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ASH Daily news for 01 June 2011

HEADLINES

  • BAT admits funding campaign against the display ban

    British American Tobacco (BAT) has admitted funding a retail association's high-profile campaign against a government ban on cigarette displays in shops

    The National Federation of Retail Newsagents claimed the ban, approved by the government earlier this year, would put thousands of small shopkeepers out of business.

    But it has now emerged that the federation's campaign received funding from BAT whose lobbying firm, Hume Brophy, emailed MPs claiming the ban would have a "devastating effect on the small business sector in your constituency".
     
    In a letter to Labour MP Kevin Barron, BAT confirmed: "We have provided financial assistance to the NFRN in relation to this campaign." However, BAT denied it used "underhand tactics" or that the federation was a front for the company.
     
    The revelation that the campaign was funded by BAT is significant. Under international guidelines, the UK government is obliged to ensure the drafting of all legislation is free from tobacco industry influence.
     
    BAT's admission has prompted Barron to write to the Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley, warning the government's commitment to tobacco control "is being undermined by covert lobbying by the tobacco industry".
    Source: The Guardian, 28 May 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/iGE6Bd

  • Diane Abbott Calls for Olympic smoking ban

    The Shadow Public Health Minister, and Hackney MP, Diane Abbott is calling on organisers of the 2012 Olympics to make the entire Olympic Park in Stratford a tobacco-free zone.

    Source: ITV London Tonight, 31 May 2011
    Link: http://itv.co/lqICI9

  • TV mother who smoked while pregnant insists it was good for her daughter

    A young mother smoked 3,500 cigarettes while pregnant – claiming it was good for her baby.

    Charlie Wilcox, whose daughter Lilly is now 14 weeks, reckoned that smoking would make her unborn child’s heart stronger by restricting her oxygen supply and forcing her heart to work harder, she told BBC3’s Misbehaving Mums To Be. Charlie still maintains that her daughter Lilly is healthier because she smoked while pregnant saying 'Where’s the proof that it’s so bad to smoke?’.
     
    However Miss Wilcox, who began smoking aged 14, says she hasn’t smoked in front of Lilly since she was born, although she smoked a minimum of 20 a day while carrying her.
     
     Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the anti-smoking group ASH, said it was a case of denial. She said: ‘If you are a smoker and pregnant, or have had the baby, there’s no way that you want to believe you have done anything to harm your child. ‘It’s a classic case of denial despite all the evidence there is about the damage caused to babies in the womb by the mother’s smoking, from ill-health to raising the risk of death.
    Source: Daily Mail, 31 May 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/kCUBNR

  • Australia: Opposition willing to back plain pack vote

    Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has bowed to political pressure saying he will support plain packaging legislation for cigarettes when it is presented to parliament later this year, but would propose a number of amendments.

    Mr Abbott, who previously had questioned the effectiveness of plain packaging, has come under fire from the government for being in the pocket of tobacco companies.
     
    The Opposition Liberal and National MPs were divided on the issue, with some of the 16 speakers arguing it reflected Labor's "nanny state" attitude while others said it was important for public health.
     
    Liberal MP Dr Mal Washer said his party should go a step further and pass a motion banning donations from tobacco companies.

    Health Minister Nicola Roxon welcomed the coalition decision, but also urged Mr Abbott to "kick the habit" of donations.
     
    Source: The Age.com.auk, 01 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/mAImll

  • China: Public smoking ban faces tough test as enforcement falters

    One month has passed since China's Ministry of Health introduced regulations which banned smoking in indoor public places, but the smoking ban has not yet made a big difference.

    Jiang Yuan, deputy director of the Tobacco Control Office under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that offenders cannot be effectively punished due to the lack of specific penalty provisions, and together with light punishments and the blurry subject of law enforcement, the tobacco control work is faced with huge law enforcement problems.
     
    The new rules also did not give clear explanations about whether offices are considered public places.

    Yang Gonghuan, director of the Tobacco Control Office, said that offices should be included in public places and responsible persons of enterprises should assume the responsibility of a total smoking ban.
    Source: People's Daily Online, 01 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/kZWQEu

  • India: Mumbai: Taxi drivers back ban on smoking in cabs

    More than 50,000 Mumbai taxi drivers have lent their support to the 'Smoke Free Mumbai' campaign on World No Tobacco Day and pledged to ensure that neither they nor their passengers would smoke in cabs. They also held a taxi rally to promote awareness about the effects of smoking.

    The Smoke Free Mumbai Campaign and the Mumbai motor vehicle department conducted a survey on 298 taxi drivers. Almost 96% of the drivers were in support of banning smoking in taxis and public places.
     
    The survey also found that 43% of drivers claim that around 6-10 passengers smoke in their taxis daily. While many request them not to smoke, there are a few who ignore it in spite of the ban.
     
    Dilip Jadhav, state transport commissioner, said, the initiative was commendable and the drivers should actively participate in the movement.
    Source: The Times of India, 01 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/kA3l0k

  • New Zealand: Prisoners given carrots to quit smoking

    New Zealand prisoners are reportedly being offered carrot sticks to help them overcome nicotine cravings as jails prepare to go smoke-free next month.

    A leaked internal memo from Invercargill Prison said prisoners were being supplied with two carrot sticks a day in an effort to make them quit smoking before a total ban comes into force on July 1.  The memo said one jumbo-sized carrot could yield 16 carrot sticks if cut into uniform size.

    Corrections Association of New Zealand president Beven Hanlon said when he first heard about the scheme he thought it was a joke."I don't think it is one of the best ideas but it is worth a try," he said.
     
    Hanlon, whose union represents prison wardens, said the carrot sticks were intended to take prisoners' minds off smoking and they were a healthier alternative to other options, such as hard-boiled sweets.
     
    Source: The Age.com.au, 01 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/l19oVu

  • India: Bollywood star fined for smoking

    Bollywood star, Salman Khan has been fined for smoking at a public place in a hotel.  A warning was also issued to the hotel authorities. The actor was in Punjab to shoot for his upcoming movie, ‘Bodyguard’.

    Officials of the Patiala district administration noticed Salman’s photograph which was published
    in a newspaper, which showed him smoking at a public place.

    This is not the first time that Salman has been fined for smoking.In 2009, he was issued two notices for smoking at a public place in Kurali town in Punjab's Mohali district.
    Source: Dailybhaskar.com, 01 June 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/iXQyuI