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ASH Daily News for 06 December 2006

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ASH Daily News
 
6 December 2006
 
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HEADLINES
 
Japanese scientists find heavy smoking genetic link
 
Scottish council hands out 100th smoking fine
 
Greene King to clean up on smoking ban
 
Wales set to ban smoking on stage
 
FULL TEXT
 
Japanese scientists find heavy smoking genetic link
 
A team of Japanese scientists have found a gene closely linked to nicotine addiction, which could lead to more effective ways for smokers to kick the habit, a Japanese daily said on Wednesday.
 
The team at Osaka University found that among heavy smokers - defined as those who light up as soon as they get up in the morning - a gene responsible for producing an enzyme that breaks down nicotine is more active than others, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported.
 
After examining the gene CYP2A6 among 300 smokers and those who had smoked in the past, the scientists found that 70 percent of those with a highly active type of the gene were highly addicted to nicotine.
 
The percentage of heavy smokers among those with a less active CYP2A6 was lower at 40 percent, the finding showed.
 
If doctors can find out the type of the gene in patients who want to quit smoking, they can change treatment methods accordingly, such as adjusting the amount of nicotine patches prescribed to the smoker, the paper said.
 
Source: Reuters, 5 December 2006
Article link: http://tinyurl.com/w6d5x
 
 
Scottish council hands out 100th smoking fine
 
Renfrewshire Council reached its "century" last week when a taxi driver at Glasgow Airport was caught smoking in his cab.
 
A total of 103 people in the council's area - which covers Paisley, Johnstone and Renfrew - have been given £50 fixed penalty fines since the ban was imposed on March 26.
 
The figure is by far the highest in Scotland - Glasgow has issued just 15.
 
A spokeswoman said Renfrewshire was proud to be leading the way.
 
"In the first few weeks of the ban we adopted a softly-softly approach and tried to educate people but we've moved on.
 
"We aim to ensure our procedures reflect what the public want."
 
Of the 103 fines issued, 46 were taxi drivers in their cabs, 21 people in public service vehicles such as buses and trains, 34 goods vehicle drivers and only two in pubs.
 
The spokeswoman said: "The number of notices demonstrate that we are listening to local residents and investigating and dealing with all complaints properly."
 
A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said there had been a "very positive response" to the ban in the city, particularly in licensed premises.
 
Maureen Moore, Chief Executive of anti-smoking organisation Ash Scotland said: "We welcome the enthusiasm with which Renfrewshire has embraced the law."
 
An Executive spokeswoman said: "It is for local councils to enforce the ban in accordance with the legislation."
 
Source: Evening Times, 5 December
Article link: http://tinyurl.com/ybql7m
 
 
Greene King to clean up on smoking ban
 
Across the country, hundreds of Greene King landlords and staff are poised ready to swing into Operation Clean and Fresh (OCF) the moment the smoking ban comes into force on 1 July 2007.
 
Chief executive Rooney Anand, who has already led his troops at the Belhaven subsidiary in Scotland on the first leg of OCF, said: 'We have to win back people who had stopped going to pubs, particularly women and families. So it has be a softer and better experience.
 
One of his secret weapons is industrial-scale air-fresheners that automatically pump scents throughout the pubs, although he says it is too early to say which particular smell is proving most attractive.
 
The Belhaven experience, after Scotland banned smoking at the end of March, has seen the chain raising profits on very little increase in sales.
 
Anand added: 'I remain cautiously optimistic over the smoking ban, although it is too early to make a judgment until we have been through at least one winter.
 
'But the signs are that while wet [beers, wines and spirits] sales are down food sales are much better.”
 
Source: Evening Standard, 6 December 2006
Article link: http://tinyurl.com/uo9ts


Wales set to ban smoking on stage
 
Wales is to follow Scotland’s lead and outlaw smoking on stage when a full ban comes into force next April.
 
Despite lobbying from the arts world, including the Theatrical Management Association, the Welsh Assembly took the decision not to allow a clause to be inserted into its legislation as in England, where smoking on stage will be permitted as part of performance “if artistic integrity makes it appropriate”. Wales’ ban on smoking in enclosed public places comes into force on April 2, three months ahead of England.
 
The TMA had argued that a ban would “unnecessarily and unjustifiably” affect full performance and accurate interpretation of writers’ intentions, while fears have also been expressed that it could dissuade certain touring productions from visiting Wales.
 
However, the Welsh cabinet gave greater weight to local government enforcement officers, who argued: “We oppose any arrangement whereby there has to be a determination as to whether the artistic integrity of a play or piece of theatre requires the smoking of tobacco… We are not qualified to make such a determination and we do not know of any party that would be.”
 
Introducing the changes, Welsh health minister Dr Brian Gibbons said he was sure it was “not beyond the wit of thespians” to simulate smoking on stage - as they did for many other actions. He could not believe that artistic integrity would be ruined by the ban.
 
Meanwhile, hopes that Welsh actors would be able to avoid the issue by smoking herbal cigarettes - as is the case in Ireland - have been quashed. A Welsh health department spokesperson said: “We knew what was happening in Ireland and have tightened up the loophole - we now ban any lit substance.”
 
Assembly members have their final chance to change the regulations at a meeting on January 23 but past pro-smoking protests have had no effect. Presuming the decision is not overturned in January, it will leave England and Northern Ireland with exemptions and Wales and Scotland with bans on smoking on stage.
 
Source: The Stage, 6 December 2006
Article link: http://tinyurl.com/sz8q8



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