HEADLINES

• Study: Menthol cigarettes are more addictive
• Ireland risks slipping back to pre-smoking ban levels
• Scotland: BMA urges parents to quit smoking together for the sake of their families
• Australia: Victoria banning flavoured cigarettes

• Study: Menthol cigarettes are more addictive

  Far from being a harmless flavouring agent, menthol cigarettes are more addictive than others, a study has found.

  This is because menthol enables nicotine to permeate more quickly into the mouth, speeding up the addictive effect of smoking, the Dows Institute of Dental Research, in Iowa City, United States, has found.

  The results of the study were published in the Oxford University Press journal, Nicotine and Tobacco Research

  While some governments have acted to ban fruit and other flavourings seen as attractive to young people, nothing has been done about menthol, says Anne Jones, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health Australia.

  "The tobacco industry has portrayed menthol as a harmless flavouring agent - this study shows it's much more than that," she said in a statement.

  "We must now question why the tobacco industry has so aggressively promoted menthol cigarettes to women, and whether they're still doing it."

  Ms Jones has called on cigarette companies, including British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International, to reveal what they know about the use of menthol in cigarettes to make some brands more addictive to women in particular.

  "In the US, tobacco companies must supply the government with detailed information on what they spend on all forms of advertising and promotion," she said.

  "Our government should require the same."

  Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 02 June 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/9gu6j7

• Ireland risks slipping back to pre-smoking ban levels

  Ireland is in danger of slipping back to pre-smoking ban levels because of the Government’s failure to implement a comprehensive anti-smoking strategy, warns the Irish Heart Foundation.

  "The number of smokers in Ireland is frightening at 29% and each one faces a double risk of stroke and a triple risk of heart attack," said IHF chief executive Michael O’Shea.

  "Where once we led the way on this serious health issue, we are now in danger of reverting to pre-smoking ban levels in our population because of the Government’s failure to implement an anti-smoking strategy," he declared yesterday – World No Tobacco Day.

  The IHF is particularly worried about the 56% of young women smokers aged between 18 and 29 in the lower-income groups.

  While there was a decline in smoking prevalence after the Smoke Free at Work legislation in March 2004, the decline has reversed, especially among young people. The results of the SLÁN survey 2007 published last October, showed the rate of smoking here decreased from 33% in 1998 to 27% in 2002 and then began to rise in 2007 to 29%.

  Mr O’Shea said the good news was that seven out of 10 smokers wanted to stop.

  The IHF wants the Government to help smokers to quit using significant increases in tobacco tax,anti-smuggling measures and smoking cessation programmes.

  Source: Irish Examiner, 01 June 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/doO3Xd

• Scotland: BMA urges parents to quit smoking together for the sake of their families

  Unborn babies in Scotland are being put at risk because their parents smoke, the BMA has said. Despite the number of mothers smoking at the start of pregnancy having dropped since 1995, numbers remain high at around 20%. BMA Scotland is urging parents to mark National No Smoking Day by giving up smoking for the sake of their family's health.

  Dr Sally Winning, Deputy Chairman of the BMA in Scotland said:

  "Around one in five women smoke during pregnancy and, although this is an improvement on previous years, it reflects the lack of knowledge among Scots about the health risks of smoking, not only to themselves, but to the health of their children. Smoking while pregnant can have long term effects on the health of a baby. Maternal smoking in pregnancy is a cause of low birth weight in babies and has been linked to cot death. We would urge women smokers who are pregnant or who are considering becoming pregnant to discuss ways of giving up with their GP, pharmacist or health visitor.

  "Partners and families also have a role to play. They can help pregnant women stop smoking by undertaking to quit at the same time - it's much easier doing it together. In addition they will be helping reduce exposure to second hand smoke, which is also a risk to pregnant women; it has been linked to low-birth weight and premature birth."

  "As part of a broader strategy on tobacco, it is essential that the Scottish Government tackles the issue of parental smoking. Parents should be educated about the effects of smoking, not just on their own health, but to their children. We need to offer more smoking cessation support to adults and parents to help those who wish to stop smoking stay stopped.

  "In the longer term, if parents continue to smoke, they are exposing their child to secondhand tobacco smoke which has been linked to cot death and has been proven to increase the risk of ear and lung infections and asthma in children.'

  "Children whose parents smoke are twice as likely to become smokers themselves. We must act now to break this cycle of tobacco addiction."

  Source: Medical News Today, 02 June 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/a1YVF7

• Australia: Victoria banning flavoured cigarettes

  Fruit and lolly flavoured cigarettes will be banned in Victoria within weeks under new laws to combat teenage smoking.

  Health Minister Daniel Andrews announced the ban on World No Tobacco Day, as new figures showed fewer teenagers were smoking.

  State and territory governments agreed to the flavoured cigarette ban two years ago.

  Legislation was passed in Victoria last year to support the ban, which Mr Andrews said would come into effect in the next three to four weeks, following South Australia, New South Wales and Tasmania, where they were already prohibited.

  The minister said one in three teenage girls was more likely to be 'tricked' into smoking while flavoured cigarettes were on the market, in what he described as a cynical marketing ploy.

  "These are absolutely and fundamentally aimed at younger people and it's about getting people hooked at a younger age,' Mr Andrews said.

  Under the new laws, individuals caught selling flavoured cigarettes will be fined about $500 and companies up to $7000. It will also be illegal to import flavoured cigarettes into Victoria.

  The ban coincides with the release of a new study by Quit on teenage smoking.

  The 2008 survey of more than 4000 students across 67 Victorian schools indicated teenage smoking rates had halved since 2002. About six per cent of 12-15 year-olds and 14 per cent of 16-17 year-olds surveyed admitted to smoking.

  Quit executive director Fiona Sharkie said that equated to about 29,000 fewer teenagers lighting up since 2002.

  'The results of this survey today show that smoking rates among young people aged 12 to 17 have never been lower,' she said.

  'What that translates to is there's 29,000 fewer smokers and 15,000 fewer deaths from tobacco, when we consider that one out of every two smokers will die from a smoking caused illness.'

  Ms Sharkie attributed the downturn in teenage smoking rates to graphic anti-smoking campaigns, warnings on packaging, price increases and public smoking restrictions.

  She said while flavoured cigarettes had fewer sales than regular smokes, they targeted a small, impressionable market.

  'They are designed to make smoking easier, make it more palatable, that it tastes better, it's less harsh on the throat.

  'It's a very deceptive and purposeful move by the tobacco industry to recruit smokers because they know that when you become a smoker as a teenager, you're generally a smoker for life.'

  Source: Bigpond News, 01 June 2010
  Link: http://bit.ly/annYri