smoking at a time when it is clamping down on smoking in public places.

An ICM poll carried out last year found evidence of public support for raising the minimum age. Of the 1,010 adults surveyed, 55% said the minimum age should go up to 21. Nine out of ten supported increasing the penalties for selling tobacco to children.

Pro-smoking groups have said "In principle we won't have a problem if they raise the age to 18," said Simon Clark, director of FOREST. "Smoking should be seen as an adult activity. Anything that can discourage children from smoking has to be a good thing."

Observer 4/12/05 http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1657325,00.html


>From the Times:

Patricia Hewitt, the Health Secretary is said to be considering plans to raise the minimum age for purchasing tobacco. The Department of Health confirmed yesterday that Ministers are examining placing the sale of cigarettes on the same legal footing as alcohol, as a means of reducing teenage smoking.

The move would bring Britain into line with most of the United States and Europe, in which smoking is legal only from the age of 18. Spain recently became the latest country to have raised the minimum age to 18.

The Government also hopes that by toughening the law on teenage smoking it would help to appease anti-tobacco campaigners who have attacked its compromise on the proposed ban on smoking in public places.

The Times 5/12/05 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1904669,00.html

Also reported in

Daily Telegraph 4/12/05 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/12/04/nsmoke04.xml

Guardian 5/12/05 http://www.guardian.co.uk/smoking/Story/0,,1657677,00.html



Raising the age limit may be a smokescreen for the smoking ban debate


Health groups said they were concerned the government could be using the idea of raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco to 18 in a bid to placate rebel MPs. More than 60 Labour MPs have signalled their opposition to the Health Bill which proposes a partial ban on smoking. The bill has been widely described by health groups and the pub trade as unworkable.

"We do not oppose raising the age of sales," said Deborah Arnott, Director of ASH. "But it won't have a big impact on youth smoking unless it's combined with a wider policy to make smoking a less desirable activity. The best way to do this is a smoking ban in the work place and all enclosed public places. The government won't be able to buy off Labour MPs by making these concessions."

The Observer 4/12/05 http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1657325,00.html

On the same issue

Liberal Democrat Steve Webb said the Government was trying to distract attention from its difficulties over the partial smoking ban. He said "within days of the Government getting a mauling over its flawed Health Bill to partially ban smoking it has suddenly become sympathetic to an alternative clampdown on smoking to buy off its back benchers."

"This is nothing more than a smokescreen to distract attention from the incoherence of its current proposals."

Daily Star 5/12/05

Also reported in

The Independent 5/12/05 http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article331233.ece
Independent on Sunday 4/12/05 http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article331001.ece

Daily Mirror 5/12/05 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/tm_objectid=16448173%26method=full%26siteid=94762-name_page.html



Voice of the Daily Mirror: "No if or butts"


Editorial comment by the Daily Mirror

"If raising the smoking age to 18 cuts the number of young people who take up this deadly habit, it would be worth it.

But the enthusiasm of the pro-smoking lobby for the idea must sound a note of caution.

There is evidence that some youngsters are deterred from starting if the age is raised. Yet it is less effective than banning smoking in public places.

And the government's failure to introduce a total ban in pubs and clubs is what has led to this latest smokescreen of a proposal.

Deterring young people from starting to smoke is good. But that doesn't mean it is acceptable to continue with the fiasco of a partial ban on smoking in public."

Daily Mirror 5/12/05 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/voiceofthemirror/



Tobacco giant, Gallaher, accused of smuggling


Gallaher, which is one of Britain's biggest tobacco firms, has been accused by Ptolomeous Tlais, (a key distributor for the company) of "permitting" the illegal smuggling of its cigarettes.

Ptolomeous Tlais, sold Gallaher's products throughout the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia, claims the company set up a trading "environment" conducive to illegal activity. The Cypriot-based businessman also alleges in papers lodged at the High Court that a senior Gallaher executive encouraged him to smuggle products.

Gallaher strongly denies the claims and states Tlais is responsible for the massive smuggling of its products which has deprived the British exchequer of hundreds of millions in lost duties over the past few years.

The sale of smuggled cigarettes is estimated to lose the exchequer £1.9 billion a year and Gallaher products account for almost three-quarters of smuggled branded cigarettes seized by British customs.

Gallaher, which makes Benson & Hedges and Mayfair cigarettes, is accused by Tlais of deliberately flooding Middle Eastern markets with unsuitable cigarettes in the knowledge that many would be smuggled back to the British black market. He alleges Gallaher acted inappropriately by permitting "an environment to be created wherein smuggling became common". In its legal pleas, Gallaher denies permitting or tolerating smuggling and says the firm had serious concerns about Tlais's business controls, which led it to terminate his contract.

To back up his case, Tlais sets out four conditions he says Gallaher used to "foster an environment" in which smuggling could occur. All are denied by the firm.

One was to supply brands of cigarettes that are popular in high-duty countries such as Britain but not in demand in the countries they are being exported to; another was to supply brands to low-duty countries without marketing them there.

Other conditions were to supply cigarettes to a country in the wrong packaging, and to supply substandard cigarettes.

Gallaher said it only supplied cigarettes requested by Tlais and it was up to him to ensure those he dealt with abided by its anti-smuggling policies.

A customs spokesman said: "We are studying the papers received. We will look into any issues arising if they indicate a breach of UK regulations."

The Sunday Times 4/12/05 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1903050_1,00.html


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