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ASH Daily news for 05 April 2011

HEADLINES

  • BAT to market nicotine without the smokes

    British American Tobacco is setting up a business to commercialise non-tobacco nicotine products that could help wean smokers off its cigarettes.

    BAT’s Nicoventures subsidiary aims to build a substantial consumer business whose earnings could compensate for declining tobacco sales.

    Nicoventures is BAT’s first move on business strategy to be outlined since Nicandro Durante took over as chief executive last month. But it has been in preparation for two or three years under his predecessor Paul Adams.

    The success of Nicoventures will depend on the attitude of regulators such as the MHRA, which will be asked to license its products.

    But BAT may have a hard time winning over anti-tobacco campaigners.

    “This is the latest in a long line of attempts by BAT to give itself an ethical makeover and de-toxify its brand,” said Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health. “It will only succeed in doing so when it stops making and marketing smoked products which are highly addictive and kill half all their long-term users.”

    Source: Financial Times - 05 April 2011
    Link: http://on.ft.com/f6xGGH

  • Anti-doping agency mulls nicotine-doping sanctions

    World anti-doping chiefs could soon target athletes using nicotine as a performance-enhancing substance in competition, a top World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) official said.

    WADA's job is usually to "promote, coordinate and monitor" the fight against doping worldwide.

    But now its scientific director, Olivier Rabin, says the body has evidence that nicotine, a stimulant, can be used to boost performance -- and they are considering introducing new sanctions to deal with it.

    "We're discussing this problem regularly," Rabin said at an anti-doping conference in Paris on Friday.

    "In certain sports we know that the use of nicotine is widespread."

    He said it was those cases WADA would possibly pursue. It is not "our objective to catch athletes who smoke, but those who use nicotine as a means of enhancing their performance".

    "It's something we're looking into and who knows, we can't be certain, it may lead to a proposal to include nicotine on the list of banned substances," he added.

    "But that doesn't mean we're going to ban athletes from smoking. It's up to us to come up with ways of distinguishing the one from the other."

    Source: France 24 - 01 April 2011
    Link: http://f24.my/fi1cv3

  • Herefordshire smokers told to bin the butts

    Smokers in Kington are being warned No butts – It’s Litter as part of a county-wide campaign by Herefordshire Council.

    Shane Hancock, regulatory services manager for Herefordshire Council, said: “Smokers can easily and happily dispose of their butts in ashtrays or appropriate bins rather than stubbing them out on the floor or tossing them out of car windows, both of which could land them with an £80 fixed penalty notice.

    “The problem is that most smokers don’t even think this is littering but cigarette butts are one of the most common items we have to clear up, especially in Hereford city centre and the market towns.

    “Nationally some 200 million cigarette butts are thrown away every day, a figure that rose dramatically after the introduction of the smoking ban.

    “We want to remind smokers to be responsible with their butts and dispose of them properly or it could prove an expensive mistake.

    “It can take up to 12 years for one cigarette to biodegrade and irresponsibly discarded cigarettes can also cause fires or even health damage to children if they pick them up.

    “As a council we will not hesitate to prosecute people for dropping cigarette butts and in 2010 alone we issued 88 fixed penalty tickets for this offence and have even had to take a couple of people to court for refusing to pay their fines,” he added.

    As part of the campaign, smokers will be offered free portable ashtrays as an incentive to correctly dispose of their butts and these have been sponsored by the council’s managing agent Amey.

    Source: South Shropshire Journals - 01 April 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/i0unJ8

  • Somerset man prosecuted for puffing away in company vehicle

    Barry Carter  was found guilty of breaching the smoking ban in a delivery van owned by his former employees, Chalmer Bros Ltd. Mendip District Council served a fixed penalty notice to Carter.

    After the fine remained unpaid, Carter was prosecuted at Frome Magistrates Court, where he was fined £200, and told to pay additional costs of £200 and a £15 victim surcharge.

    Source: Weston Mercury - 01 April 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/hihcCO

  • Scots retailers must register to sell tobacco

    Scottish tobacco retailers must now sign up to a new register or face jail and fines of up to £20,000.

    The new Register of Tobacco Retailers was launched on April 1 under the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Act 2010, as part of a wider revamp of tobacco sales law. Retailers can register for free and have until October 1 to do so.

    The Act also introduces the new offence of proxy purchasing and underage purchasing. 

    Source: The Grocer - 01 April 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/gBH7rz

  • Scotland: Council bans parents from smoking in its playparks

    Inverclyde Council is the first council to force mums and dads to stub out their cigarettes in its open-air playparks.

    The ban is being piloted after a survey showed 90% of people backed the move.

    Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “I am pleased that Inverclyde is the first area in Scotland to initiate a pilot of smoke-free playparks.

    “The rationale is to avoid exposing children and young people to adult role models who smoke.”

    Source: Evening Times - 30 March 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/eZpaAn