Task force drafted to help people stop smoking

Stoke-on-Trent's top health official has drafted city councillors into the war on smoking in the Potteries.

Between three and six councillors are to form a trouble-shooting group to search for better ways of encouraging people to quit.

They hope to find out why some people resist attempts to give-up no matter how many services are made available to help them. Despite gradual reductions over the years the number of people smoking is still nearly 30 per cent in Stoke-on-Trent, compared to the national average in the low 20s.

The team will also research why so many people fail to kick the habit permanently after going on NHS quitting programmes.

The invitation to council health scrutiny commission chairman Alby Walker, to create a smoking "task and finish" group came from primary care trust chief executive Graham Urwin.

It will be formed early in the New Year ahead of months of work gathering evidence ready to submit a final report back to the PCT.

Mr Walker said: "With smoking the biggest avoidable cause of death in the city, I have always believed we have a responsibility not to just sit back and accept our higher-than-average smoking rates as a given.

"The health professionals do a good job but they often live outside the city and they don't have their ears to the ground like ward councillors do. Mr Urwin deserves credit for recognising that."

A confirmed non-smoker, Mr Walker has already publicly urged his 59 fellow councillors to lead by example by quitting – or at least not to light up in designated smoking areas outside civic buildings.

He added: "We will be talking to people in pubs, factories, offices, sports clubs and general social gatherings to gather evidence as widely as possible on how the smoking cessation services can more effectively engage the population."

Mr Walker said: "For example, now the ban has pushed smokers into shelters outside buildings, it is obvious who they are, so why not make an informal approach to them to offer help? They have developed almost a pack mentality which you could take on."

"If they are interested in quitting, we should make sure the help is convenient for them so they don't have programmes miles from home or at difficult times of the day."

City public health director Dr Giri Rajaratnam said: "We need to double the number of people taking advantage of the various initiatives we run in the city."

"As a result, NHS Stoke has asked the scrutiny committee to take an independent look at the range of initiatives we manage, as well as understand the needs of the people of Stoke, in order to help and encourage more to quit."

Source: thisisstaffordshire, 15 December 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6syfve
 

Fog of smoke

Inconsistency is common enough in public policy, but when it comes to addictive substances it reaches unusual heights. Mere possession of heroin or amphetamine attracts prosecution and even jail, a position that drives such drugs underground and encourages dangerous adulteration. By contrast, with tobacco - which the World Health Organisation reckons causes more death and disability than any single disease - we do not merely allow an unfettered trade; we allow profit-hungry companies to invest in branding designed to win the custom of new smokers as they kill their old ones off.

The industry, of course, denies doing any such thing, pointing to the advertising ban phased in from 2003. But faced with proposals that would have forced it to peddle its lethal products in plain packets, it recycled identical arguments to those it used in resisting that ban - which is hardly surprising since, to take one example, the flash of gold that transforms Marlboro Lights into a handbag accessory is advertising in all but name. The government ducked the chance to impose plain packaging. But it did at least commit to worthwhile reforms which, among other things, will prevent cigarettes being displayed in shops - where they may tempt those who are struggling to kick the habit. The industry responded by recycling the same old arguments yet again.

The first of these is that it is wrong to interfere in the trade of a legal product: unlike cocaine, tobacco is lawful and therefore it should never be interfered with by the law. The circularity of this claim is as dizzying as any fairground waltzer. If there is any logic at all, it is a logic that says nothing should ever change. The second argument previously used to defend advertising and now deployed in support of branding is that its aim is not attracting extra custom for cigarettes but persuading existing smokers to swap between different varieties. If branding really were a zero-sum game between the companies, however, then surely the industry-wide lobby groups would best serve their members' interests by working to put an end to the costly arms race. That they do the opposite is, to put it mildly, telling.

The manufacturers have learned to talk sweet reason when it comes to underage smokers, which is where ministers concentrated most of their efforts yesterday. Cash-operated vending machines allow children to bypass the age limit for buying cigarettes, so their suggestion that these should in future be operable only by tokens sold to adults over the bar is warmly welcome. But the fog of children's smoke must not be allowed to obscure the broader issue. For while starting young is undoubtedly dangerous, it is never too late to quit.
 

Source: The Guardian, 10 December 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5pebdb

MPs fall foul of 'dirty' tricks by tobacco giants

Britain's tobacco giants have been accused of 'dirty' tactics after it emerged they created a supposedly 'independent' campaign group for small retailers to lobby against government restrictions on the promotion of cigarettes in shops.

The Save Our Shop campaign claimed proposals to remove large displays of cigarettes in stores would result in costly refits and see many small retailers go out of business.

Over the summer, MPs were inundated with postcards bearing the Save Our Shop campaign logo, urging them not to back the government's proposals, outlined last week by the Department of Health. The cards stated: 'As my local MP, I hope you will protect our independent local shops by opposing this proposal.'

More than 100 MPs signed an early-day motion in Parliament agreeing with the proposal that any plan to sell cigarettes under the counter should be firmly 'evidenced-based', a key message pushed by the Save Our Shop campaign.

But it has now emerged many MPs were unaware the campaign was the brainchild of the Tobacco Retailers' Association (TRA), an offshoot of the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association, which represents the interests of three tobacco companies: BAT, Gallaher and Imperial Tobacco.

The Save Our Shop campaign did little to make its links with the tobacco lobby apparent and its postcards bore no reference to the connection between it and the cigarette manufacturers. The TRA, which also spoke out against the proposals, did not publicise its links with the manufacturers' body, although the latter's website carries a small reference to the connection between the two organisations.

Yesterday MPs expressed dismay that the campaign had been orchestrated and funded by the tobacco companies. 'The early-day motion very carefully avoids any kind of hint of their support,' said Frank Cook, Labour MP for Stockton North, who signed up to it. 'It's a pretty dirty, surreptitious quest they're on. I felt a bit p***** off about it. As a result of what I now know, I've withdrawn my name from the motion.' Cook said withdrawing his name from the motion was not a signal he was turning his back on small retailers.

'People will say Frank Cook no longer supports the independent newsagent or grocer,' he said. 'Well, that's a load of b*******, but I've got to make the gesture. I've been conned by these people and I'm not going to put up with it.'

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of anti-smoking group ASH, accused the tobacco lobby of 'hiding behind the cloak of retailer respectability'. Arnott said: 'What this is really about is the continuation of a sleazy trade in a deadly drug that will kill one in two long-term users.'

Dr Janet Atherton, Chair of Smokefree North West, which works to tackle smoking among children and young people, said: 'Everyone had a right to be heard - nearly 60,000 members of the public in this region signed up for stronger measures. These people will feel a little cheated that the tobacco industry, when having its say, chose to do in such a misleading and dishonest way.'

The manufacturers' association had claimed there was no evidence to suggest putting cigarettes out of sight of consumers would impact on sales. It quoted evidence from Iceland suggesting there had been no change in consumption patterns since a similar measure was introduced there. '[The association] is opposed to tobacco display bans, which are not supported by robust evidence, will not achieve the stated public health benefit and will have serious unintended consequences,' its chief executive, Chris Ogden, said earlier this month.

But supporters of the government's plans accuse the manufacturers of deliberately ignoring evidence that the measure has had an effect on consumption among younger people. The Icelandic government has written to the manufacturers pointing out the proportion of 16-year-olds who smoked in Iceland dropped significantly after its ban on over-the-counter sales of tobacco.

Using 'front' organisations to lobby politicians is an established practice by tobacco firms. Cook said: 'They can't help themselves, they're so keen to preserve the profit margins they've enjoyed for decades that they resent any kind of attempt to curtail their activities.'

The TRA did not return calls.

Source: The Guardian, 14 December 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5oazjj

Japan: Tokyo train stations to ban smoking

Train stations in the Tokyo area will ban smoking from April 1, in another dent to Japan's reputation as a smokers' paradise, the railway company said.

The Japan Railway Co. said it would eliminate most designated smoking sections at 226 stations along 17 major lines in the Tokyo region. The company already prohibits smoking inside local trains.

"Smoking bans are becoming the health trend in Japan," a company spokesman said. "Our company is making an effort to entirely separate people who smoke and don't."

However, a few stations will retain smoking areas in small rooms enclosed by glass.

The company earlier designated smoking areas on the ends of the platforms of major stations but they were not enclosed.

Smoking is still commonplace in Japan's bars and restaurants, unlike in most other developed countries. But streets, trains and taxis are becoming increasingly smokefree.

Authorities in Kanagawa prefecture, which includes Japan's second largest city of Yokohama, are studying whether to ban smoking in all bars, restaurants and other public places in what would be a first in the country.

Source: Yahoo News, 12 December 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5f77n6

Australia: Imperial Tobacco offers cash incentives for fashion outlets to sell cigarettes

Cigarettes are being sold at high-end clothing stores and hair salons, in a "tricky and desperate" tactic to lure new young smokers.

A Sunday Mail investigation discovered smoke company Imperial Tobacco is lavishing trendy Adelaide stores with cash incentives and corporate entertainment in return for stocking Peter Stuyvesant brand cigarettes in specially designed cigarette dispensers.

Marketing kits distributed by the tobacco giant to fashion retailers describe cigarettes as being safe and fashionable: "It used to be extremely dangerous. Now the only danger is you're not the coolest cat on the block."

The tobacco giant's targeting of fashion-savvy outlets to push the trendy brand has prompted calls for a State Government crackdown to ban the practice.

Quit SA and Independent Senator Nick Xenophon are appalled at the latest tobacco tactic, with Senator Xenophon saying "they're doing it so they can associate themselves with fashion labels and fashion houses, but there's nothing fashionable about emphysema".

The investigation discovered:

CASH incentives of up to $2000 a year are offered to stores agreeing to sell cigarettes.

SMOKING is promoted as safe and cool in literature given to targeted fashion outlets.

FREE cigarettes are handed out to stockists.

BOOZY lunches and even a swish cruise have been held for businesses which sell the brand.

The investigation found at least six outlets - including Glenelg clothing store Zero, city boutique Whistles and CBD hair salon Gang - have started stocking the cigarettes, nicknamed "Stuyvies".

Many others have been approached, some repeatedly, by Imperial Tobacco's Adelaide representative in a push which started more than a year ago.

One storeowner who agreed to sell the cigarettes said the company's marketing push was trying to position the soft-pack Peter Stuyvesant smokes as "the cool cigarette".

"They (Imperial Tobacco) use fashion shows as their angle in," said the retailer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"They pay you around $2000 to sponsor an event because they want to line themselves with cool brands and stores." The company's next step was to ask a shop to stock the cigarettes in-store, the retailer said.

He revealed his business had received nearly $2000 in one year for carrying a cigarette display in his store and been treated to upmarket corporate hospitality.

Just two weeks ago the tobacco giant treated the retailer and many other Adelaide stockists to a marina boat cruise for more than two hours.

Guests were treated to canapes, cocktails, wine and beer, and invited to take home as many packets of Peter Stuyvesant as they wanted.

"Everything was free," the retailer said.

He called on the State Government to toughen laws to stamp out the practice and the Federal Government to introduce blanket legislation.

"It's like product placement in a movie," Senator Xenophon said.

"The state needs to change the regulations and make it clear that the placement is unacceptable and they need a stricter anti-tobacco strategy. There ought to be uniform Commonwealth laws on this.

"Rather than picking on one state or another there should be a uniform national approach."

In a one-sentence email statement, Dr Lomax-Smith said: "This is a matter of concern and we will ask for a report about the legislation around this matter."

Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon also slammed the fashion outlets who took up the offer.

"Over the last 60 years more than 900,000 Australians died prematurely because they smoked," her spokesman, Mark Ward, said.

"This tactic by the tobacco industry is outrageous and shows poor judgment on the behalf of any fashion outlet that associates their product with something that has led to the deaths of so many Australians."

Quit SA manager David Edwards said the tobacco industry was constantly developing new methods to target potential smokers.

"They're extremely well-resourced. They're constantly trying new ways to recruit new smokers and obviously having displays in these fashion outlets is a way of communicating with a younger audience. It's also very typical in terms of the industry wanting to associate a product that kills with glamour and this high-end fashion."

Imperial Tobacco refused to comment.

Source: news.com.au, 14 December 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/65nj4m