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ASH News and Events Bulletin - 16-31 December 2011

HEADLINES

EVENTS

  • Campaigners welcome tobacco industry decision to drop legal challenge

    Tobacco firms have decided to drop their legal challenge to the forthcoming ban on tobacco displays in shops - a decision that has been welcomed by campaign groups.

    The ban is due to come into effect in April 2012 for supermarkets and large stores, and in April 2015 for all other shops.

    Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris were challenging the ban but have now decided not to proceed.

    The decision was described as 'a victory for public health' by public health minister Anne Milton, and 'a wonderful Christmas present from the tobacco industry' by Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health.

    Sarah Woolnough, director of policy at Cancer Research UK, also welcomed the move.

    She said: 'We were always confident that the tobacco industry would lose their case, because the evidence shows that selling cigarettes alongside sweets and crisps makes them seem like a normal, everyday product rather than a deadly and addictive drug.'

    She added that pursuing legal action to try to stop policies backed by public health experts was a 'standard tobacco industry tactic' and had delayed action to remove tobacco displays in other parts of the UK.

    Source: NetDoctor, 23 Dec. 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/rBQwjn

  • Children and young people hoodwinked by cigarette packaging

    A British Heart Foundation survey shows that 'glitzy' packaging can dupe smokers (particularly young ones) into thinking cigarettes are 'healthy'. 

    The link below includes a video and a link to the report.

    Source: British Heart Foundation - 29 December 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/sUOKQH

  • Hebrew Professor: Tobacco may help cure malaria

    A Hebrew University professor has discovered a new way to treat malaria - by using tobacco plants.

    The main source of anti-malarial drugs is based on a substance called artemisinin, a natural compound from Artemisia (sweet wormwood) plants, which is difficult to synthesize and expensive to obtain.

    Now, Professor Alexander Vainstein and his student Moran Farhi have developed genetically engineered tobacco plants carrying genes encoding the entire biochemical pathway necessary for producing artemisinin. In light of tobacco's high biomass and rapid growth, this invention will enable a cheap production of large quantities of the drug, paving the way for the development of a sustainable plant-based platform for the commercial production of an anti-malarial drug.
     

    Source: Israel National News, 25 Dec. 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/rwaPmS

  • Pet owners urged to make this year a ‘smoke free’ Christmas

    Pet owners are being advised not to smoke or allow smoking in their homes around pets because of the harmful effects of secondhand smoke on their health.

    Tobacco Free Futures (formerly Smokefree North West) has teamed up with the UK’s leading veterinary charity, PDSA, to highlight the risk of cancers amongst pets. Recent findings have revealed that even limited exposure to tobacco smoke can more than double a cat’s risk of feline malignant lymphoma, one of the commonest types of cancer seen in cats.

    Other findings found an association between exposure to secondhand smoke and nasal cancer in dogs - birds and rabbits are also risk.

    This advice follows the successful Take 7 Steps Out campaign which reported that 19 per cent of people who saw the campaign moved outside to smoke. Tobacco Free Futures is now urging the public to take the same action for the benefit of their pets' health and make their homes smokefree.

    Source: Rochdale News, 24 Dec. 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/vxYBK0

  • Several US States weigh in on cigarette warning label lawsuit

    Several states and U.S. territories have joined a lawsuit over proposed graphic cigarette warning labels arguing that the federal government should be allowed to require the labels for the "lethal and addictive" products.

    The 24 attorneys general have filed a friend of the court brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington in support of the Food and Drug Administration's challenge of a lower court ruling in the case.

    Last month, a U.S. District Court judge granted a request by some of the nation's largest tobacco companies to block the labels while deciding whether the labels violate their free speech rights.

    In the filing, the attorneys general said that the First Amendment does not prevent the government from requiring that "lethal and addictive products carry warning labels that effectively inform consumers of the risks those products entail."
     

    Source: ABC News, 24 Dec. 2011
    Link: http://abcn.ws/srp51B

  • UK delays tobacco plain packaging consultation

    The Government is to delay its consultation on plain packaging of tobacco products until the spring of 2012 as it considers a series of issues after Australia prepares to be the first nation to introduce such legislation by end-2012.

    Source: Reuters - 15 December 2011
    Link: http://reut.rs/vv5Vq1

  • Parliamentary question: Smoking in private motor vehicles

    Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what targets he has set for the Tobacco Control Plan; whether a behaviour change plan has been produced to reduce smoking in cars around children; and what steps he plans to take to evaluate the effect of such a plan on parents’ behaviour;

    (2) what steps his Department is taking to work with the national media to raise awareness of the risks in exposing children to second-hand smoke.

    Anne Milton: The Tobacco Control Plan, published in March, sets out three national ambitions: to reduce adult (aged 18 or over) smoking prevalence in England to 18.5% or less by the end of 2015 (from 21.2%); to reduce rates of regular smoking among 15-year-olds in England to 12% or less (from 15%) by the end of 2015; and to reduce rates of smoking throughout pregnancy to 11% or less (from 14%) by the end of 2015 (measured at time of giving birth).

    The plan also includes a number of commitments to help drive down smoking rates and reduce the harms from tobacco over the next five years. These include the launch of a national marketing campaign, planned for spring 2012, to remind smokers of the risks of exposing children and adults to second-hand smoke so that they take action to make their homes and cars smokefree. We will evaluate the impact of the campaign on smokers’ behaviour.

    Source: Hansard - 19 December 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/uMGFxm

  • Parliamentary question: Smoking on television

    Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with television networks to reduce or ban the amount of smoking currently broadcast in television drama productions.

    Baroness Garden of Frognal: There have been no discussions with television networks on this matter.

    In relation to the portrayal of smoking and the restrictions on editorial content, the depiction of smoking in domestic television programmes is strictly controlled.

    Ofcom's broadcasting code sets out the rules on the portrayal of smoking on television. The code specifically requires that the portrayal of smoking should be avoided in children's programmes, and included only when there is a strong editorial case for such inclusion. In other programmes likely to be widely seen by young people, smoking should generally be avoided and in any case must not be condoned, encouraged or glamorised in other programmes broadcast before the watershed, unless there is editorial justification where the context or dramatic veracity requires it. In such programmes smoking should not be prominently featured as a normal and attractive activity.

    Source: Hansard - 19 December 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/uHu13r

  • Written statement: Tobacco Control Legislation

    Andrew Lansley (Secretary of State, Health; South Cambridgeshire, Conservative):
    The Government will publish a consultation on the packaging of tobacco products in spring 2012.

    In March 2011 the Government published “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England” which set out how our comprehensive, evidence-based programme of tobacco control will be delivered. The tobacco control plan included a commitment to explore options to reduce the promotional impact of tobacco packaging and to publish a consultation paper.

    [...]

    Source: Hansard - 15 December 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/uggd5K

  • The health minister, the tobacco lobby, and a major campaign to derail a cigarette ban

    Leaked emails reveal that Earl Howe canvassed lobbyists for Marlboro maker Philip Morris – and became a willing partner in its bid to thwart legislation that would have banned its products from display in shops.

    Source: The Guardian - 31 December 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/v2TbLA

  • Tobacco firms misled public about additives

    A new report suggests that Philip Morris obscured evidence of the toxicity of additives and misled the public.

    Ten years ago, a study by Philip Morris concluded that there was "no evidence of substantial toxicity" associated with the additives used in their product.

    More than 300 additives are used in the manufacture of cigarettes and their use has concerned regulatory bodies in the UK and around the world. Philip Morris had used the findings from their research to defend the inclusion of additives in cigarettes. 

    Source: The Independent, 21 December 2011
    Link: http://ind.pn/sfaQxd

  • Altria’s tobacco companies launch 'Citizens for Tobacco Rights' website

    Altria’s tobacco operating companies have launched “Citizens for Tobacco Rights”, a website for adult tobacco consumers who are interested in information and advocacy on tobacco-related public policy issues.

    The lobby group, described in press reports as a “group of adult smokers and dippers joining together to get active on issues they care about” is supported by Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. and John Middleton.
     

    Source: Convenience Store Decisions, 28 Dec. 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/tM4jwT

  • USA - Kicking the habit: Tobacco to trees

    Tobacco has been grown in Virginia since 1612, when Englishman John Rolfe discovered how well the plant was suited to the then-colony. Before deregulation in 2004, the federal government had provided tobacco quotas and price supports since the 1930s, making it Virginia's No. 1 crop. Now, however, tobacco growing has become less profitable and a number of former tobacco farmers have switched to growing other crops, such as Christmas trees.

    On a 25-acre Christmas tree farm at Mouth of Wilson, in remote Appalachian Virginia, Ron Cooper grew tobacco on "anywhere from five to six acres" for about 15 years, last growing it in the early 1990s, before deciding he would be better off concentrating on Christmas trees.

    Information on how many Virginia tobacco farmers went into Christmas trees, as Cooper did initially in  1979 is unavailable, but "only a handful" were growing them in Virginia in the 1980s, according to retired Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services extension officer Charlie Conner.

    By 2007 the agriculture census reported 481 Christmas tree farms in Virginia covering 9,414 acres, and 313,710 trees cut.
     

    Source: Chicago Tribune, 26 Dec. 2011
    Link: http://trib.in/t5K5xX

  • Genes, lifestyle factors influence skin aging

    European scientists have identified a range of factors that influence skin aging, confirming that heavy smoking promotes aging whereas use of sunscreen has a protective effect. They also found that a gene that controls skin pigmentation can either promote or protect against aging, depending on which form of the gene the person has.


    Dr Mariano Suppa (University of Leeds, UK) and co-workers studied facial photographs of 1341 middle-aged men and women. All gave detailed information about their lifestyles and medical history and had blood samples analyzed for genetic variations.


    Each photograph was assessed for common features of skin aging (wrinkles, vascularity, and blotchy pigmentation) and graded for the levels of sun-associated skin aging (photoaging) in the delicate area around the eyes.


    Dr Suppa and colleagues found that wrinkles, vascularity, and blotchy pigmentation were all associated with older age, and wrinkles in particular were worse in older individuals and heavy smokers. Moderate smokers did not have worse wrinkles than nonsmokers, however.


    Vascularity - or the presence of "spider" or "thread" veins on the surface of the skin - tended to be worse in men, older individuals, people who spent longer in the sun each day, people who were overweight, and smokers.


    Writing in the British Journal of Dermatology, the authors conclude: "Heavy smoking is associated with wrinkling but moderate smoking less convincingly so. Sunscreen use shows evidence of a protective role for skin ageing."

    Suppa M et al. The determinants of periorbital skin ageing in participants of a melanoma case–control study in the U.K.  Br J Dermatology. 2011; 165 (5); 1011–1021.
     

    Source: MedWire News, 4 Nov. 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/sRs4yI

  • Smokers' views of a community-based mobile stop smoking service in the UK

    Abstract


    BACKGROUND:
    Developing more accessible stop smoking services (SSS) is important, particularly for reaching smokers from socio-economically deprived groups who are more likely to smoke and less likely to quit in comparison to their more affluent counterparts. A drop-in mobile SSS (MSSS) was piloted across 13 locations in socio-economically deprived areas of Nottingham.

    METHODS:
    Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted to explore the views of 40 smokers who registered with the MSSS.

    RESULTS:
    The MSSS appeared to trigger quit attempts. For some of the participants the attempt was totally unplanned; for others, it built on pre-existing thoughts about quitting which had not yet been acted upon. Smokers interested in quitting were comfortable about approaching the MSSS, whilst acknowledging that they did not feel pressured to register with the service. The drop-in format of the MSSS was found to be more appealing than making an appointment. In addition, several participants articulated that they may not have utilised other SSS had they not come across the MSSS.

     CONCLUSION:
    A MSSS may be an effective way to prompt quit attempts for smokers not planning to quit and also reach smokers who would not engage with SSS.
     

    Bains M et al. A qualitative exploration of smokers' views regarding aspects of a community-based mobile stop smoking service in the United Kingdom.  BMC Public Health. 2011 Nov 16;11(1):873. [Epub ahead of print]
     

    Source: BMC Public Health.
    Link: http://bit.ly/tD9ryE

  • Smoking affects quality of life in patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas

    Smoking is a causative factor in oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Unfortunately, only poor data exist regarding the quality of life of smokers vs non-smokers with SCC. The purpose of this study is to show a correlation between variables for comprehensive interdisciplinary rehabilitation and better patient quality of life (LQ).

    A total collective of 1,761 patients from 38 hospitals within the German-language area of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DÖSAK-REHAB-STUDIE) yielding 1,652 patients' questionnaires containing 147 items were evaluated. They refer to the periods before (t1) and immediately after surgery (t2), as well as at least 6 months later (t3). LQ was determined by the patient and ranges from 0% to 100%.

    Significant differences were found between smokers (80%) and non-smokers (20%) with respect to diagnosis, therapy and rehabilitation. Disabilities and impairments in speech, appearance, chewing/swallowing, pain and LQ were examined. Smokers were more often and more severely affected. Differences were found in the size of the tumour, scar tissue, ingestion, functionality of the facial muscles and a numb feeling in the head and shoulder area. Smoking has a severe effect on the oral cavity. Non-smokers suffer far less from the effects of SCC and the ensuing therapy. During therapy and rehabilitation, the LQ is much higher in non-smokers. This supports the importance of enhanced efforts to inform people about the consequences of smoking so as to prevent them from smoking. Moreover, psychological support might be helpful to give up smoking.

    Krüskemper G, Handschel J.  Smoking affects quality of life in patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas.  Clin Oral Investig. 2011 Oct 20.

    Source: Clin Oral Investig. 2011 Oct 20.
    Link: http://bit.ly/t08Fcp

  • Smoking patterns and cessation among very low rate and light smokers.

    Abstract
    Aims There is a growing interest in very low rate ( < 1cpd) and light (1-9cpd) smokers and their numbers appear to be increasing in some parts of the world. This paper examined changes in prevalence over the past 5 years, cessation patterns, and smoking and demographic characteristics of very low rate, light and moderate-to-heavy (10+cpd) smokers in England.

    Design Cross-sectional and longitudinal data from aggregated monthly waves of a household survey: the Smoking Toolkit Study.
    Setting England.

    Participants A total of 23,245 smokers interviewed between November 2006 and May 2011 of whom 4,147 (18%) provided data at 6-month follow-up.
    Measurements We compared the demographic and smoking characteristics between the three groups of smokers at baseline, and the rate of attempts to quit, use of aids to cessation, and success of quit attempts at follow-up.

    Findings Very low rate smoking remained extremely rare (1.9% of smokers in 2006 to 2.8% in 2011) but light smoking became increasingly common (23.9% to 32.8%). Compared with moderate-to-heavy smokers, very low rate and light smokers were younger, more often female, from a higher socioeconomic background. They were more motivated to quit and enjoyed smoking less. During the 6-month follow-up period, light smokers, but not very low rate smokers, were more likely to attempt to quit than moderate-to-heavy smokers. When they tried to quit, very low rate and light smokers used aids to cessation less than moderate-to-heavy smokers but still used them to a substantial degree: 18%, 31% and 44% used nicotine replacement therapy over the counter in their most recent quit attempt for the three types of smoker respectively. Even very low rate smokers had a substantial failure rate: 65% failed in their most recent quit attempt within 6 months.

    Conclusions Very low rate ( < 1cpd) and light (1-9cpd) smokers in England are at least as motivated to quit as heavier smokers. Although they use cessation medication less than heavier smokers and are more likely to succeed, they still use such medication and fail in quit attempts to a substantial degree.

    Kotz, D,  Fidler J and West,R.  Very low rate and light smokers: smoking patterns and cessation-related behaviour in England, 2006-2011.
    Addiction (early online edition)

     

    Source: Addiction, 30 Nov. 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/uof9YX

Events

  • Fiftieth anniversary of RCP report on smoking and health

    To mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of its first report on Smoking and Health in 1962, the Royal College of Physicians is organising a one-day conference.

    Date: 06 March 2012
    Venue: Royal College of Physicians
    Contact: http://events.rcplondon.ac.uk/details.aspx?e=2497

  • Smoking in pregnancy seminar

    Chaired by Anne Milton MP, Minister for Public Health

    A seminar to highlight this crucial issue and consider what action needs to be taken to reduce the rate of smoking in pregnancy

    Aimed at: Policy-makers, key practitioners, professional colleges and researchers

    Date: 08 March 2012
    Venue: London, TBC
    Contact: Jennifer.ward@fsid.org.uk

  • 15th World Conference on Tobacco or Health

    The premier, international conference on tobacco control attracts thousands of academics, practitioners, non-government organisations and public officials. 

    Date: 20 March 2012
    Venue: Singapore
    Contact: http://wctoh2012.org