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ASH Daily News
27 November 2002


HEADLINES
Philip Morris and passive smoking
UK Government’s tobacco control strategy
Bush is soft on tobacco
End of Rothmans sponsorship of football year book


FULL TEXT

Philip Morris and passive smoking

Responding to the news that Philip Morris has implemented a smoke-free
policy at its headquarters, Marsha Williams of ASH, has a letter in The
Guardian pointing out that the company’s action is unlikely to be because it
is the right thing to do but “is probably linked to the $466,000 awarded to
a non-smoking Australian bar worker whose throat cancer was caused by years
of working in a smoky club. The company is running scared of similar
litigation cases, perhaps from their own staff.” Marsha adds: “This story
highlights the continued lack of government action to protect our own
workforce from passive smoking.”

The Guardian, 27/11/02


UK Government’s tobacco control strategy

Journalist Malcolm Dean of The Guardian comments on Alan Milburn’s speech
last week in which he outlined the next stage of the government’s strategy
on tobacco and public health. The article notes that he delivered “not
just fine words but decisions too”, including one to give the British Heart
Foundation and Cancer Research UK £15m to run hard-hitting anti-smoking
campaigns. The article concludes by noting that more still needs to be done
to protect non-smokers from passive smoking and ends with a plea to MPs to
take up ASH’s bill to ban smoking in the workplace.

The Guardian, 27/11/02



Bush is soft on tobacco

An editorial in the International Herald Tribune criticises the US
Government for its lack of commitment to tobacco control. Citing the WHO’s
figures on the global tobacco epidemic, the editorial states: “Tobacco
control measures should not be subject to challenge on trade grounds,
because trade rules should promote the free exchange of goods not bads, such
as tobacco. Smuggling should be suppressed wherever possible. Cigarette
packs should carry prominent health warnings and misleading terms such as
“light” and “mild” should be forbidden. All these policies are
commensensical and yet the Bush administration has mostly dragged its feet.
It needs to start lifting them.”

International Herald Tribune, 27/11/02




End of Rothmans sponsorship of football year book

Rothmans, the sponsor of the Football Yearbook for a number of years, is
withdrawing its sponsorship following this season’s publication, in response
to the government’s ban on tobacco advertising and promotion. The
publishers are now looking for new backers prepared to pay around £50,000 a
year.

Daily Mail, 27/11/02





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Amanda Sandford
Research Manager
ASH
102 Clifton Street
LONDON
EC2A 4HW
Tel. 020 7739 5902
Fax.020 7613 0531
amanda.sandford@ash.org.uk