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ASH Daily News
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17 December 2004
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HEADLINES
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1.2m stub out the smoking habit
6.5m smokers want to quit in 2005, health survey shows
BHF 'artery'ads commended
Publican's gloomy opinions of the ban
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FULL TEXT


1.2m stub out the smoking habit

The number of smokers in England is down by 1.2 million in six years. =
Figures from the General Household Survey, published by the Office for =
National Statistics, showed that the proportion of the population who =
smoke fell from 28 per cent in 1998 to 25 per cent in 2003.
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400,000 people gave up smoking in England in the last year alone. Betty =
McBride of the British Heart Foundation said she hoped the foundations =
recent TV ads had encouraged more people to quit.=20
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Scotland and Wales appear less willing to quit, with 31 per cent of =
Scots and 27 per cent of the Welsh still smoking, meaning the proportion =
of smokers in Britain last year remained at 26 per cent.

Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson said she was "delighted" and =
claimed the Government's Smoking Kills White Paper, published in 1998, =
was having an impact. But Lib Dem spokesman Paul Burstow said the =
Government was being "utterly complacent - they claimed a huge drop =
while levels remain barely unchanged.

"The price of dithering and complacency will be more deaths."

Source: Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, Daily Express, 17 December 2004
Article link: =
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=3D14986883&method=3D=
full&siteid=3D50143=20
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6.5 million smokers want to quit in 2005, health survey shows
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According to a new health tracking survey, to be launched this month by =
PruHealth, 6.5 million smokers have vowed to quit in 2005, of these 37 =
per cent describe themselves as heavy smokers. A further 4.2 million =
'occasional or social' smokers intend to kick the habit.
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PruHealth has signed an agreement with Allen Carr to offer its policy =
holders a =A395 discount on Carr's 'Easy Way to Stop SmokingCourse'.
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Source: Daily Mirror, 17 December 2004
Article link: =
http://www.mirror.co.uk/money/yourmoney/page.cfm?objectid=3D14986921&meth=
od=3Dfull&siteid=3D50143=20



BHF 'artery' adverts commended
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The BHF's 'artery' adverts were named 5th best UK press ad in Campaign =
magazine, impressing award judges by driving home the negative effects =
of smoking in a 'visceral and, consequently, deeply disturbing way'. =20
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Referring to the images of cigarettes representing fat clogged arteries, =
Campaign magazine said 'if this doesn't get the message across, it's =
hard to imagine what will. No surprise then that the campaign has been =
swamped with plaudits, including a Campaign Direct award in the Best Not =
for Profit or Charities category and an IPA effectiveness gong."
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The ads were also the 8th most complained about when shown on =
television, with 88 viewers registering their concern. Their complaints =
were mainly that the ads were too graphic though some wanted to know =
what the scientific data behind the adverts was.=20
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OFCOM ruled that the importance of the message outweighed the =
consideration of viewer's sensibilities.
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Source: Campaign Magazine, 17 December 2004
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Publican's gloomy opinions of the ban
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The Morning Advertiser carries a series of letters from publicans =
voicing their opinions of the coming smoking ban and supporting the =
magazine's initiative to seek a compromise on the proposals:
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"What would happen if you tried this in France? You would probably have =
every tractor driver and deux cheveaux delivery driver blockading the =
outskirts of towns and small villages all over the country.
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We in our small rural community pub operate a non-smoking restaurant and =
a clean filtered airy bar...if the proposals become law it will be the =
killing of what used to be known as the 'Great British Pub'." =20
Tony Woodman, Norwich.
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"Should the ban become law as drafted by the government, we are planning =
to address both significant areas of our trade, a town bar and a =
brasserie, by splitting our premises into two self contained businesses, =
which is easy for us as we are on two floors. At the moment we are =
unsure of the legitimacy of such a move." =20
Guy Sankey, Kent
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"I have two separate rooms, one of which serves food. I have already =
implemented my own smoking policy - the room which serves food is a =
totally no-smoking room.
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Since introducing the policy I haven't had any negative feedback. =
However, nearly everyone I have spoken too says the government is taking =
away people's freedom of choice.
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If the total smoking ban comes in...it will cause the closure of a lot =
more rural pubs that find it hard to survive now." =20
AJ Harris, Nottinghamshire
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"I feel it is imperative we licensees lobby for as much flexibility as =
possible.
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I've added a non-smoking conservatory and could easily make one bar =
non-smoking but to lose the smokers would be a disaster. We have =
increased the catering side of our business [but] are now faced with the =
possibility that it may be better to stop altogether.
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Smoking among my male customers is reducing all the time. This =
sledgehammer legislation should be used on the nuts in parliament who =
think up such proposals and know nothing of our industry."
Mark Redknap, Surrey
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Source: Morning Advertiser, 16 December 2004
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