Rate tobacco and alcohol like illegal drugs, says top scientist

According to a leading scientist the harm done by tobacco and alcohol should be rated on the same system as illegal drugs.

Professor Sir Gabriel Horn, who chaired a special committee on drug use, warned that dependency on drink and cigarettes was spiralling out of control and urgent measures were needed to curb their misuse.

Professor Horn told the Government's drug advisers in London that many people believe alcohol is more harmful than heroin or cocaine.

He told the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs: "It's been recognised that [alcohol] is the most harmful recreational drug you could use. The risks are very similar to illegal substances. Alcohol and tobacco highjack the same part of the brain [as illegal drugs].

"This statutory body could be used as a really efficient conduit to prevent misuse. We must do something about this appalling burden to the nation."

"How long have we known about the dangers of tobacco smoke? But it took the Government a long time to take action and issue warnings. It's dangerous stuff."

Illegal drugs are regulated according to a classification system from A to C, relating to the harm and risks involved in taking them.

One possible new system would be for alcohol and nicotine to be ranked alongside them without being banned.

In Britain the total burden of alcohol misuse in terms of crime and anti-social behaviour is estimated at more than £12billion a year.

Professor Horn, who chaired the Academy of Medical Science's working group on drugs, also called for a special independent committee to be set up which would take the final decision on what ratings individual drugs should be given.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown caused controversy earlier this year when he reinstated cannabis earlier this year as a class B drug. He overruled advice from the ACMD that there was not enough evidence to support such a move. The Lords is debating the drug's reclassification today.

Professor Horn said a new independent classification committee could act in a similar way to the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England, which decides on interest rates independently of government.

Ministers would be barred from choosing committee members, who would be appointed by academic bodies including the Royal Society and the AMS.

Professor Horn told the ACMD: "In my opinion, Parliament should devolve its responsibility on classification to an independent committee. Parliament would have to accept the decision of this classification committee."

Source: Thisislondon, 25 November 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6ghoxs

Greek smokers face high disease rates

Greeks, known as being among Europe's heaviest smokers, suffer high rates of pulmonary disease, with non-smokers also facing health risks, statistics show.

According Constantinos Gourgoulianis, the head of Greece's Pneumonological Society, 8.4 per cent of all Greeks suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease although in rural areas the number rises to 15.1 per cent.

The news for urban residents is not much better as Athenians who are non-smokers inhale the equivalent of up to four cigarettes a day from other people who do smoke, according to a report published in the Greek daily Kathimerini newspaper.

Greece has just over a year to go before a ban outlaws the habit in all public places, including restaurants, bars and offices as of January 1, 2010.

The new law will have a heavy impact on a nation where nearly 45 per cent of the adult population smokes, and where smoking in offices and cafes is seen as a traditional pastime.

The government has already banned smoking in hospitals and taxis and requires restaurant and bar owners to designate smoking and non- smoking areas to safeguard public health.

However, the measures have been widely ignored. The Health Ministry has said the new law is aimed at saving the lives of an estimated 6,000 people who die every year from smoking in Greece.

Under the new law, smoking will be banned in public places, including all bars and restaurants, offices, hospitals and on all forms of public transport. The restrictions will also apply in all outlets that produce and sell food.

Under the new law, there will be designated areas set aside for smokers in offices. The bill also aims to keep minors under the age of 18 from smoking and consuming alcohol by banning their access to bars and clubs.

It will also impose a fine of 1,000 euros on the owners and managers of bars and nightclubs that fail to respect the restrictions.

Repeat offenders will face fines of up to 20,000 euros and have their licenses revoked. The bill also foresees similar fines for those caught selling cigarettes to minors.

Unlike most of the rest of the European Union, Greece has no age limit on the purchase of tobacco, according to the World Health Organization.

Source: The Age, 25 November 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/56h9ca

Cost-conscious smokers give Imperial a boost

Imperial Tobacco lifted underlying annual profit 30 per cent, helped partly by strong demand from cost-conscious smokers for its budget cigarette brands.

The maker of Lambert & Butler cigarettes, which account for about a half of its revenues in western Europe, also benefited from sterling’s decline against the euro.

”The economy sector has grown as consumers ‘down-trade’ to cheaper brands and products and this trend is likely to continue in the current economic climate.”

The group said Windsor Blue, its main budget offering in the UK, had increased its British market share from 2.6 per cent to 3 per cent over the past year.

It launched another budget brand, JPS Silver, this month to capitalise on consumers’ need to economise.

Globally, Imperial sold 292 billion cigarettes in the past year, an increase of 46 per cent.

While the results were in line with expectations and were described by analysts as “solid”, concerns about the company’s level of borrowing continued to weigh on the shares.

Net debt rose from £4.9bn to £11.7bn as a result of the acquisition last year of Altadis, the Franco-Spanish tobacco group, while net finance costs increased from £181m to £536m.

The shares fell 107p to £14.70.

The stock has fallen 30 per cent over the past 12 months, compared with a 6 per cent decline at British American Tobacco.

Pre-tax profit for the year to September fell 50 per cent to £621m, although this reflected restructuring and amortisation costs related to the Altadis deal. Adjusted profit rose 30 per cent to £1.6bn. Revenues, including a nine-month contribution from Altadis, rose 66 per cent to £20.5bn.

Adjusted earnings per share were 15 per cent higher at 136.9p and the total dividend rises 4 per cent to 63.1p via a maintained 42.2p final.
 

Source: The Financial Times, 25 November 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/5syqwv

Hawaii: Youth smoking drops despite more inventive pitches

Youth smoking in Hawaii is decreasing but tobacco companies are finding more inventive ways to market their products to teenagers. 

A survey of nearly 2,400 middle and high school students determined fewer kids than in 2006 ever smoked tobacco or smoke now, or are exposed to secondhand smoke.

But the youth also report they are finding more ways to illegally obtain tobacco, other than from stores or relatives. And more of them are purchasing tobacco from the Internet.

Tobacco critics allege tobacco companies also appear to be marketing more products to youths.

For example, they point to packaging for a Camel smokeless tobacco product that is similar to the metal can that contains a popular breath mint.

Source: KPUA, 25 November 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6jkexx