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ASH Daily news for 18 March 2011

HEADLINES

  • Trader keeps cigs out of sight for 20 years

    Len Hartley and Bill Esterson MPAn off-licence owner has been keeping tobacco out of the sight of children in a bid to stop them getting hooked on smoking.

    Len Hartley, who has been manager of T.C Wine Shop on Bridge Road in Waterloo (near Liverpool) for 20 years, said having cigarettes on show encourages youngsters to take up the habit of smoking.

    Mr Hartley said: “Having cigarettes in full view in the shop definitely encouraged more kids to try and buy them. Because of this I decided to only stock a small supply below the counter. Out of view.

    “I’ve been doing this for 20 years. I don’t want to play any part in helping the tobacco industry attract new smokers.”

    You can read a press release about this story by Heart of Mersey here. Bill Esterson MP has also published a press release praising Mr Hartley; it can be viewed here.

    picture shows Bill Hartley and his MP Bill Esterson.

    Source: Crosby Herald - 17 March 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/glLF0a

  • UK Life expectancy on the rise 'despite obesity epidemic'

    Life expectancy in the UK is on the rise, along with the rest of Europe, despite fears over the impact of obesity, a population expert has said.

    Analysing trends from the past 40 years, Professor David Leon credited a decline in deaths from heart disease for the continued rise.

    His analysis is published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

    Professor Leon said that deaths from cardiovascular disease in the UK have seen, "some of the largest and most rapid falls of any Western European country, partly due to improvements in treatment as well as reductions in smoking and other risk factors."

    Source: BBC News - 18 Mark 2011
    Link: http://bbc.in/i1CgTF

  • Comment: If Osborne isn't careful we smokers won't cough up

    Journalist Nick Goodway, a smoker, expresses concerns that a likely further increase in tobacco tax in next week's budget will drive more smokers to buy illegal tobacco.

    I still feel it's right for me to pay my share of tax and duty on my vice. More and more people don't - some because they don't want to, others because, in this age of austerity, they can't. Instead they pick up their fags or rolling tobacco from some dodgy chap selling them from a suitcase on the corner.

    The duty escalator on tobacco means we 11 million adult smokers are yet again likely to be hit with a rise exceeding inflation by 2% or more on Wednesday. All chancellors hide behind the argument that they use duty rises to dissuade people, particularly young people, from smoking. There is little evidence that this actually works. Education is far more effective.

    In the meantime Osborne must realise that we are hitting the point of diminishing returns. As the tax lost rises, the returns to the organised criminals behind counterfeits and illicit whites smuggling are increasing.

    Source: London Evening Standard - 17 March 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/fmKZES

  • Smuggled cigarettes and tobacco seized in Dover and Oxfordshire

    The BBC reports that Customs officers in Oxfordshire have seized 57,000 cigarettes, 2.9 kilos of tobacco and a car.

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) raided 20 premises in Witney, Banbury and Watlington.

    Meanwhile Border officers have seized five tonnes of tobacco being smuggled into the UK through Dover's Eastern Docks.

    The UK Border Agency (UKBA) said the hand-rolling tobacco had been professionally shrink-wrapped and hidden in electrical materials.

    Source: BBC News - 16 March 2011
    Link: http://bbc.in/hbvHbT

  • European governments need to improve smoking cessation services, smokers say

    Over 78 million smokers in Europe want to quit, but half (50%) of those surveyed who have tried to quit rate smoking cessation services as inadequate, poor or unacceptable, according to new research.

    Amongst healthcare professionals (HCPs) surveyed, 87% believe this support for smokers should be provided by primary care physicians. However, over half of physicians (55%) believe primary care HCPs lack the educational support to deliver these services effectively.

    These findings form part of research commissioned by Pfizer, which examines attitudes to smoking and smoking cessation amongst 2,482 HCPs, 20,010 smokers and 22,683 non-smokers across 20 European countries. 

    When it comes to investment in improving smoking cessation services there is strong support from HCPs, non-smokers and smokers alike. 68% of non-smokers and 51% of smokers surveyed across Europe believe governments should invest more in bringing smoker numbers down, rather than in treating the health problems resulting from smoking. This is echoed by HCPs surveyed, 88% of whom believe it is the government's responsibility to improve infrastructure that supports smoking cessation.

    The report,  titled Europe Quitting: Progress and Pathways (EQUIPP), looks at how 20 countries across Europe are progressing in line with their obligations with Article 14 of the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). It represents the views of over 60 European smoking cessation experts and is endorsed by the European Respiratory Society (ERS), the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP), and The German Society for Pneumology. The report makes actionable recommendations at both an EU and country level for how improvements can be made.

    Source: MediLexicon - 17 March 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/hsMgfh

  • Cigarette companies target LGBT people

    The presence of Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans (LGBT)  themes in cigarette ads surprised a crowd of people at a workshop during the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference at the University of Michigan last month. Because LGBT people are more likely to smoke cigarettes, the industry has responded accordingly.

    According to the American Legacy Foundation, sexual minorities are 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely to smoke cigarettes. Bisexual women are up to 3.5 times more likely to be smokers.

    Cigarette companies strive to associate with LGBT people - but not to come across as a pro-LGBT company, said Jaime Tam, who presented the "Big Tobacco and the LGBT Community" workshop. "They (want) to protect their image in the eyes of the general public."

    Tam said that tobacco ads are purposefully sexually ambiguous - featuring, for example, two men and a woman so that it's unclear who the primary male is attracted to. Some companies have aligned themselves clearly in support of the LGBT community as a way to sell cigarettes.

    Organizations such as The Last Drag, the American Legacy Foundation, and the National LGBT Tobacco Control Network work to provide LGBT people with resources and information about the negative effects of smoking and how and why LGBTs are targeted. The Tobacco Control Network states that it works "to eliminate tobacco health disparities for all LGBTs."

    Source: Pride Source - 17 March 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/fppNgA