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ASH Daily News
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7 December 2004
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HEADLINES
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Hospitality trade considers its options
Workers on the offensive over smoking policies
Passive resistance, Terry Kavanagh's letter to the Mail
New report focuses on passive smoking in North East
Smoking reduces sex appeal
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FULL TEXT
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Hospitality trade considers its options
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Working men's clubs in England breathed a smoky, but relieved,
collective sigh when the government's white paper was released. They
are exempted from the outright ban on smoking proposed for pubs and
restaurants that serve food, having instead the option of balloting
members on whether to introduce a ban or not.

The secretaries of both the Horbury Working Men's Club near Wakefield
and Burnley's Byerden House Club say that, as most of their members are
smokers, it is likely a vote for a ban would fail.

But Mark Procter, secretary of Byerden House, says the issue might not
prove so easy to resolve. "As far as smoking goes, it is allowed
throughout our club, but there is a difficulty here as some of our
employees are members and some are not. Some do smoke and some don't,"
he says.

Mr Procter worries that non-smoking staff subjected to the smoking of
members might be in a position to claim their jobs had been made
untenable and issue proceedings.
Both secretaries are relieved their clubs will be able to continue to
accommodate smokers.

David Robinson, secretary of Horbury WMC, says about four out of five of
the club's 1,200 members smoke and a ban could have "devastating"
consequences.
Although he insists most clubs have shed their "cloth caps and spitoons"
image, he says smoking remains part of the culture. "It's an old
tradition, isn't it, a pint and a fag."
Both men believe their clubs are likely to experience an influx of
smoking refugees from pubs that do introduce bans. "There's nowhere else
for people to go and they are not just going to give up because there's
a ban," Mr Procter says.

And although many working men's clubs fear the consequences of the
possible removal of the exemptions on private clubs before any measures
pass into law, the movement has a history of adapting to survive. "We
have to [adapt] or we would close," says Mr Procter.
There has been much discussion about the possibility of pubs turning
themselves into private members' clubs to overcome the law but little
evidence that there is any widespread move in that direction yet.

The options for those in the restaurant trade are narrower as food is
clearly central to their businesses. But Peter Harden, co-author of
Harden's restaurant guides, said the impact of a ban should not be so
keenly felt. "Smokers are quite used to being asked not to light up in
restaurants and so it will not be perceived as a great hardship that you
cannot have a cigarette. Really it's just a final confirmation of a
growing trend," he said.

The BPPA still hopes to convince the government that voluntary measures
adopted in September by members accounting for more than 40 per cent of
the pub sector - such as banning smoking at the bar and in work areas
and reducing smoking areas to 20 per cent of floor space by 2009 -
render legislation unnecessary.

Source: Financial Times, 7 December 2004=20
Article links:
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/dd581ca4-47f5-11d9-a0fd-00000e2511c8.html
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/8711ed92-47f6-11d9-a0fd-00000e2511c8.html=20
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Workers in Northern Ireland on the offensive over smoking policies

A major research study has shown huge public demand for smoke-free
workplaces.

The Ulster Cancer Foundation carried out the survey to understand the
views of employers and employees working in Northern Ireland's top 100
companies, the hospitality sector and shopping centres.

Gerry McElwee, the head of cancer prevention at the foundation, said
there is a clear majority of employers and employees who want their
workplace to be smoke-free.
"This majority includes smoking employees who are also in favour of such
a policy.
"The companies that we spoke to who already have implemented a
smoke-free policy say that it has brought many benefits and few problems
to their business."

The results of the study show that of the top 100 companies in Northern
Ireland, 47 per cent were completely smoke-free and that the 52 per cent
who had a partial policy would implement a complete smoking ban if there
were clear Government policy on the issue.

The study interviewed 171 bar and restaurant staff across the Province,
and 76 per cent said that they want to work in a smoke-free environment.

Gerry McElwee said: "Employees in the hospitality sector continue to
endure cancer causing substances in the line of duty.

"However, our research shows that there is a huge demand from these
people to work in a smoke-free environment.

"The main reason they give for this is their fear of serious health
risks.

"Some employers are hesitant to implement a smoke-free policy for fear
of alienating customers and staff. This research shows these fears to be
unfounded."

Of the 30 shopping centres throughout Northern Ireland that took part in
the study, seven were completely smoke-free, while 12 had a partial
smoking ban in place and 11 had no specific policy.

Mr McElwee said: "Smoke-free shopping centres confirmed that their trade
had either increased or stayed the same since the introduction of the
smoking ban.

"The evidence is clear - passive smoking kills. The Ulster Cancer
Foundation has led the campaign for smoke-free environments for 20
years.

"We can not continue to regard smoking as a right, and breathing clean
air as a privilege," he said.

Source: News Letter, 6 December 2004=20
Article link: http://www.newsletter.co.uk/story/16980=20
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Passive resistance, Terry Kavanagh's letter to the Mail
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In a letter to the Daily Mail, Terry Kavanagh writes of his experience
of contracting lung cancer through exposure to secondhand smoke, and of
his opinion of the Government's priorities:
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"A non-smoker all my life, I was diagnosed with cancer 16 years ago.
Through a mis-diagnosis of an initial biopsy taken while undertaking
tests, I was told I was not expected to survive three months.
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After undergoing surgery to remove half of my left lung, I was sent to
see an oncologist about further treatment.
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When I asked him what had caused my cancer, he laughed and told me that
95 per cent of people who get my type of cancer get it through smoking -
therefore as a non-smoker, mine was caused through inhaling someone
else's cigarettes, i.e. passive smoking.
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I survived and later became a voluntary worker on lung cancer issues for
the Roy Castle Foundation, at present I sit on several panels including
the Government Lung Cancer Advisory panel.
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Being a victim of someone else's habit has not left me bitter towards
people who do smoke - rather it has had the opposite effect. On the one
hand I want to see a total ban on smoking, while on the other, I want to
see a cure for lung cancer.
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My experience has brought me to the conclusion that the term 'a smoker'
is an abstract concept. The public need to know that people with lung
cancer and other smoking related illnesses have names, faces and
families. They are people with a life threatening disease who are
worthy of our caring and support.
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And while I welcome the Government's proposed ban on smoking in public
places, I do feel that society needs to be more sympathetic towards
people who suffer smoking related illnesses and to look upon this as a
human tragedy.
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I'm convinced that this Government, under the guidance of Health
Secretary John Reid, would sooner take the profits made from smoking,
and ignore the appalling mortality rate of victims of smoking related
illnesses, rather than remove the root of the problem
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I have come to the sacrilegious conclusion that those in power consider
people who smoke and those who suffer smoking related illnesses as
expendable."
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Source: The Daily Mail, 7 December 2004=20
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New report focuses on passive smoking in North East
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Passive smoking kills about 200 people under 65 in the north-east of
England every year, new figures show.=20

It is also estimated as many as 35 of these die from exposure to tobacco
fumes in the workplace.=20

The figures are published ahead of a conference on Tuesday to discuss
the case for a smoke-free North East.=20

Simon Clark, of smokers' rights group Forest, said studies into the
effects of passive smoking were inconclusive and there was no hard
evidence.=20

The conference in Gateshead is organised by the Smoke Free North East
Alliance in partnership with the Association of North East Councils.=20

Regional director of public health for the North East, Dr Bill Kirkup,
said: "We welcome the proposals for restrictions on smoking in public
places in last month's Government White Paper.=20

"They are potentially the most important development in public health
since the link between smoking and lung cancer was established in the
1950s. But we also need to remember that smoking kills more than 15
people in the North East every day.=20

"About 5,800 die prematurely every year - and almost one in five of all
deaths in the region is caused by the habit.=20

"These are appalling figures that are made even more stark by the
statistics about deaths from second-hand smoke revealed today."=20

But Mr Clark said they challenged the medical profession to produce hard
evidence about passive smoking.=20

He said: "All they do is come up with estimates, statistics and
calculations. We keep challenging them to come up with actual evidence.
All they can ever come up with is anecdotal stories.=20

"It is quite wrong for a small minority of the population to be told
that you are seriously harming the health of people around you when
there is no conclusive evidence that is the case."=20

Source: BBC News online, 6 December 2004=20
Article link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/4072121.stm =20
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Smoking reduces sex appeal

Smoking reduces your sex appeal, according to a poll out yesterday.

Four out of five non-smokers and a third of smokers said they found the
sight of someone with a cigarette a turn-off.

A fifth of non-smokers have even turned down a date with someone they
fancied because of their smoking habit.

The news is even worse for men - half of the 1,000 women polled aged 18
to 35 associated male smokers with having less stamina in bed and being
unfit.

Half the men said female smokers were more likely to have wrinkles, bad
skin and bad breath.

The survey was carried out for the NHS Smoking Helpline. Advisor Ian
Quigley said: "I know one reason some people want to quit is that
they've been rejected by someone because they smoked."
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Source: Daily Mirror, 7 December 2004
Article link:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=3D14951800&method=3D=
f
ull&siteid=3D50143 =20
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