HEADLINES

• Four out of 49 Cumbria shops sell cigarettes to child
• Europe’s biggest illegal cigarette factory uncovered
• Secondhand smoke raises risk of delivering stillborn babies or babies with defects
• New Zealand: Government response to tobacco inquiry tabled
• Smoking ban for Florida prisoners begins in six months

• Four out of 49 Cumbria shops sell cigarettes to child

  Four Cumbria retailers have been caught out selling cigarettes to a child as part of a test purchase exercise.

  The 15-year-old boy visited 49 shops and supermarkets in the north and west of the county, during half term and was sold tobacco four times.

  Source: BBC News - 15 March 2011
  Link: http://bbc.in/gvXdRc

• Europe’s biggest illegal cigarette factory uncovered

  Officers from Poland’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBS) have seized an illegal cigarette factory near Warsaw, thought to be the biggest contraband cigarette facility in Europe to date.

  Over five million cigarettes and 15 tons of tobacco were confiscated and another 35 tonnes were found in a warehouse in nearby Piaseczno on the outskirts of Warsaw.

  Thirty-two people were detained; 16 of which have been arrested under criminal charges.

  The BBC reports that HM Revenue and Customs officers seized more than 260kg (573lb) of tobacco, said to be worth more than £40,000 in unpaid duty and VAT, from the house in Aberdeen.

  Source: Tobacco Journal - 14 March 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/ifqCzm

• Secondhand smoke raises risk of delivering stillborn babies or babies with defects

  A pregnant mother who does not smoke but breathes in secondhand smoke has a higher chance of delivering a stillborn baby or a baby with a defect, researchers from the University of Nottingham, England, revealed in the journal Pediatrics. There is a 23% higher risk of delivering a stillborn baby and 13% higher chance of giving birth to a child with congenital birth defects.

  The researchers looked at 19 studies which had been performed in Europe, Asia, North America and South America which focused on non-smoking pregnant women who were exposed to the environmental smoke of their partners at home or of colleagues at work.

  Fathers should be made more aware of the harmful effects their smoking might have on their unborn child.
   

  Source: MediLexicon - 14 March 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/h5WpO6

• New Zealand: Government response to tobacco inquiry tabled

  The government's full response to the recommendations of the Maori Affairs Committee Report, following an inquiry into the tobacco industry and the effects of tobacco use among Maori, has been tabled in parliament.

  The inquiry ran throughout 2010 with the Maori Affairs Select Committee receiving 260 submissions, 96 oral submissions and over 1700 letters throughout the process. This led to forty-two recommendations from the committee, which the government has responded to in full.

  In its response the government has agreed to:

   The goal of supporting New Zealand to become a smoke-free nation by 2025

   Develop appropriate mid-term targets for reducing tobacco consumption and smoking rates towards achieving this goal.

   Consider legislative amendments concerning the promotion, packaging, and display of tobacco products through the Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Bill which is currently before the House.

   Review information disclosure regulations for tobacco products and consider implementing a more stringent regime regarding information about the additives in tobacco products.

   Investigate using existing regulatory powers to reduce the use of additives and nicotine levels, as a possible next step following the work on information disclosure.

   Investigate measures relating to the supply and availability of tobacco, once New Zealand has made more progress to reduce smoking rates.

  Source: Voxy - 14 march 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/fDEblO

• Smoking ban for Florida prisoners begins in six months

  Florida prisoners who smoke are kicking the habit before Sept. 30. They have no choice.

  Corrections officials are banning smoking at state prisons, giving inmates six months' warning and offering prisoners help quitting.

  From 30 September, cigarettes will be considered contraband, and prisoners caught smoking will face possible discipline – including visitation restrictions and loss of gain time.

  Source: TBO - 14 March 2011
  Link: http://bit.ly/eHYGAa