Home / Media Room / News / ASH Daily News / ASH Daily News for 06/12/2004 / ASH Daily news for 17 October 2011

ASH Daily news for 17 October 2011

HEADLINES

  • Wales needs 20,000 smokers to quit each year to reach Government target

    Wales needs to persuade 20,000 smokers a year to quit if it is to meet an ambitious target to slash smoking rates.

    The Welsh Government wants to cut the number of adult smokers from the current 23% to just 16% by 2020.

    But there are concerns about whether Wales’ smoking cessation services can help such numbers tackle their addictions.

    The number of adults smoking has fallen only slightly in the last seven years, from 26% in 2004, despite the introduction of the ban on smoking in public places.

    But there are signs fewer teenage boys and girls are taking up the habit.

    Speaking at an alcohol and tobacco conference in Cardiff, Bob Hudson, chief executive of Public Health Wales, said: “The target is to reduce smoking to 16% by 2020. To get there, 20,000 smokers will need to quit in Wales every year and, at the moment, we’re nowhere near that.

    “There’s a big gap that we have to cross. Tobacco use is in decline but there is still a huge amount of work to do with those who are still smoking.”

    The Welsh Government hopes to achieve a similar reduction in smoking rates over a short period of time as that in California. But, unlike California, it has no powers to raise tobacco prices.

    California reduced its smoking rate from 22.7% in 1988 to 13.3% in 2006 through a combination of smoking bans, grassroots actions and smoking cessation services. It also increased the price of a packet of cigarettes by 25 cents, which helped pay for smoke-free initiatives.

    The last figures published by Stop Smoking Wales show 15,086 people contacted the national smoking cessation service for help giving up in 2008-09.

    Of the 7,697 people who took part in stop-smoking support programmes, 4,443 had stopped for at least four weeks – a success rate of 58%.

    Chris Mulholland, head of the British Lung Foundation Wales, said: “Getting 20,000 people to quit smoking each year is very ambitious, but we think it can be done. In fact it must be done.

    “The cost of smoking, in terms of lives and money, is far too high – each year in Wales it accounts for 5,650 deaths, and £386m from the NHS budget.

    “The benefits to our people and to the NHS of driving the smoking rate down will be worth the effort.

    “Experience from countries such as Australia, backed up by research, shows a comprehensive approach is best – legislation, awareness-raising and support all working together.

    “In particular we need to help today’s smokers to quit, and make sure the next generation never starts smoking.”


    “I urge the Health Minister to revisit implementing the regulations to ban the display of tobacco products at the point of sale, and sale from vending machines as a matter of urgency.

    “Such displays have reinforced deceptive notions about the glamour and normalcy of smoking to young people, and it is essential that this is prohibited.”

    A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We recognise the target of reducing smoking levels to 16% is challenging.

    “We are currently considering the responses to the consultation on the draft tobacco control action plan and intend to publish the final version later this year.

    “The plan will outline proposals to renew our efforts to encourage smokers to quit their habit. We are already investing in measures to discourage children from starting smoking and we are providing help and support to smokers who want to quit.

    “We support a number of services to help people give up smoking such as Stop Smoking Wales and Smokers Helpline Wales. The introduction of the smoke-free legislation is further helping to protect non-smokers and has acted as a stimulus for many to give up.”
     

    Source: Wales online.co.uk, 17 Oct 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/mWqJhN

  • USA: California inspires Congress on collecting lost tobacco

    California has inspired proposed congressional legislation aimed at cracking down on tobacco smuggling and increasing cigarette tax revenues.

    The Smuggled Tobacco Prevention, or STOP, Act would require that tobacco products carry a high-tech stamp, similar to one used in California , that allows government investigators to track cigarette packages and determine whether taxes were paid and whether tobacco is being diverted to illegal markets.

    The measure is modeled on a California program that began in 2005 and has reduced cigarette tax evasion by $133 million annually, according to the State Board of Equalization.

    The Justice Department estimates that tobacco smuggling costs federal and state governments at least $5 billion in lost revenue annually, bill sponsors say.

    Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), lead sponsor of the bill in the House, called tobacco products "the single largest illegally trafficked legal product on the planet."

    Doggett said the legislation "imposes new labeling and record-keeping requirements to allow better tracking of tobacco products to keep cheap, smuggled tobacco out of the hands of our children. This will help the government increase its tobacco tax receipts without increasing taxes."

    David Sutton, a spokesman for Altria, said the tobacco company would need to study the legislation before taking a position, but added, "We’ve long supported efforts to address contraband cigarette trafficking.... We believe the highest priority right now is to focus on implementing and enforcing existing laws."

    Source: Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2011
    Link: http://lat.ms/qKOZsd

  • Japan: Government backtracks on tobacco tax hike

    The ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) has decided to shelve plans to introduce a tax increase on tobacco after pressure from opposition parties over the issue.

    Last month, the government said a tobacco tax hike would be part of an overall tax increase plan to fund reconstruction work in the Tohoku region. The proposal called for raising the price of tobacco with a 2-yen tax per cigarette from around this time next year, as well as a recommendation that the government sell its stake in Japan Tobacco.

    However, the proposal has faced stiff opposition from the opposition parties, Fuji TV reported.

    On Thursday night, DJP policy affairs chief Seiji Maehara announced that the proposed tobacco tax hike would be shelved because the proposal “was drafted without proper consultation or discussion with the opposition parties. We would like to include them in the decision-making process,” he was quoted as saying by Fuji.

    Some analysts have suggested the backtrack may be due to the fact that the opposition controls the upper house. To pass any bill, the DPJ requires the backing of the Liberal Democratic Party, whose constituency includes tobacco growers, and the second biggest opposition New Komeito Party, who also resist tobacco tax hikes.

    Cabinet ministers and Democratic Party executives last month agreed on a proposal to raise the tobacco tax in October 2012, income taxes from January 2013 and residential taxes from June 2014. With the tobacco tax increase included, tax revenues were projected to be around 2.2 trillion yen.

    Source: Japan Today, 17 Oct. 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/pFHwKf

  • Smoking linked to earlier menopause

    Women who smoke may hit menopause about a year earlier than those who don't light up, according to a study that also notes an earlier menopause may influence the risk of getting bone and heart diseases.

    The study, which was carried in the journal Menopause, pooled data from several previous studies that included about 6,000 women in the United States, Poland, Turkey and Iran.

    Non-smokers hit menopause between age 46 and 51, on average. But in all but two of the studies, smokers were younger when they hit menopause, between 43 and 50 overall.


    "Our results give further evidence that smoking is significantly associated with earlier (age at menopause) and provide yet another justification for women to avoid this habit," wrote study author Volodymyr Dvornyk, from the University of Hong Kong.

    Dvornyk and his colleagues also analysed five other studies that used a cut-off age of 50 or 51 to group women into "early" and "late" menopause. Out of more than 43,000 women in that analysis, women who smoked were 43 percent more likely than nonsmokers to have early menopause.

    Both early and late menopause have been linked to health risks. Women who hit menopause late, for instance, are thought to be at higher risk of breast cancer because one risk factor for the disease is more time exposed to oestrogen.

    "General consensus is that earlier menopause is likely to be associated with the larger number and higher risk of postmenopausal health problems, such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, obesity, Alzheimer's disease, and others," Dvornyk said.

    Overall, he added, early menopause is also thought to slightly raise a woman's risk of death in the years following.
     

    Source: Reuters Health, 16 Oct 2011
    Link: http://reut.rs/qSZtEM

  • Ireland: Pro smokers organisation seeks Galway support

    A pro-smoking organisation is visiting Galway this week to drum up support for smokers rights.

    Forest Eireann is calling on the Government to relax the smoking ban, cut tobacco duty to tackle smuggling and respect the rights of adults who decide to smoke.

    The group is supported by the British smokers' group Forest and receives donations from tobacco companies in Britain and Ireland.

    Spokesperson John Mallon says the anti-smoking movement has gone too far.
     

    Source: Galway News, 14 Oct. 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/qfpqnG

  • India: Mizo churches go on anti-tobacco drive

    Churches in Mizoram, north-east India have always championed a social cause and this time they have taken up the crusade against tobacco.

    Mizoram has the highest tobacco smoking prevalence in the region at 39 per cent.

    Mizoram State Tobacco Control Society (MSTCS) nodal officer, Jane R Ralte, said churches of all denominations across the state are now taking up the leading role to spread awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption.

    "Anti-tobacco messages have now become a part of Sunday ceremonies in churches. In the Sunday preaching, pastors quote from the Bible on the harmful effects of tobacco consumption. The involvement of churches in the anti-tobacco campaign is gradually becoming an effective tool to fight the menace," Ralte said.

    "We are seeing significant changes in terms of tobacco consumption. Smoking in public places in Mizoram has come down to 18 per cent from 65 per cent in recent times because of active anti-tobacco campaigns, and churches have a significant role to play in this," said Ralte.

    Source: The Times of India, 16 Oct 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/rpMw8o