Altria profit up but cigarette volumes shrivel

Altria Group Inc. has reported that its fourth quarter earnings rose 7% even as cigarette volumes continued to shrivel, and the tobacco titan said the business outlook for 2010 remains challenging.

Altria earned $725 million, or 35 cents a share, in the quarter ended , from $679 million, or 33 cents a share, a year earlier.

Revenue at the Richmond, Va.-based maker of Marlboro cigarettes rose 29% to $6.01 billion from $4.65 billion..

The company said the business environment for 2010 is likely to remain challenging, as adult consumers remain under economic pressure and face high unemployment.

Its tobacco operating companies also continue to see competitive promotional activity. It also expects that continuing state budget issues may lead to excise tax increase proposals in many states in 2010.

Altria spun off Philip Morris International at the end of March 2008 in a move designed to separate the fast-growing overseas cigarette business from a U.S. unit hobbled by litigation worries, huge payments to states and seemingly inexorable year-on-year volume declines.

About a year ago, it closed on the acquisition of smokeless tobacco and wine maker UST.

During the period, Philip Morris USA's domestic cigarette shipment was down 11.4% while its flagship Marlboro brand's retail share was down 0.4 percentage point to 41.7%.

Meanwhile, smokeless tobacco brands Copenhagen and Skoal's combined volume rose 7.8% versus the prior-year period, driven by the successful launch of Copenhagen Long Cut Wintergreen.

Source: Market Watch - 28 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/aTEaK5

Secondhand smoke linked to sleep problems in children

Both adults and adolescents who smoke have reported difficulties sleeping, and young children exposed to tobacco smoke have poorer sleep quality. Recent research has found that children with asthma have more parent-reported sleep issues when exposed to tobacco smoke. The study, "Associations Between Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Sleep Patterns in Children," in the February issue of Pediatrics (appearing online Jan. 18), examined 219 children enrolled in an asthma intervention trial who were regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. 

Researchers found that exposure to secondhand smoke can be associated with sleep problems among children with asthma, including difficulties falling asleep, more sleep-disordered breathing and increased daytime sleepiness. Sleep efficiency has been shown to improve with effective asthma treatment, but study authors feel that the reduction or elimination of secondhand smoke can have significant impact on physical and emotional health and school performance among the pediatric population.

Source: Medical News Today - 18 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/8DuqWD

Keep Britain Tidy: Cigarette litter video

This short film was launched in December when Keep Britain Tidy called for more action against cigarette litter. To find out more about the clip click here.

The film has also had a great impact on the public with a record number of people searching for information about portable ashtray solutions on the Keep Britain Tidy website.

Several local authorties have also expressed interest in the film. Liverpool City Council is showing the film on public information screens around the city, whilst the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham started airing it on its public information screens before Christmas and has continued to air it into the new year.

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The clip can be viewed on Youtube.

Source: Keep Britain Tidy - 11 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/9DTAYC

The globalization of tobacco use: 21 challenges for the 21st century

The globalization of tobacco began more than 500 years ago, but the public health response to the death, disease, and economic disruption that it has caused is fewer than 50 years old. In this report, the authors briefly trace the history of tobacco use and commerce as it moved from the Americas in the late 15th century and then eastward. They then discuss the wide range of issues that must be addressed, and the equally wide range of expertise that is needed if the global health community is to be successful in reducing, and eventually eliminating, the rising tide of tobacco use, particularly in the low- and middle-income nations that are the target of the multinational tobacco industry.

Glynn, T. et al. The Globalization of Tobacco Use: 21 Challenges For The 21st Century. A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 2010;60:50–61

Source: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians - January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/agF7hR

Diet may protect against gene changes in smokers

Leafy green vegetables, folate, and some multivitamins could serve as protective factors against lung cancer in current and former smokers, according to a study that is a first step in understanding a complex association. The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The study appeared online Jan. 12, 2010, in Cancer Research. 

Researchers, led by Steven Belinsky, Ph.D., Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, N.M., examined cells that were coughed up by current and former smokers. Upon careful study of the cells and by comparing those cells with profiles of smokers' dietary intake of leafy green vegetables, folate, and some multivitamins, they found that those particular substances could influence the prevalence of cellular gene methylation. Gene methylation is a chemical modification used by the cell to control gene expression.

The addition of methyl groups, which are simple four atom molecules, to DNA can affect whether the gene is expressed, i.e., whether the gene's signal to produce a protein is actually sent. Many genes involved in critical cell functions, including cell division, are methylated in lung tumors. Gene methylation is likely to be a major mechanism in lung cancer development and progression, as well as a potential marker for the early detection of lung cancer.

In the study, slightly more than 1,100 current and former smokers from the Lovelace Smokers Cohort submitted sputum samples and completed questionnaires regarding their dietary intake. Most (75 percent) of the participants were women who had been enrolled in the study since 2001. Men were not enrolled until 2004.

The researchers analyzed cells in the sputum samples for the methylation status of eight genes that were linked to increased risk for lung cancer in previous studies. Two of the genes, p16 and MGMT, have been found to be highly associated with increased methylation rates.

The researchers next investigated associations between 21 dietary variables and methylation. Both higher intake of leafy green vegetables and higher intake of folate were significantly associated with a reduced probability of high methylation. Current multivitamin users also had less DNA methylation, although there was no association between the duration of multivitamin use and methylation.

"Aberrant gene methylation is a known mechanism in the development of cancer from cigarette smoke carcinogens," said Jacob Kagan, Ph.D., of the Cancer Biomarkers Research Group in NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention.

There has been considerable debate regarding the relationship between diet and cancer prevention. Previous studies, such as the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Trial, showed an increased risk of lung cancer in smokers who took beta-carotene supplements. In contrast, the current study shows reduced gene methylation with the intake of multivitamin supplements that are rich in phytochemicals, such as vitamin C, carotenoids, lutein, folic acid, and vitamins A and K--the same agents present in leafy greens.

Previous studies have suggested an association between a low folate intake and increased lung cancer risk in current and former smokers. Higher folate intake has been associated with lower methylation of genes in colorectal tumors as well.

"Additional research is needed to independently validate the current observations, and also to help resolve contradictions between varying studies. This particular study used a well-planned design and can serve as a basis for future identification of the mechanistic targets of these dietary factors. Such studies are important steps for the future success of chemopreventive strategies" said Sudhir Srivastava, Ph.D., chief, Biomarkers Research Group, NCI.

The authors of this study believe that since gene methylation is a promising marker for lung cancer, understanding the factors underlying methylation is a high priority and could be used for early detection and chemoprevention of lung cancer. They also recommend that lung cancer prevention interventions be developed that take into consideration the influence of dietary factors on cancer risk.

Source: Medical News Today - 14 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/8VZGTs

Why do teenage girls smoke?

The smoking ban may have marked a change in attitudes to the habit, but teenage girls are continuing to embrace cigarettes in large numbers. Health Editor Madeleine Brindley looks at why teenage girls smoke

From being something that most adults indulged in throughout the 20th century, smoking is increasingly becoming a social taboo.

Smokers have been relegated to pavements and street corners following the introduction of the smoking ban almost three years ago and the tobacco industry now faces further restrictions on advertising and where cigarettes can be sold.

There is also some anecdotal evidence to suggest that the non-smoking majority is less willing than ever to put up with the smoking habits of the minority.

But while Wales may slowly be moving towards a significant cultural shift where smoking is no longer socially acceptable – even openly frowned upon – it seems that someone forgot to tell our teenage girls.

Smoking rates among teenagers have, on the whole, been declining in line with rates for adults, but for teenage girls that fall has been stubbornly small.

Smoking among teenage boys fell between 1998 and 2006 from 21% of 15 to 16-year-old boys smoking to 12%.

Rates have not fallen at the same pace for girls – in 1998 29% of 15 to 16-year-old girls smoked; in 2006 23% were smokers.

The reason teenage girls continue to become addicted tobacco every year in Wales is complex and has as much to do with their role models – both parental and celebrity – as peer pressure about how they act and look.

Tanya Buchanan, chief executive of Ash Wales, said: “Young girls are storing up major health problems for themselves in future years. They are severely damaging their health, with smoking linked to a range of chronic diseases including heart disease, lung cancer and liver disease.”

Dr Tony Jewell, Wales’ chief medical officer, said: “We know that young girls of this age are smoking at a higher rate than boys. The question is why?

“A lot can be traced to targeting by tobacco manufacturers who appeal to young girls who want to appear sophisticated by using product placement – although it is becoming less popular, films stars, pop idols and fashion stars are pictured smoking.

“And the tobacco industry is quite happy about the link between smoking and weight.”

Research by Dr Barbara Lloyd and Dr Kevin Lucas at the University of Sussex, suggested in 1998 that teenage girls started smoking in an effort to appear more grown up and attract boyfriends.

They said that smoking is strongly linked with body image, but concerns about thinness were minor factors in smoking intake, contradicting the popular belief that girls use smoking to lose weight.

Dr Lucas said: “Teenage girls use smoking as a badge of maturity. Smoking is seen as rebellious or hard, which are seen as fashionable traits.”

And a Scottish study of teenage girls found that smoking was part of an image cultivated by the girls who were seen as leaders of their groups. Smoking went along with wearing short skirts, jewellery and make-up.

But a US study found that starting to diet appeared to double the odds that a teenage girl will begin smoking.

Mildred Maldonado-Molina, the lead author of the University of Florida study, said: “Dieting was a significant predictor of initiation of regular smoking among girls.

“The link may be down to the fact that nicotine is a known appetite suppressant – and girls who consistently dieted were even more likely to smoke.”

The rest of this long article can be found by clicking on the link below.

Source: Wales Online - 18 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/bY93xP

Dealing with display bans: solutions and support

[See link at the bottom of the article for pictures and extra documents]

The following is an extract from a long report on tobacco display bans. 

Around the world, convenience retailers are having to adapt and comply with new legislation on tobacco products including retail display bans, as governments actively seek to reduce youth smoking.

While several markets - Iceland, Thailand, Canada and Ireland - have already gone ‘dark’, others including Australia and the UK are getting to grips with the implications of display ban legislation, which will become effective in the next couple of years.

Display solutions

Iceland was the first market to implement a display ban in August 2001 and tobacco products are typically kept in drawers or under the counter.

In Canada, the display options are wide-ranging.

In Ontario, for example, the rules require retailers to fit gravity-fed flaps that allow a display area of 1,800sq cm during transactions. A price list or binder can be used for a customer to select a product but the unit can only be opened to get a product once one has been chosen by the customer and only one customer can be served at any one time.

In New Brunswick the permitted display area during transactions is 3,600sq cm and in Nova Scotia display is banned completely, even during transactions.

In Ireland the display ban legislation, introduced on 1 July 2009, requires tobacco to be stored in a closed container but it can be displayed during transactions.

In the UK, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) commissioned research to understand the experience of retailers in implementing the display ban in the Republic of Ireland. The survey found 78% of respondents had fitted a solution to their existing gantry. A fifth (22%) had chosen to install a new unit with 16% installing a vending machine as a reaction to the ban.

Applegreen, the leading independent forecourt retailer, has fitted solutions (screens) to its existing gantries and has branded the units with its own label products. It has also included a ‘No ID no sale’ message to remind shoppers the stores still sell tobacco products.

Esso has also covered existing gantries and incorporated ‘No ID no sale’ logos. It has also included suggestive signage such as ‘Can’t see what you want?’ and ‘Just ask a member of staff’ to prompt and assist customers.

The draft regulations in the UK, which apply to England only, allow for a prescribed area of tobacco products - 1,500sq cm - to be temporarily shown to adult smokers on request. It will not be an offence for other customers to see the tobacco products if they are being shown to an adult smoker. Restocking will be able to take place during business hours as long as the products are not on display any longer than necessary. A tobacco product brand name, pack size and the price can be displayed on the closed unit to help staff identify the products and a price list will be allowed at each till point where tobacco products are sold. A picture price list can also be displayed when requested by an adult smoker (see Department of Health Consultation on Proposed tobacco control regulations for England (under the Health Bill 2009) pdf in reference library).

Funding and support

Half of the Irish retailers in the ACS survey funded their own solution. However, this was disproportionately weighted to the smaller operations, it says. Three quarters of newsagents - 75% - received no financial assistance as well as more than half the forecourts (64%) and off licences (63%) in the survey.

Convenience stores, especially those in groups, were more likely to get assistance, it says. However, more than 40% of c-stores had to fund the change themselves. Ninety four per cent of those surveyed receive no financial support from tobacco companies on a ongoing basis, adds the report.

Applegreen reports cigarette companies did cover over the units where the cigarettes are stored and one company put on signage on one side of the unit but the retailer funded the branding on the fixture.

From a supplier perspective, Imperial Tobacco says it looks at each world market and each tobacco outlet in isolation when considering the implications of tobacco legislation and its costs.

“It is dangerous for any government or retailer to assume that the tobacco industry will pay for tobacco retailers to comply with government legislation in any market – especially when there is no benefit to the industry in doing so,” it says.

Ongoing costs and operational issues

Display bans incur ongoing operational costs on top of the initial costs to make units compliant. Again, these will vary depending on the display solution involved.

In Australia, for instance, the AACS says retailers in New South Wales will face significantly increased transaction times as a result of having to store tobacco products in a concealed location rather than behind doors on existing displays.

In addition, staff will be required to have a more extensive knowledge of the stock carried within a store, which will increase training costs, according to the AACS.

Concealing tobacco behind a screen, as in Canada, places an operational burden on retailers too, according to Imperial Tobacco.

In Canada tobacco is sold frequently sold in small shops and moving screens to access products increases transaction times, it says. The retailer is also unable to monitor the rest of the store when retrieving products.

Retailers in Ireland have found the display ban has slowed service too, according to the ACS’s study.

“You have to keep opening and closing the shutters, it’s just a pointless operation really and a total mess and muddle,” said one forecourt retailer.

Imperial Tobacco believes similar operational issues will occur under the display ban as proposed in the UK. Draft regulations suggest retailers can use small flaps to reveal a certain area of the unit at a time, which will have a greater impact on transaction times as retailers search under numerous flaps - unless they have memorised the entire unit.

In the UK, Imperial Tobacco says it will continue to work closely with convenience stores to help them ensure their businesses remain compliant with all legislation all the time.

“It is our top priority to help our retail customer base operate within the law and we are committed to providing levels of assistance commensurate with our market position,” it says.

Source: Global Convenience Store Focus - 1 December 2009
Link: http://bit.ly/bin3My

Shaming smokers makes it harder to quit, study claims

Years of anti-smoking laws and campaigns have amounted to a public shaming of smokers that could make it harder for them to quit, a group of University of British Columbia researchers argue in a new report.

There is an "urgent" need for governments to revisit their anti-smoking policies, the academics say, suggesting that the stigma around smoking could lead to patients hiding their tobacco use from doctors, and feeling desperate about ever kicking the habit. The policies run counter to how other addictions are treated by the public-health field, they argue.

"People are made to feel really, really bad about their smoking and are treated quite badly, but feel quite helpless in quitting," said Kirsten Bell, a medical anthropologist at the university and lead author of a paper just published on the issue.

"They feel really negatively about themselves, but quitting seems like an impossibility. ... They're not really given much support."

Her views raise questions about decades of conventional wisdom on how to combat the threat of tobacco use, blamed for 45,000 preventable deaths in Canada yearly. Anti-smoking advocates reacted vigorously to the article in the journal Social Science and Medicine, saying policy makers have strived not to victimize smokers themselves, while the falling rate of tobacco use is clear evidence the programs have succeeded.

The researchers' "shoddy" work just parrots the tobacco industry's attempt to portray anti-smoking efforts as an attack on individuals, said Garfield Mahood of the Non-Smokers Rights Association.

"What they've done with this paper is mischievous and careless and ill-informed," he said. "These people ... have simply bought into the tobacco industry's mischief."

The paper and further research yet to be published by Ms. Bell and colleagues was supported by a grant from the ethics branch of the Canadian Institute for Health Research.

Their work looks at a range of anti-smoking measures they contend have "de-normalized" smoking and smokers themselves. Those include restrictions on where people can light up, bans on convenience-store "power walls" and other limits on tobacco sales, publicity campaigns to deter smoking, and graphic warnings on cigarette packages.

Such programs have generally been hailed as a public-health triumph, with smoking rates plummeting to about 20% in Canada from 50% in the 1960s, according to the most recent federal statistics.

Intentionally or not, though, such policies have also stigmatized the remaining smokers, with various potentially negative impacts, the paper argues. It cites anecdotal reports of surgeons and other doctors refusing to treat cancer patients who smoke heavily. As many as one in four doctors who responded to a 2005 Canadian Lung Association survey admitted to providing lesser care to smokers. A University of Washington survey published last year found just under one in 10 smokers hid their tobacco use from doctors, often because of stigma.

In a survey of 25 smokers and ex-smokers soon-to-be published by the UBC group, respondents talked of being refused access to city buses after they were spotted smoking at a bus stop, harassed by strangers in public and otherwise treated as pariahs. "You really are labelled as a bad person if you smoke," said one person.

Ms. Bell, whose work focuses on tobacco and cancer, said her interest was piqued by what she sees as the contrast between how smokers are treated, and the non-judgmental, "harm-reduction" approach now widely applied by public health to people with other addictions. Illicit injection-drug users, for instance, often have access to needle exchanges and, in Vancouver, a safe-injection site, all designed to curb the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases, and to keep them in touch with public-health officials.

Tobacco policies also now disproportionately affect the poor, the paper argues, as smoking rates are almost twice as high among low-income Canadians as among the highest-income group.

Katherine Frohlich, a public-health expert at the University of Montreal, said studies by her research group found that poorer smokers feel the policies have discriminated against them by, for instance, restricting their social interaction and isolating them at home.

"We shouldn't dismiss the fact these interventions have been incredibly successful," she said. "[But] we have to take into consideration the fact that there are some pretty serious unintended consequences."

Cynthia Callard of the group Physicians for a Smoke-free Canada rejected the notion, however, that smoking is now a predominately low-income phenomenon. The rates may be higher among the poor, but the sheer numbers are still much larger in middle-and upper-income groups, she said.

"Soccer moms smoke significantly more than single Moms," said Ms. Callard.

Mr. Mahood said the tobacco-control movement has not tried to stigmatize individual smokers, but argued it is positive that society now views smoking as unhealthy, rather than sexy and glamourous, as was the case just a few decades ago.

Source: National Post - 08 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/8Q5zSz

Electronic cigarettes: miracle or menace?

At a time when the number of smokers worldwide is at its highest, and antismoking policies are proliferating, the sector for alternative smoking products is in a froth of excitement about the potential to increase its market share and revenues. One of the most recent products in the market is the electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), which is intended, whether overtly stated or implied, to reduce concentrations of toxic compounds in mainstream and sidestream smoke and to help smokers give up. They are battery powered devices that simulate tobacco cigarettes by vaporising nicotine and other chemicals into an inhalable vapour. The scarce data available so far indicate that sales of e-cigarettes are rising, yet recently the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expressed serious concerns about their safety.

To date, animal and human studies on the health effects of actively or passively smoking e-cigarettes are lacking, although three toxicological analyses have been released evaluating various brands of e-cigarettes for their nicotine content and other impurities. The three reports are from the FDA, a private enterprise called Health New Zealand (HNZ), and Demokritos, a publicly funded Greek research institute.

The FDA’s analysis showed that similarly labelled cartridges emitted markedly different amounts of nicotine with each puff (between 26.8 and 43.2 micrograms of nicotine per 100 ml puff) and that nicotine was detected in all cartridges, including in samples identified as containing no nicotine. This is in contrast to HNZ’s findings that the labelling of different e-cigarettes reflected their actual nicotine content.

Propylene glycol, a generally safe antifreeze chemical constituent in various cosmetics and foods, was detected in all analyses. But the FDA also detected diethylene glycol, a highly toxic liquid involved in a number of prominent mass poisonings, in one cartridge at a content of about 1%; neither HNZ nor Demokritos analysed this constituent. Tobacco specific N-nitrosamines, powerful carcinogens that are chemically related to nicotine and other tobacco alkaloids, were found by the FDA and HNZ, while no relevant test was described in the Greek report. The existence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons—potent, locally acting carcinogenic byproducts of the incomplete combustion of organic material—was reported by HNZ but not by Demokritos, while the FDA did not describe relevant tests. Tobacco specific impurities suspected of being harmful to humans, including anabasine, myosmine, and β nicotyrine, were detected by FDA, but HNZ and Demokritos did not report such analyses.

Interestingly, although the results of the three reports are similar, their interpretations are partly conflicting. Overall the FDA carefully raises caution on the potential harmful effects of e-cigarettes, HNZ recommends e-cigarette use on the basis of a comparison with the health risks of normal tobacco products, while Demokritos maintains a neutral position and focuses mainly on delivery of results. This disparity may reflect the fact that FDA and Demokritos are government entities, whereas HNZ is a private enterprise. It should also be noted that HNZ’s toxicological analyses were funded by an e-cigarette manufacturer.

The limited information given in these three reports represents all the knowledge we currently have about e-cigarettes. This may be one reason why the battle in the United States between the FDA and e-cigarette manufacturers has been so heated. In the past year the FDA has detained or blocked numerous e-cigarette shipments at the US border because the devices have been classified as an unapproved drug or device, yet they remain available to consumers online and at shopping mall kiosks. The legal and political issues are thorny, and companies importing e-cigarettes have challenged the FDA’s basic jurisdiction to regulate e-cigarettes and are seeking a preliminary injunction requiring the FDA to allow their distribution. On the other hand, the companies have not submitted applications to the FDA for approval of their products, which would require data showing that e-cigarettes are safe and effective. To the best of our knowledge e-cigarettes are not regulated in the European Union, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has not released any germane reports.

Alternative smoking strategies aimed at reducing the threat to public health caused by the tobacco epidemic are always welcome. However, the design, implementation, and commercialisation of strategies must adhere to appropriate regulations to protect the health of consumers. To date, our knowledge about the acute and long term effects of e-cigarette use is, at best, very limited. The scarce evidence indicates the existence of various toxic and carcinogenic compounds, albeit in possibly much smaller concentrations than in traditional cigarettes.

However, the quality control processes used in the manufacture of e-cigarettes seem to be largely unsuitable given the variability in the concentrations of compounds even in e-cigarettes of the same label. Thus the reports from FDA, HNZ, and Demokritos cannot be used to draw any conclusions or inferences about potential effects on health. More rigorous chemical analyses are needed, followed by extensive research involving animal studies and, finally, clinical trials in humans. Until these crucial implementation stages are completed, physicians and other healthcare professionals must inform consumers of the probable fallaciousness of the claims of manufacturers of e-cigarettes.

Source: British Medical Journal - 19 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/aINunm

Imperial Tobacco revamps West Cigarettes pack design

Imperial Tobacco has announced the launch of West Cigarettes in a contemporary new pack design which will be rolled out successively in global travel retail from March. 

Through the fresh design, the company said it was making "a conscious effort for innovation and to create something that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing for our adult smokers".

The pack design is described as the key to the success of West Cigarettes, Imperial Tobacco's biggest international brand in the mainstream segment.

West’s new metallic look aims to add "next-generation modernity" to the brand, connecting it with adult smokers who are becoming more and more progressive and selective.

West’s repositioned logo and updated typeface are designed to give the brand a contemporary feel, while its dynamic swooshes add to an overall modern, premium look that brings West into the 21st century, the company added.

Source: The Moodie Report - 25 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/bLfLFT

Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England, findings by region 2006 to 2008

Summary
The survey of smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England (SDD) has been carried out annually by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) since 2000. It is commissioned by the NHS Information Centre, with support from the Home Office; the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) also has an interest in the statistics.

This note presents key survey findings by Government Office Region, for secondary school pupils in years 7 to 11 (mostly aged 11 to 15). Results are based on data from the three most recent survey years, 2006 to 2008, combined and weighted to be regionally representative.

Key facts
In summary, for pupils aged 11 to 15 in England:

• The percentage of pupils who have ever smoked varies by region from 31 per cent in London to 42 per cent in the North East.
• The percentage of pupils who are regular smokers (usually smoking at least one cigarette per week), varies by region from 5 per cent in London to 10 per cent in the North East.
• In London, 39 per cent of pupils have ever had an alcoholic drink; in other regions this percentage varies between 51 per cent in the East Midlands to 63 per cent in the North East.
• The proportion of pupils who have taken drugs in the last year varies from 15 per cent in the South West to 20 per cent in the North West.
• The most commonly taken drug in this age group is cannabis. The prevalence of cannabis use in the last year varies from 8 per cent in the North East to 12 per cent in the North West.

Source: NHS Information Centre - 27 January 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/dj3Yz0

Ministers aim to halve number of people smoking by 2020

A plan to halve the number of smokers in England over the next 10 years has been unveiled by ministers.

The number of people smoking has fallen by a quarter in the past decade to 21%, and the proposed target is 10% by 2020.

Measures being considered include removing branding from packets and banning cigarette vending machines, as will happen in Scotland next year.

The government strategy includes a commitment to try to stop young people taking up smoking by cracking down on illegally imported cheap cigarettes.

Every smoker will be able to get help from the NHS to suit them if they want to give up.

And there will be a review of smoking legislation, which could see public bans extended to places such as the entrances of buildings.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham said: "We've come so far and now we'll go even further, to push forward and save even more lives.

"This strategy renews our commitment to virtually eradicate the health harms caused by smoking, and I firmly believe we can halve smoking by 2020. In 10 years' time, only one-in-10 people will smoke."

He added: "We will always help people to quit, and smokers should never stop trying. That's the beauty of the NHS - it's there to help everyone.

"One day, in the not too distant future, we'll look back and find it hard to remember why anyone ever smoked in the first place."

The government said each year smoking caused 80,000 deaths and cost the NHS £2.7bn.

Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said the strategy would "discourage children from taking up smoking and prevent a great number of unnecessary and early deaths".

The smoking ban in enclosed public places was introduced in Scotland in 2006, and in England, Wales and Northern Ireland separately in 2007.

Forest said the ban had had a "devastating impact" on community pubs and further restrictions would accelerate that trend.

Simon Clark, director of the lobby group, said adults should be allowed to make an "informed choice".

He said: "When the government starts setting targets it is rather dangerous because the only way they can reach targets is to introduce very illiberal, very draconian legislation.

"What we are seeing is a campaign of de-normalisation - I think it is creating a very intolerant, very divisive society."

Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, said: "It's good the government intends to keep up the pressure on smoking, the biggest single cause of ill-health and inequalities in health.

"But we do need to see these good intentions backed up by sustained investment in effective strategies."

A graph showing the declining rate of smoking adults in the UK is available by clicking on the link below.

Source: BBC News - 1 February 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/aY2VUC