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ASH Daily News

11 November 2004

[View html version: http://www.globalink.org/nbuk]

HEADLINES

Scotland blazes trail for UK with smoking ban
Call for Ministers to follow Scottish smoke-free move
Mirror poll finds majority support for smokefree public places
Tobacco giant hid harmful research



FULL TEXT

Scotland blazes trail for UK with smoking ban

Scotland followed Ireland's pioneering anti-tobacco stance yesterday with a total ban on smoking in all public buildings. The unanimous decision by Scottish ministers to press ahead with the legislation, in the face of stiff opposition from the licensing industry, was announced by First Minister Jack McConnell as an important step in shedding Scotland's image as the "sick man of Europe".

One in four of deaths in Scotland is said to be directly attributed to smoking-related illnesses, with some 13,000 deaths a year, 35,000 hospital admissions and an annual financial burden on the health service in excess of £200m.

Now, under new legislation to be launched before Christmas, the Executive hopes to have a ban by springtime. After that, publicans or employers face fines of up to £2,500 if they fail to enforce the law. Licensees who persistently offend will also face the ultimate sanction of having their licence withdrawn.

Individuals who smoke in enclosed public areas will face fixed-penalty notices - enforced by environmental health and local licensing standards officers - with a maximum fine of up to £1,000 for persistent offenders. "Too many people smoke, and too many people die or fall ill from cancer, stroke and heart disease," Mr McConnell said. "The single largest cause of preventable premature death in Scotland is smoking."

A public consultation on smoking, which produced 54,000 replies - more than any other of its kind - and research by Aberdeen University which showed the economy would benefit from a ban. Huge savings could be made to businesses from less absenteeism, fewer cigarette breaks and lower fire damage and redecoration costs which would more than compensate for any loss in business suffered by pubs, clubs and restaurants.

But tobacco manufacturers, and many pub and restaurant owners claim the ban will destroy consumers' freedom of choice, lead to the closure of up to 1,000 family-owned businesses and up to 10,000 job losses if smokers are driven from pubs, clubs and restaurants. They say it could also causer more house fires as smokers are forced to entertain at home.

Tim Lord, chief executive of the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association said a UK-wide poll of 10,000 people by Populus, showed 77 per cent were not in favour of a total ban in pubs, clubs and bars. "Our organisation is shocked by the Executive's determination to bulldoze this piece of legislation through Parliament," said Paul Waterson, chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association.

Although the legislation is likely to come under fire from opposition Tory MSPs, who oppose a blanket ban and cite a lack of evidence to substantiate dangers of passive smoking, the move is also being backed by the Scottish Nationalists.

"I do believe the time has come for a ban on smoking in public places," said SNP Holyrood leader Nicola Sturgeon. "There is a wealth of evidence to suggest it will cut deaths from passive smoking and make giving up a great deal easier for the 70 per cent of smokers who want to kick the habit."

The Independent, 11 November 2004


Clips from other papers on Scotland's smokefree plans:

The Daily Telegraph leads by referring to the fact that smokers who light up in bars and restaurants will be fined up to £100 and states that an "army of smoking wardens will be charged with enforcing the ban".

The Times has an encouraging editorial stating that "the ban is generally to be welcomed" but concludes that it should be left to local authorities to license premises to allow smoking as well as drinking. [NB. This is still a major step forward for The Times which, until now, has adopted a sceptical stance on smoke-free measures.]

The Sun refers to the "cancer experts joy over cig ban" and quotes Prof. Alex Markham, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK who said: "Huge numbers of lives will be saved as a result of this legislation".



Call for Ministers to follow Scottish smoke-free move

A letter in the Financial Times signed by the heads of 11 leading health organisations calls on the UK government to follow the lead set by the Scottish Executive. The letter points out that the "evidence that passive smoking is a serious workplace health and safety risk is now overwhelming".

Financial Times, 11/11/04
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/366a2fdc-3386-11d9-b6c3-00000e2511c8.html



Mirror poll finds majority support for smokefree public places

Smoking should be banned in public places, say the majority of people in a poll commissioned by the Daily Mirror. 70% supported a ban in restaurants and 49% were in favour of smoke-free pubs with only 44% against.

Ian Willmore, spokesman for ASH, said: "The Mirror's survey should be a wake-up call for the government. Health Secretary John Reid has an excellent chance to show he's serious about tackling the issue."

An editorial in the Mirror states: "If the government wanted to ban smoking, there would be understandable outrage. But all that is being discussed is stopping it in public places so non-smokers are not forced to breathe in other people's deadly fumes.... This isn't politicians wanting to play nanny. The best medical advice is that smoking should be banned in public places. The government should just get on and do it."

The Daily Mirror, 11/11/04



Smoker's days in pubs are numbered

The following letter from Professor Alex Markham, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, is published in today's Telegraph:

The evidence showing that second-hand tobacco smoke is dangerous to health is not "flimsy" (leader, Nov 9).

The overwhelming scientific consensus is that second-hand tobacco smoke carries a significant health risk, including increased risk of death from lung cancer. There are no studies that fail to show the effects of second-hand smoke other than those funded by the tobacco industry.

Second-hand smoke has been evaluated as "carcinogenic" to humans by the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer and assessed as a "Class A human carcinogen" by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Other Class A carcinogens include asbestos, arsenic, benzene and radon gas.

There are now 46 studies showing conclusively that breathing in second-hand cigarette smoke causes lung cancer. It also increases risk of heart disease. Acute exposure can cause respiratory problems in susceptible individuals. Non-smokers clearly have a right to be protected from this.

It has been scientifically proved that second-hand smoke kills. While the majority of employees may be able to work safely in a smoke-free atmosphere, those currently employed in bars, pubs and many restaurants are denied the right to protect their health.

Daily Telegraph, 11/11/04
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/11/11/dt1101.xml


Tobacco giant hid harmful research

The tobacco company Philip Morris secretly acquired a research facility to find out about the toxic effects of cigarette smoke and went to great lengths to conceal that it knew what was going on there, it was revealed last night.
For years, the tobacco industry claimed it was unaware of research showing cigarette smoke was dangerous to health. By the 1970s, according to a paper published online by the Lancet medical journal last night, Philip Morris had decided it needed the information.

But Philip Morris did not want this known, according to Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and colleagues.

The US-based company acquired a research institute in Germany, the Institut fur Industrielle und Biologische Forschung GmbH (INBIFO). Industry documents archived as a result of US tobacco litigation reveal that vice-president Helmut Wakeham in 1970 advocated buying it as "a locale where we might do some of the things which we are reluctant to do in this country".

Earlier that year, he had written in a memo to the chairman and chief executive officer, Joseph F Cullman: "Let's face it. We are interested in evidence which we believe denies the allegation that cigarette smoking causes disease."

Philip Morris bought INBIFO through a Swiss intermediary and set up a complex communication system, appointing a coordinator and intermediary from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, paid for by a subsidiary of Philip Morris.

A memo from 1977 in which a senior company executive reprimanded a researcher for suggesting samples be sent direct to INBIFO indicates how sensitive the relationship was: "We have gone to great pains to eliminate any written contact with INBIFO."

What was published, say the authors, "appears to differ considerably from what was not". "In particular, the unpublished reports provided evidence that second-hand smoke is even more harmful than mainstream smoke, a finding of particular relevance given the industry's continuing denial of the harmful effects of passive smoking."

The Guardian, 11/11/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1348111,00.html

NB The research is published in The Lancet online but is only available to subscribers. http://www.lancet.com



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Amanda Sandford
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