ASH, 102 Clifton Street, London EC2A 4HW Tel: 0207 739 5902
Fax: 0207 613 0531

ASH Daily News

Friday 10 December, 1999

Headlines

‘Smokers told to leave the habit behind’
‘Teen Smokescreen’
‘Professors’ pensions are cleared up’
‘The UK Tobacco White Paper: beacon of hope or white elephant’

Full Text

‘Smokers told to leave the habit behind’

Rachel Ellis writes, ‘A £100 million campaign to help smokers kick the
habit in the new millennium is launched today by the Government.’

The article adds, ‘The three year drive will use posters and
billboards with the slogan “Leave your cigarettes in the Twentieth
Century”.

The Express continues, ‘A phoneline offering advice and support will
be available from Monday on 0800 169 0169. From January 1, smokers on
low incomes living in Health Action Zones will be entitled to a week’s
supply of nicotine replacement therapy. It will be available
nation-wide’.

The Health Secretary, Alan Milburn, is quoted in the Times and Express
as saying, “Smoking is a dangerous and expensive habit. People who
quit smoking soon feel the health benefits – and that would be a great
start to the new millennium”.

However, the Express also adds, ‘the launch of the campaign- the
biggest tobacco education drive in England – was overshadowed by the
Government’s failure to secure a tobacco advertising ban.’

The Mirror also reports that: ‘Alan Milburn hopes to cash in on
predictions that up to 1.3 million smokers will try to quit for the
Millennium.’

Amanda Sandford, of ASH, is reported by the Express as saying: ‘This
is a great campaign and we are very pleased the Government is serious
about the anti-smoking message. It is unfortunate that the tobacco
advertising ban is still in place as planned and this could undermine
some of the overwhelmingly positive health messages that the
Government is trying to get over’.

Source: The Express, The Mirror, The Sun, The Times, 10 December 1999

‘Teen Smokescreen’

German advertisers are trying to find out if advertising is a waste of
time in a bid to fight the impending ban on tobacco advertising and
sponsporship. The Federal Association of German Advertisers says that
in the former East Germany, where tobacco advertising was forbidden,
up to nine per cent more young people were smokers than in West
Germany.

Source: Evening Standard News Extra, 9 December 1999

‘Professors’ pensions are cleared up’

Britains third largest pension fund, which controls assets worth
£20bn, will today announce that it is to confront companies over their
environmental performance and issues such as sweatshop wages. The
Universities Superannuation Scheme will become the first major
investor to throw its weight behind efforts to make companies act more
responsibly and be more accountable.

Current investments include substantial stakes in controversial
companies such as Rio Tinto, British American Tobacco and BAe systems.

Source: The Guardian, 10 December 1999

‘The UK Tobacco White Paper: beacon of hope or white elephant’

Peter Hajek and Robert West provide a ‘Brief Editorial’ on the tobacco
White Paper. It argues that there are some ‘stumbling blocks’. These
include, ‘the huge diversity in people’s concepts of a ‘smokers’
clinic’ and that ‘GPs do not feel that they have any spare time to
devote to this work and routinely advising known smokers to stop…would
add substantially to each working day unless some other activity were
curtailed.’

The article concludes that, ‘ Brief opportunistic advice from GPs is
unlikely to become the norm without resources targeted at it.
Community-based schemes and clinics serving small catchment areas do
not represent an evidence-based approach and could turn out to be an
expensive white elephant. However, providing well-run,
state-of-the-art NHS smoking clinics for those who want to use them
would represent a cost-effective, life-saving treatment service (Hajek
& West, 1998).’

Source: Addiction, 1999 94 (12), 1785- 1786

Karl Brookes
Project Manager
102 Clifton Street
London EC2A 4HW
Tel: +44 (0)171-739 5902
Fax: +44 (0)171-613 0531
0589504040 (Mobile)
01426109768 (Pager)
Web: http://www.ash.org.uk