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ASH Daily News

16 November 2004

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

HEADLINES

D-Day for smoking ban
Smoking statistics
Clubs plan ways of getting round smoke ban
Tobacco firms may fight ad restrictions
Bhutan introduces tobacco prohibition


FULL TEXT

D-Day for smoking ban

Health secretary John Reid will today face universal condemnation from
doctors and health professionals for failing to adopt the one public
health measure in his white paper they say would save more lives than
any other - a total smoking ban in enclosed public places.

Mr Reid will outline today the government's decision to limit the
smoking ban to restaurants and pubs which sell hot food. Pubs and clubs
that do not serve food will be allowed to take their own decisions about
smoking.

He will defend the compromise - a more limited measure than the outright
ban practised in Ireland and proposed for Scotland - by warning that a
complete ban could drive smoking back into the home and so endanger the
health of children.

As it became clear yesterday that Mr Reid was prepared to stand out
against the evidence of the lethality of passive smoking presented by 13
medical royal colleges, the British Medical Association and other public
health bodies, it appeared that extensive measures over junk food would
not redeem the government for the absence of a smoking ban.

"I am truly shocked that John Reid may be turning his back on all the
evidence about second-hand smoke and also the examples other countries,
including his fellow Scots, have set. He is letting every infant, child
and adult in England down," said James Johnson, chairman of the BMA.

While the BMA is supportive of other proposals in the public health
white paper, such as on clear labelling of unhealthy food in
supermarkets, the failure to bring in a complete smoking ban in public
places "overshadows for us anything else that is in the white paper",
said a BMA spokeswoman. "We certainly won't stop lobbying. We have met
John Reid a number of times and we are very surprised that he is turning
his back on the evidence on second-hand smoke."

The BMA published a report two years ago concluding that 1,000 people
die in the UK of passive smoking every year, of whom 800 live in England
where the white paper applies.

At the Royal College of Physicians, Professor John Britton talked of
disappointment at a "huge missed opportunity" and said: "It is a good
decision for the tobacco industry."

He went on: "It is probably the single most effective public health
intervention that a secretary of state could make.

"The depressing thing is the lack of effective leadership from him.
Either he doesn't understand the issues or he is paralysed by the fear
of upsetting either smokers or the industry."

The leading figure in the anti-smoking campaign, the government's own
chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, will not attend the white
paper launch today. In July, Sir Liam, the top public health official in
England, pushed hard for legislation in his annual report on the state
of public health, emphasising the economic benefits of a ban. He was
said by the Department of Health to have a "prior engagement" with EU
officials.

Mr Reid is likely to set out today that in addition to pubs that serve
food there will also be a ban on smoking in offices, and possibly an
exclusion zone in pubs to protect bar staff. Private members clubs,
including working men's associations, will be exempted from the ban
after a lengthy tussle in government about the legitimate role of the
state.

The health secretary, who kicked the smoking habit more than a year ago,
will say he wants to protect the rights of a majority to live in a smoke
free environment while also preserving the rights of the 10m-strong
minority to carry out a lawful activity that they know has a damaging
effect on their health.

He will answer his critics by pointing to a consultation exercise
involving more than 150,000 people in regional discussion groups - and
direct submissions from 1,080 individuals, many of whom disagreed with
the doctors' crusade. He will point to evidence that the total ban
enforced in Ireland, and now set to be introduced in Scotland, can lead
to a fall in social drinking in pubs with a corresponding increase in
smoking at home, so increasing the dangers to children.

The Royal College of GPs countered that both Ireland and Scotland have
looked at the evidence and made the right decision. "It is a shame that
the government has missed an opportunity to deliver possibly the single
most important improvement in public health in the last 50 years," said
Dr Mayur Lakhani, its chairman.

The Guardian, 16/11/04
http://society.guardian.co.uk/publichealth/story/0,11098,1352116,00.html




Smoking statistics

The Independent claims that health campaigners are exaggerating the
risks of smoking in order to justify smoking bans. Having taken
soundings from ASH and pro-tobacco lobbyists, Tim Luckhurst sides with
the industry in concluding that statistics are being distorted in the
name of a good cause.

The Independent, 16/11/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/story.jsp?story=583218



Clubs plan ways of getting round smoke ban

Chicago Rock cafes and Jumpin Jacks nightclubs are planning ways around
any no smoking rules. Luminar, the owner of the club group, plans to
build balconies and roof terraces at its outlets. "We are following
the motto of 'prepare for the worst and expect the best' and we will see
where we end up, said chief executive Stephen Thomas.

Daily Star, Daily Express, 16/11/04



Tobacco firms may fight ad restrictions

Tobacco manufacturers are considering a last-minute appeal against the
point of sale advertising restrictions, reports The Grocer. The
industry applied for a judicial review of the regulations but their case
was rejected by Mr Justice McCombe who said that the advertising
restrictions were not disproportionate. The TMA spokesman Tim Lord,
said: "We remain very concerned these regulations will prevent smokers
from receiving a reasonable level of information about products."

The Grocer, 13/11/04



Bhutan introduces tobacco prohibition

The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is to become the first country in
the world to ban tobacco. Shops, hotels, restaurants and bars selling
tobacco have been ordered to dispose of existing stocks before17
December. The ban will not apply to foreign tourists, diplomats or
those working for aid organisations.

"We want no pollution and good health for our citizens," said Bhutanese
minister Jigme Thinley.

Daily Express, Independent, Daily Telegraph 16/11/04





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