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ASH Daily news for 27 May 2011

HEADLINES

  • Academic dismisses Scottish Licensed Trade Association appeal on smoking ban

    A leading academic dismissed renewed calls for the Scottish Government to relax the smoking ban as "absolute nonsense".

    Professor Brian Lipworth of Dundee University made the comment in response to the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), which wants ministers to adopt the same approach as many other European countries and allow smoking indoors under certain conditions.

    The trade body says 800 pubs have already closed their doors for good since the ban on smoking in public places came into force in 2006.

    Although the chief executive of the SLTA, Paul Waterson, believes there is no going back to the smoke-filled bars, he is keen to see a range of new measures considered such as creating special licences allowing smoking and designated rooms that could be used by smokers.

    But Professor Lipworth disagrees with the approach and warns any reversal of the current law would be a step in the wrong direction.

    "I believe it would undo a lot of good work already done," said Professor Lipworth, who led a research project into the health implications of a smoking ban for bar workers shortly before it came into law.

    "To suggest a room within a pub that can restrict the exposure of smoke elsewhere is just not going to work."

    "I don't believe the smoking ban is draconian. It has already resulted in health benefits for people."

    Professor Lipworth believes there is little chance of the government reversing legislation.

    "I don't think the Scottish Government are going to rewind the tape. It's a long shot," he said.

    Source: The Courier - 26 May 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/j7OoVf

  • Report: Graphic warning labels are critical to reducing global tobacco epidemic

    As federal regulators finalize pending rules for cigarette warning labels in the U.S., it's important to note the tremendous impact of graphic labels and statements in countries where tobacco use is deeply embedded in the culture.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, "Cigarette Package Health Warnings and Interest in Quitting Smoking - 14 Countries, 2008-2010," states prominent warnings on cigarette packages in countries with high adult smoking rates have been most effective in encouraging smokers to quit. The findings demonstrate the undeniable influence of large, graphic warning labels on individuals who smoke manufactured cigarettes.

    Specific messages and graphic depictions of smoking-related diseases have great potential to curb a global tobacco epidemic. They can make individuals think twice about starting a deadly habit and encourage smokers to quit and improve their cardiovascular and overall health.

    The report is available on the CDC website, here.

    Source: BioPortfolio - 26 May 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/lRS19Y

  • Philip Morris Int'l buys rights to nicotine system

    Cigarette maker Philip Morris International Inc. has purchased the rights to a technology that lets users inhale nicotine without smoking.

    The world's largest nongovernmental cigarette seller said it has bought the patent for an aerosol nicotine-delivery system developed by Jed Rose, director of the Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research at Duke University in Durham, N.C. The school does not have a role in Rose's agreement with the company and won't receive any money. Terms were not disclosed.

    Rose said the next step is for Philip Morris International, with offices in New York and Lausanne, Switzerland, to develop a commercial product using the technology. The system differs from current medicinal nicotine inhalers available on the market as stop-smoking aids because it delivers nicotine more rapidly to mimic the nicotine "hit" a cigarette provides smokers.

    Last month, British American Tobacco PLC created a subsidiary called Nicoventures focused on nicotine alternatives. In 2009, the nation's second-largest tobacco company Reynolds American Inc. purchased Swedish company Niconovum whose nicotine gum, pouches and spray help people stop smoking.

    Source: Google/Associated Press - 26 May 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/klehNJ

  • Massachusetts jury rejects smoker's claim

    Philip Morris USA (PM USA) said today a jury in Worcester, MA returned a verdict for the defense, holding that Marlboro cigarettes were not defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous.

    Filed in 2001, the plaintiffs' sole claim in this case was that PM USA breached an implied warranty of merchantability in failing to market only virtually nicotine-free cigarettes. The plaintiffs had stipulated that the defendant was fully aware of the risks of cigarette addiction and lung cancer from smoking cigarettes and that the proposed virtually nicotine-free cigarette would be unacceptable to a vast majority of smokers.

    This verdict marks the second defense verdict for PM USA this month, following a May 16th jury's decision in favor of the company in a federal court in New York.

    Source: Ad Hoc News - 26 May 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/mt7JTo

  • Germany: MPs push for national smoking ban

    Bundestag members from all sides of politics are joining forces to push for uniform anti-smoking laws nationwide, going up against entrenched opposition in many parts of the country.

    “The Bundestag has the right expertise to adopt a nationally uniform law to protect people from the dangers of second-hand smoke,” said a statement from a parliamentary group spearheading the movement.

    Anti-smoking laws are perennial hot potatoes in Germany, where many people cling fiercely to their tradition of smoking cigars and cigarettes. But the tide may be turning against smokers.

    A recent poll by the YouGov polling firm found that 65 percent of Germans would be in favor of a uniform federal law to replace state laws.

     In 2007, the federal government adopted rules to ban smoking in public buildings, but an initiative for a national ban in bars and restaurants failed. The government then declared that responsibility for smoking laws lies with individual states.

    But the bans instituted in many German states have been poorly received and often ignored. In some cases, courts have ruled that they are unconstitutional.

    Source: The Local - 26 may 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/jrVckE

  • Australia: Tobacco giants blow smoke

    Anti-smoking groups have criticised the tobacco industry's threat to compete on the price of cigarettes in response to the government's plain-packaging reforms.

    The CEO of British American Tobacco (BAT) Australia, David Crow, also claimed that organised crime could profit from the government's plan.

    "When all cigarette packs look the same and lose their trademarks and distinguishing features, counterfeiters will have a field day mass producing packets to smuggle into Australia," Mr Crow said.

    But Stafford Sanders, spokesman for the Protecting Children from Tobacco lobby group, said the tobacco industry was running scared.

    The federal government's push for the plain packaging of tobacco is set to whistle through Parliament regardless of what Tony Abbott decides.

    The government needs four extra votes in the House of Representatives should the Coalition, which is divided over the issue, oppose it. Yesterday those four votes were guaranteed.

    Meanwhile [includes video], an ABC programme has obtained evidence that a former US ambassador to the World Trade Organisation has been lobbying Malaysia to oppose the Australian Government's proposal.

    Peter Allgeier says he's met a Malaysian Government minister as part of his efforts to derail the plain packaging legislation.

    Lateline has also learned that a powerful US Congressman has joined the fight against the Gillard Government's latest plans to reduce smoking.

    Source: The Leader - 26 May 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/jkd7gx