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ASH Daily News

15-17 November 2003


HEADLINES

Reid stubs out hopes of smoking ban in public
Brokers relaxed about Imperial's liability case
Topsy-turvy logic of statistics
Tobacco regulatory authority call
And finally...

FULL TEXT

Reid stubs out hopes of smoking ban in public

Health Secretary John Reid has ruled out a ban on smoking in public places, according to a report in The Observer. Dr. Reid, who gave up smoking at the beginning of this year, has told colleagues that he favours voluntary codes by employers, pub owners and restaurants rather than resorting to legal bans on where people can smoke. He is thought to have the backing of Tony Blair who is also against a legal ban on smoking in public places.

Reid has told officials that he thinks voluntary agreements are more flexible and quicker to put in place. He has also said that persuading people to stop smoking is a more effective way forward.

'I know from personal experience that giving up is difficult - one of the hardest things I've ever done,' Reid said.

'I know that I needed a huge amount of support to free myself from the addiction, and I am pleased that the NHS offers practical assistance to help people quit.'

Many cities across the world are experimenting with a smoking ban. New York banned smoking in public places in April and a blanket ban is set to be introduced across Ireland in February.

ASH spokesman Ian Willmore said: 'We are very disappointed that the Secretary of State has abandoned attempts to restrict smoking in public places.'

The Observer, 16/11/03
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1086276,00.html


Brokers relaxed about Imperial's liability case

City analysts JP Morgan are predicting that Imperial Tobacco has an 80% chance of defending itself in the McTear litigation case. The broker highlighted Imperial's "strong line of defence" but cautioned that the uniqueness of the case "which is the first smoker trial in the UK and the first time that issues of liability have been assessed", presents a small risk for the tobacco company. But even in the event of a defeat leading to other cases against the tobacco giant, JP Morgan believes liabilities would be limited to £80m a year.

The Business, 16/11/03


Topsy-turvy logic of statistics

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, columnist Robert Matthews examines the 'topsy-turvy' world of statistics. Citing the example of Sir Richard Doll's early studies showing the link between lung cancer and statistics he notes that, at the time, there were "a variety of alternative explanations" put forward, some by eminent statisticians. The most notable of these was Sir Ronald Fisher who suggested that there might be a gene that made people more susceptible to cancer [Is that where the tobacco industry got the idea from? Ed.] His other, rather more far-fetched suggestion was that cancer could be a disease that developed during adolescence and caused symptoms that led people to smoke to get relief from them - in other words, cancer causes smoking!

Sunday Telegraph, 16/11/03



Tobacco regulatory authority call

Eleven charities and other bodies with an interest in health have called on the government to set up a tobacco regulatory authority. Their call echoes a report in 2000 by the House of Commons Health Select Committee which also proposed a regulatory authority for tobacco products.

In a letter to Health Secretary John Reid, the organisations contrast the largely unregulated availability of cigarettes with the strict regulation of nicotine replacement therapy products and the ban on less harmful tobacco products.

Pharmaceutical Journal, 8/11/03


And finally...

In a letter to the Glasgow Herald, Dr Ian Gibson, comments on Imperial's stance in the McTear case:
"All's right with the world. The Earth is flat, the moon is made of cheese, and the chief executive of Imperial Tobacco says that smoking does not cause lung cancer."

Glasgow Herald, 13/11/03






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Amanda Sandford
Research Manager
ASH
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amanda.sandford@ash.org.uk