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ASH Daily News
11 December 2001


HEADLINES

Smoking and the internet
BAT in China
New book


Full Text

Smoking and the internet

New studies yesterday in the Journal of Tobacco Control argue that the Internet is fast becoming a market where tobacco companies can escape taxes that discourage smoking and regulations that prevent sales to the young.

Clive Bates, director of Action on Smoking and Health said: “One great thing about the net is that it is free and stateless. The problem is that when it is used to sell cigarettes, people are going to die. The internet is a new frontier for the tobacco companies. It’s the easiest way they can get straight in to the bedroom of a teenager.”

With 120,000 people dying due to smoking every year, the government is coming under increasing pressure from health campaigners to ban tobacco advertising in the UK. Mr Bates said: “The only sensible starting place is to ban tobacco advertising, stop smoking in public places, and to put lots of money into providing smoking cessation on the NHS.”

He added: “What’s so special about the internet that we can’t have tobacco advertising and sales banned on the web?”

Source: Daily Express, 11 December 2001



BAT in China

Fresh from the triumphs of Kenneth Clarke flogging coffin nails in to the Vietnamese, British American Tobacco is now hopeful of cracking the Chinese market.

The company is among candidates to take over the running of the state controlled tobacco industry.

BAT has already helped the Chinese to upgrade the industry and improve tobacco growing – but also enjoys the added advantage of that its brand 555 is Mao Zedong’s favourite smoke.

Source: The Times, 11 December 2001


New Book

Edited by Paul Slovic, ‘Smoking: risk, perception and policy’ aims to bring together systematically authoritative research on young people’s perceptions of smoking and the many things that influence their decision to take it up – including advertising.

The academic weight of this book is both its challenge and its reward. It presents many useful conclusions from a range of authors. Written from a US public health policy perspective, it nevertheless provides strong evidence of the many influences that pressure young people into smoking.

Published by Sage Publications, the book is available off of the Amazon website priced at £16 ($22.95).

Source: Health Service Journal, 6 December 2001



Gasping smoker sets off the alarms

Fireman had to remove 19 elderly patients to safety from a smoke filled ward after a man accidentally set fire to his beard whilst trying to sneak in a furtive smoke in the middle of the night.

The man, who is in his seventies removed his oxygen mask and tried to light his rolled up cigarette when, aided by trapped oxygen, his beard went up in flames.

He escaped with a red nose, blackened glasses and badly singed facial hair.

Source: The Daily Telegraph, 11 December 2001



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