ASH, 102 Clifton Street, LONDON, EC2A 4HW.
Tel 020 7739 5902 Fax 020 7613 0531

ASH Daily News

6 December 2005

[View html version: http://www.globalink.org/nbuk]

HEADLINES

Doubts over minimum age

Letters to the Editor over raising smoking age to 18

Hotel chain goes 100% smokefree: US, Canada and Caribbean

BAT in battle for Egyptian Cigarette company


FULL TEXT

Doubts over minimum age


The Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, is considering raising the minimum age for buying cigarettes from 16 to 18. However, health campaigners have said it would do nothing to stop young people smoking.

Deborah Arnott, Director of ASH said "There is absolutely no evidence that it would make it more difficult for young people to get hold of cigarettes.

"Only a blanket ban on smoking in enclosed public places, including all pubs, bars and clubs would help," Ms Arnott said. She added "It's particularly key that pubs and bars that don't serve food and clubs are included in a smoking ban, because these are just the places where young people start smoking in a social environment and get addicted."

Around a quarter of 16 and 17-year-olds in Britain smoke and most adults start smoking as a teenager.

London Metro 5/12/05



Letters to the Editor over raising smoking age to 18

Letters for and against raising the legal minimum age for buying cigarettes were published in the Daily Express.

For raising the legal age:

"I think it's ridiculous that 16-year-olds are at present allowed to buy and smoke cigarettes quite legally. Teenagers are still growing at that age, and smoking can seriously damage growing bodies. I applaud the Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt's proposal to raise the age limit for smoking to 18.

It is surely right to ban anyone under this age from smoking, just as we already do with drinking. Just because many teenagers flout the law, that's no excuse for doing nothing to halt the rising number of teenage smokers."
Simon Harris, Birmingham


Against raising the legal age:

"If the Government can't enforce the ban on under-18's buying alcohol, as is borne out by the number of alcoholic children, how can it enforce a band on tobacco for under 18's?

At present it applies to children under 16, and no one does anything about the vast numbers of school children smoking in the street, despite the fact that they obviously aren't 16.

Ministers should not make any more laws until they start enforcing the ones we have."
S. Lane, email

Daily Express 6/12/05




Hotel chain goes 100% smokefree: US, Canada and Caribbean


Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc have announced that its upper upscale brand, 'Westin Hotels & Resorts', will become the first hotel chain to introduce a brand wide smokefree policy. All 77 Westin hotels in the US, Canada and the Caribbean will go smokefree in January 2006. This includes all guestrooms and public areas. Westin Hotels & Resorts said the brand's new policy is a result of customer data and a clear demand from guests for a healthy, smokefree hotel experience.

Westin consumer data shows that 92% of its guests request a non-smoking room when travelling and do not smoke in any part of the hotel, including public areas. Westin also conducted a Smokefree Poll that showed the majority of consumers who travel prefer a smoke-free environment. The poll found that 86% agree that creating a nonsmoking environment is an important first step in creating a healthier environment and 80% prefer when restaurants and other indoor public spaces are free from tobacco smoke. Westin already has eight hotels with a smokefree policy in place and these have received overwhelming positive feedback from guests.

"We applaud Westin for taking this visionary step on behalf of their guests," said Dr. Cheryl Healton, president and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation. "Westin's patrons and staff will benefit enormously from this effort to improve the quality of life for everyone associated with the Westin brand. Like the airlines, we hope it will one day be possible for all hotels to be smoke-free".

Starwood Hotels & Resorts 5/12/05 http://www.starwoodhotels.com/corporate/news.html

More information about the policy:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/promotions/promo_landing.html?category=WI_BREATHE&IM=WI_HP_PRIM_BREATHE

Reported on CNN 5/12/05: http://www.cnn.com/2005/TRAVEL/12/05/smoke.free.ap/index.html



BAT in battle for Egyptian Cigarette company

British American Tobacco (BAT) is set to battle against some of its international rivals in the auction for a controlling stake in Egypt's state-owned cigarette company.

BAT has asked its financial adviser, HSBC Investment Banking, to draw up a potential bid valuing the Egyptian company at more than £290 million.

Imperial Tobacco, BAT's smaller rival, is also interested in bidding for the 52% stake, as are international competitors Altria, (parent company of Philip Morris), and Altadis.

BAT and Imperial declined to give comment to the Sunday Times this weekend about their plans in Egypt

The Sunday Times 4/12/05 http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9065-1902813,00.html


---------------------------------
Unsubscribe:

Public subscribers: http://www.ash.org.uk/?unsubscribe
Globalink members: http://member.globalink.org
----------------------------------

Sarah Ward
Information Manager
Action on Smoking & Health (ASH)
102 Clifton Street
London
EC2A 4HW

Tel: 020 7739 5902
Fax: 020 7613 0531
e-mail: sarah.ward@ash.org.uk
web: http://www.ash.org.uk
map: http://uk2.multimap.com/map/browse.cgi?pc=EC2A4HW