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ASH Daily News
26 November 2002

HEADLINES

Philip Morris stubbing it out?
More youngsters take up smoking
Hard facts about smoking
Indirect Bonding


FULL TEXT

Philip Morris stubbing it out?

The American tobacco giant Philip Morris has turned its Australian
headquarters into a smoke-free workplace, in a move that anti-smoking
campaigners have hailed as a breakthrough.
The factory and offices in the Melbourne suburb of Moorabbin have been
fitted with specially ventilated smoking areas away from the work zones.

Todd Harper, the director of the Quit Victoria anti-smoking campaign, said
he hoped that the move would herald a wider ban on workplace smoking.

"They haven't fully come clean on the issue of smoke-free workplaces, but
it's good that they recognise the importance of working in a smoke-free
environment," he said.

But Philip Morris's corporate affairs director, Thomas duBois, was careful
to skate around the issue of whether there was a medical risk in workplace
smoking, and stressed the decision had not been taken out of fear of
litigation. "It causes fatal disease, whether you're a smoker at Philip
Morris or not," Mr duBois told ABC radio. "We have to, as a company - maybe
especially our company and the industry we're in - we have to stay tuned to
changes in attitude and public perception."

The company has not always been so accommodating. Earlier this month it was
reported to have tried to influence Australian regulations on workplace
ventilation so as to play down the importance of environmental tobacco
smoke.

The Guardian leader on the story says stopping smoking at work is more than
just gesture politics. There is increasing evidence of the dangers of
passive inhalation. It is reckoned that for every eight people who die as a
direct result of smoking, another dies from passive inhalation. A recent
survey published in the British Medical Journal found that when a workplace
is declared totally smoke-free the proportion of workers who are smokers
drops by 4%. Those who continue to smoke reduce their intake by about three
cigarettes a day. It would take a hefty increase in taxes to achieve the
same effect. If the world's biggest cigarette company is now adopting
restraint practices like these, there is no reason why every other company
should not follow suit at once.

Leader:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,3604,847717,00.html
Full article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,847659,00.html

Source: The Guardian, 26 November 2002



More youngsters take up smoking

Jenny Hope, writing for the Daily Mail, reports on the study in Tobacco
Control that reveals that one in five children under 16 is a regular smoker.
The study also reveals that a quarter of the children who try smoking start
in primary school and those who smoke encourage others to experiment.

Clive Bates, director of ASH, said: “It worrying that so many children are
trying cigarettes, although this does not mean that they will become regular
smokers.

“Reforms on cigarette advertising, due to take effect early next year, are
vital but there are still too many opportunities for children to get hold of
cigarettes. Children are still vulnerable when they buy sweets from the
corner shop.”

Source: Daily Mail, 26 November 2002



Hard facts about smoking

Dr Ian Bogle, chairman of the council for the British Medical Association
writes to the Spectator regarding ‘Fag phobia, 9 November 2002’

Dr Bogle says the writer of the article, Neil Clarke, appears to have left
out some vital information about tobacco.

The main omission, Dr Bogle points out, is that tobacco kills. He asserts
that tobacco causes heart diseases and cancers and that ultimately, tobacco
use kills half of those who use it.

Underlining the recent BMA, Dr Bogle says that there is conclusive evidence
that passive smoking kills at least 1,000 non-smokers a year. He ends the
letter with:

“The BMA lobbied for a ban on tobacco advertising and will be continue to
lobby for a ban on smoking in public places. We do this because every day
doctors see at first hand the devastating effects on the health and lives of
their patients and their families. If Neil Clark had to explain to one of
his patients that they had terminal lung cancer, I doubt if he would have
written this article.”

Neil Clark’s article:
http://www.spectator.co.uk/article.php3?table=old§ion=back&issue=2002-11
-09&id=2461
Source: The Spectator, 23 November 2002


Indirect Bonding

Mike Unger to the Express to express his delight at on a timetable being set
for the implementation of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act, due
next year. He says:

“At long last we will be able to start protecting our children against the
peddling of this toxic product. [...] However, I was disappointed by the
latest James Bond film, where Pierce Brosnan is seen savouring fat Havana
cigars and, in one seen, he even discusses their quality with a Cuban
gangster.

“Surely this is yet another form of tobacco advertising, one which we must
surely look at if this [Act] is to truly have the much needed effect on the
advertising and promotion of this lethal product.”

Source: The Express, 26 November 2002


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Naj Dehlavi
Action on Smoking and Health
102 Clifton Street
London EC2A 4HW
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