Mothers paid to quit cigarettes

Pregnant women in South Yorkshire are to be paid to stop smoking.

The 12-month scheme is being piloted in Rotherham and will reward pregnant women with £20 in shopping vouchers if they can kick their cigarette habit.

The women must stop for three weeks and will be rewarded with an extra £20 if they can give up for a month.

Director of public health for the area, John Radford, said: "We need to use every available method to encourage pregnant women to stop smoking."

He added: "Smoking in pregnancy carries major health risks both to mum and baby and here at NHS Rotherham we want to be at the forefront of groundbreaking schemes which help encourage mums to quit."

Similar schemes have been piloted throughout the country but this is the first time an initiative has run in South Yorkshire.

A lot of pregnant women find it extremely difficult to stop smoking during pregnancy

Women taking part in the scheme will be tested by "stop smoking" midwives using carbon monoxide monitors. The tests will be carried out during weekly antenatal visits to make sure participants are not smoking.

Julie Schweika, who is pregnant with her first baby, said the scheme had helped her cut down from 15 to 20 cigarettes a day to one.

She added: "It's an incentive to give up, but willpower is still required."

Lisa Fendall, one of the specialist midwives in charge of implementing the scheme, said: "People feel that pregnancy itself should be a good enough reason to give up smoking. But a lot of pregnant women find it extremely difficult to stop smoking during pregnancy. This will prove very cost effective when you look at the amount of money spent on interventions for a woman who is experiencing problems due to smoking during pregnancy."

The cost of the scheme depends entirely on how many people take part but it is estimated that signing up 200 people will cost £6,000.

Source: BBC News, 21 May 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/okkdkn

Scotland: Letter - Vending cigarettes

Your report, "Cigarette machines ban may be unlawful" (20 May), entirely fails to reflect the facts. Far from failing to consult with the National Association of Cigarette Machine Operators (NACMO), we made numerous attempts to contact them but NACMO failed to respond to any messages – a fact your correspondent was well aware of.

And we certainly have not admitted that the ban on vending machines will be reviewed. We will continue to talk to NACMO and its members about how to alleviate the impact of the ban but remain absolutely committed to banning vending machines. Again your correspondent was aware of this.

Smoking kills – that's a fact. It's also a fact that many teenagers get their cigarettes from vending machines. I believe it's unacceptable to sell such a dangerous product through vending machines – which are, after all, self service – and that's why we plan to ban them in Scotland.

SHONA ROBISON

Minister for public health

Scottish Parliament
 

Source: The Scotsman, 21 May 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/ortdsv

Campaign to slash smoking population

NHS North Lincolnshire hopes to stub-out smoking by slashing the region's smoking population to only 15 per cent by 2015.

The North Lincolnshire Tobacco Control Strategy for 2009-2011 will be focusing on the '15 by 15' vision in a bid to cut the percentage of smokers in the region – which is currently at 27 per cent and higher than the national average of 22 per cent.

Director of Public Health in North Lincolnshire, Dr Andrew Furber, said a lot of work would be needed if the plan was to meet its target.

He said, "At the moment on average, smoking is declining by one per cent a year. To reduce the number of smokers to 15 per cent of the population by 2015 is an ambitious target, but we hope to achieve it."

According to findings from the 2007/08 Adolescent Lifestyle Survey conducted in North Lincolnshire, eight per cent of boys and 10 per cent of girls aged 11-15 smoke weekly or daily.

This is higher than the national average of five per cent of boys and eight per cent of girls.

As a result, a large part of the control strategy and action plan, which will be overseen by the North Lincolnshire Smokefree Alliance, will aim to help young people say no to tobacco by 2011.

Dr Furber said: "Once people are over 20 years old, they are unlikely to take up smoking, so through educating children via our healthy schools program and advice we offer at secondary school, we hope to manage that

Source: thisisscunthorpe, 22 May 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/ryg88s

USA: House votes to crack down on tobacco black market

The House has approved tougher enforcement measures against contraband cigarette sales that make money for criminals, but cost federal, state and local governments billions of dollars.

The bill, which passed 397-11, is especially aimed at Internet sales. Sellers on the Internet and others shipping to remote locations would have to verify the purchaser's age and identity through accessible databases.

Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products could no longer be mailed through the U.S. Postal Service except in limited cases. Private delivery companies already have agreed not to ship tobacco products while the Postal Service continues to deliver products purchased over the Internet.

Misdemeanors under current law would be made felonies, and it would be a federal offense for any seller failing to pay state tax laws.

The legislation would empower each state to enforce federal law against out-of-state sellers sending delivery sales into the state.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would gain authority to inspect distributors of cigarettes, and anyone refusing the inspection would be penalized.

Chief sponsor Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., said that as tobacco taxes have increased, "We have unwittingly created a large and growing black market for smuggled tobacco products."

Weiner cited a Government Accountability Office report that organizations including Hezbollah made money through the tobacco black market.

Source: The Associated Press,21 May 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/p3r6de

Mum, 20, died in blaze 'started by discarded cigarette'

A grieving family has urged people not to smoke before they go to bed after a 20-year-old bride-to-be died in a blaze. 

Susan Bradshaw, lost her life in a ferocious fire at her home in Accrington.

Firefighters told her inquest they believed the blaze was caused by a ‘carelessly discarded’ cigarette she had in her living room when she got back from a night out.

The hearing was told Susan and her fiance Andrew Wilkinson woke later in their bed to find their home engulfed by flames.

The pair tried to escape together holding hands. Mr Wilkinson made it out, but he lost Susan in the thick, black smoke.

Speaking after the inquest, stepdad Steve Jackson, whose birthday party Susan had been at hours earlier, said the blaze showed the importance of making sure cigarettes were properly put out.

He said: “If anything positive is to come from her death we would want it to be that people would not smoke before bed, especially after drinking.

“Susan was so young and was due to get married, but that has all been taken away because of a cigarette. The past three months have been very difficult for the whole family. Susan was such an outgoing person and her death has left a large gap in all of our lives.”

Bosses at Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said as many as half of all blazes have alcohol as a contributing factor. And cigarettes are the biggest cause of fires in the home. Around one third, about three a month in East Lancashire, are caused by cigarettes.

Speaking after the hearing, Aidan Fortune, watch manager at Hyndburn Fire Station, said: “People become careless in dealing with fire hazards of smoking and cooking and are doubly at risk because when fires occur the alcohol affects their ability to hear and react to smoke alarms and escape.” 

Source: Lanchashire Telegraph, 22 May 2009
Link: http://tinyurl.com/ptg9x9