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ASH News and Events Bulletin - 01-15 October 2011

HEADLINES

EVENTS

  • After Tobacco: What would happen if Americans stopped smoking?

    To coincide with a new book recently released by Columbia University Press titled, After Tobacco: What Would Happen if Americans Stopped Smoking?, public health experts will discuss what the nation might look like if and when smoking rates plummet to historic lows. A panel of experts will consider the social and economic impact of reducing smoking rates and what it will take to reach current national public health goals.

    Over the last ten years, policymakers and public health advocates have taken great – and sometimes controversial – measures to help fight the tobacco epidemic that kills more than 400,000 people every year in the United States. Higher cigarette taxes, expanded clean air laws, smoking cessation and prevention campaigns and programs, new federal regulatory authority over tobacco as well as reduced harm products have potential consequences and benefits for all Americans. Until recently, no study has responded to these concerns by capturing the impact of tobacco control across the nation.

    The event will take place on Wednesday, October 19, 2011, 12:30 Noon to 2:00 P.M, E.S.T.

    Legacy - 1724 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036

    The panel will be available via webcast at www.legacyforhealth.org
     

    Source: PR Newswire - 12 October 2011
    Link: http://prn.to/pmixL5

  • Australia: Government may have to delay plain packs ban

    The Australian government may have to delay plans for tobacco products to be sold in plain packaging after conservative opposition lawmakers postponed a final vote on the legislation in parliament.

    Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the conservatives, who managed to postpone an upper house Senate vote on the bill, were playing into the hands of big tobacco firms.

    "Given the delays in passing the bill caused by the opposition, the government now has no choice but to reconsider the impact on implementation timeframes," Roxon said.

    Analysts say tobacco companies like Britain's Imperial Tobacco and Philip Morris are worried that plain packaging could spread to emerging markets like Brazil, Russia and Indonesia, and threaten growth there.

    Source: Reuters - 12 October 2011
    Link: http://reut.rs/oOKxd0

  • Cigarette vending machines banned in England

    The sale of tobacco from vending machines has been banned in England, with anyone caught selling cigarettes in machines facing a fine of £2,500.

    The Department of Health said the ban had been introduced to prevent under-age sales to children and to support adults who were trying to quit.

    It is also estimated that 35 million cigarettes are sold illegally through vending machines to children every year.

    Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said smoking was "one of the biggest and most stubborn challenges in public health", with more than eight million people in England still smoking, causing more than 80,000 deaths each year.

    He said: "Cigarette vending machines are often unsupervised, making it easy for children to purchase cigarettes from them.”

    Jo Butcher, the National Children's Bureau's programme director of health and wellbeing, welcomed the ban and said, “A person's lifetime smoking or non-smoking behaviour was heavily influenced by decisions in their adolescence. Children and young people tell us that external influences make it even more difficult for them to choose healthier lifestyles. It's essential that we create environments that improve health and tobacco legislation is an important part of public health protection and promotion.”

    Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation have welcomed the move.

    Betty McBride, director of policy and communications at the British Heart Foundation, said, “Thousands of children at risk of this deadly addiction regularly got tobacco from vending machines, which conveniently don't ask them to prove their age. These children are often blissfully unaware of the damage smoking does to their health and, by the time they realise, they're hooked. Scrapping these machines cuts off an easy source of tobacco for existing young smokers and makes it harder for a new generation to start."

    Jean King, of Cancer Research UK, added: "Tobacco kills half of all long-term users and is responsible for one in four cancer deaths. Cancer Research UK is determined to protect children from tobacco marketing and through our Out of Sight Out of Mind campaign we are continuing to work for legislation to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes."

    Links to further coverage:

    Department of Health: http://bit.ly/qoRVCQ

    The Guardian - Ban on selling cigarettes from vending machines comes into force: http://bit.ly/pAR5Rj

    The Mirror - Cigarette vending machines banned in pubs from this weekend: http://bit.ly/nOwylA
     

    Source: BBC News - 01 October 2011
    Link: http://bbc.in/pvOHC8

  • Councils must embrace new community health initiatives

    NHS reforms may dominate the headlines but local government leaders should also be prepared for other changes including devolution in public health if they are to take the chance to improve community health, and potentially their authority's bank balances.

    The healthier a population, the less demand on costly interventions, and evidence is growing that this can be achieved by the public themselves being co-opted to design and deliver the public health services they need.

    Several councils have already adopted this "big society" or co-operative approach. Under this model local people are trained and in some cases paid, to assess the health and social needs of their ward before helping to design and deliver bespoke arrangements with council and NHS resources. In Hammersmith and Fulham, a community health champion programme developed initially for the Well London scheme, has improved the health, sense of community, employability and confidence of many in the deprived White City ward.

    It began with people from the area being asked at a public meeting, arranged in partnership with the tenants association and other local groups, what their needs were. Then, in conjunction with the Primary Care Trust and other agencies, 40 volunteers, most of them unemployed people from the estate, were trained to public health NVQ level two. The assessment they undertook resulted in smoking cessation sessions, healthy eating workshops and a range of other resident-led initiatives.

    This approach is backed by vice-president of the UK Faculty of Public Health and Sandwell public health director John Middleton, who has started similar projects in his area.

    "Not only does it deliver better care and save money but many of the people we have trained go on to work for pollsters Mori and the health service as well," Middleton told Public Leaders.

    The evidence suggests that if councils, facing bleak financial times, help the public design and deliver public health then there are opportunities to improve wellbeing and reduce demand on costly services in a truly virtuous circle.

    Source: The Guardian - 05 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/nd1Nh3

  • Counterfeit cigarettes: Smoking out the bandits

    Counterfeit cigarettes are cheap, dangerous and cost the country millions in lost revenue. Matt Blake joins police and customs officers on a raid of a 'tab house'.

    Source: The Independent, 03 October 2011
    Link: http://ind.pn/ol09FA

  • Fighting Noncommunicable Diseases: The Tobacco Component

    In this series of videos, Eli Adashi, Professor of Medical Science at Brown University and host of Medscape: One-On-One, is joined by Dr. Douglas Bettcher, Director of the Tobacco Free Initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO).

    Source: Medscape - 10 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/pnOWTd

  • Plymouth: Kyle and Tyler try to quit smoking

    Two teenagers from Honicknowle are trying to stop smoking to improve their health and wellbeing.

    Kyle Jamie Jacks and Tyler Clark are both 15 years old and attend All Saints Academy.

    Together they have been involved in a 12 month project, 'Young @ Heart', run by the Honicknowle Commnet Community Group from a £8,500 SUBWAY/Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Grant.

    Kyle Jamie Jacks used to smoke 20 cigarettes a day but is actively working towards stopping for good after cutting down to ten a day after for four years of smoking.

    Tyler Clark has also been smoking for four years, where he used to smoke 10 cigarettes a day, he has since cut back to five a day to help quit for good.

    Source: This is Plymouth - 04 October 2010
    Link: http://bit.ly/ptGx1P

  • Smoking is a drag at the box office

    A new analysis has found that films with scenes that show smoking make less money at the box office than their cigarette-free counterparts. The finding, says Stanton Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, adds to the case for giving any movie that depicts smoking an automatic 'R' rating.

    Together with Jonathan Polansky, who helped craft anti-smoking messaging in the past and now heads the California-based media campaign company Onbeyond, Glantz reviewed information on 1,232 movies released in the U.S. that were among the top 10 grossing films for at least one week between 2002 and 2010.

    Movies with bigger budgets tended to earn more at the box-office, as they were more likely to feature big stars and massive promotional marketing. Moreover, PG-13 films had a better chance of making more money than R rated films—in part because the former are accessible to a wider age-range of moviegoers. But even after controlling for factors such as total budget and film rating, the researchers found that smoking was associated with 13 percent less money made in ticket sales.

    The research, which was funded by the Legacy Foundation, a Washington, DC-based tobacco prevention nonprofit, was published online in Tobacco Control. 

    Source: Scientific American - 10 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/q77Im8

  • Sunderland and Durham Council pension funds invested in tobacco companies

    Millions of pounds have been invested through Sunderland Council’s pension fund in tobacco companies, the Sunderland Echo reveals.

    The Tyne and Wear Local Government Pension Fund, of which Sunderland City Council is a member, has over £35million tied up in tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco.

    Sunderland Council is heavily involved in non-smoking initiatives such as Fresh Smoke Free North East and the Sunderland Tobacco Alliance, through which the council aims to reduce smoking prevalence and associated diseases.

    Durham County Council also has tens of millions invested in tobacco. A statement from Durham County Council said: “We have a financial responsibility to obtain the best possible return on investments to keep costs low. As part of the investment decision-making process, investment managers are also required to consider the practices of companies and assess the extent to which this will detract from company performance and returns to shareholders.”

    Source: Sunderland Echo - 12 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/nI7uci

  • WHO chief attacks tobacco industry tactics

    The World Health Organization's Director General has urged governments to unite against "big tobacco", accusing the industry of dirty tricks, bullying and immorality in its quest to keep people smoking.

    WHO director-general Margaret Chan accused tobacco firms of using lawsuits to try and subvert national laws and international conventions aimed at curbing cigarette sales.

    "It is horrific to think that an industry known for its dirty tricks and dirty laundry could be allowed to trump what is clearly in the public's best interests," Chan said at a WHO meeting in the Philippine capital.

    Chan cited legal actions by the tobacco industry against anti-smoking measures in Australia and Uruguay, saying these were "scare tactics" intended to frighten other countries from following suit.

    "It is hard for any country to bear the financial burden of this kind of litigation, but most especially so for small countries," she said.

    "Big tobacco can afford to hire the best lawyers and PR firms that money can buy. Big money can speak louder than any moral, ethical or public health argument and can trample even the most damning scientific evidence."

    "I urge all these countries to stand firm together, do not bow to pressure, we must never allow the tobacco industry to get the upper hand," she said.

    Source: Herald Sun - 10 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/o93WbU

  • British American Tobacco PLC Acquisition

    British American Tobacco announced it has completed its acquisition of Productora Tabacalera de Colombia, S.A.S. (Protabaco), the second largest cigarette company in Colombia, for an enterprise value of US$452 million.

    The completion follows earlier approval by Colombia's competition authority, the Superintendence of Industry and Commerce, on 2 August 2011.

    Source: Wall Street Journal - 12 October 2011
    Link: http://on.wsj.com/oc7Uh3

  • South Africa: BAT blamed for pension fund bad performance

    Investments in tobacco shares have been blamed for the underperformance of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), which contributes more than 90 percent of the R1 trillion in assets managed by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).

    The underperformance, however, was slight as the GEPF posted a 15.3 percent return for the year to March, compared with the benchmark performance of 15.5 percent.

    Daniel Matjila, the chief investment officer, reported that composite equities of the GEPF delivered a negative return of 20 basis points net of costs. “This was due to the poor performance of British American Tobacco, which was formally included in the equity benchmark,” Matjila said.

    Source: IOL - 04 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/oEAxkM

  • Labour Party row over tobacco firms' invitation to conference

    John Healey, the [now former] shadow health secretary, is said to have stayed away from a Labour event in protest against an invitation sent to tobacco giants.

    It's alleged that the MP was so angry that two representatives of the big cigarette firms had been invited to the £1,434-per-head Business Forum at the conference in Liverpool that he and a member of his health team refused to attend.

    Healey said, “I can’t comment on this. Labour does not deny the clash.”

    A party spokesman says: “In government Labour acted to ban smoking in the workplace, restrict tobacco advertising and campaigned to reduce smoking and any suggestion that the party has been open to undue lobbying at this or other events would be incorrect.”
     

    Source: The Telegraph - 02 October 2011
    Link: http://tgr.ph/nqxFvb

  • Tory minister Crispin Blunt criticised for accepting lavish hospitality from tobacco giant

    Crispin Blunt MP was given VIP treatment at an England v India cricket test in the summer by Japan Tobacco International (JTI), which owns brands including Benson & Hedges.

    Anti-smoking campaigners said it was wrong for the justice minister to have accepted the gift, worth about £700, when the tobacco industry is lobbying against being forced to sell cigarettes in plain packets.

    Spokesman for anti-smoking charity ASH Martin Dockrell said: “The Government is bound by an international treaty to protect health policy from tobacco lobbying. “So it is odd that a Government minister should be taking hospitality from JTI, which makes four out of 10 cigarettes sold in the UK. Over the past few months we’ve seen the big tobacco lobby machine rolling into action.

    “When billions of pounds in profit are at stake, £700 is a small price to pay for a day out with a minister.”

    Mr Blunt’s trip to the Oval in August was revealed in the latest Commons Register of Financial Interests. He declared: “Hospitality – visit to the test match cricket at the Oval. Value: £694.80 (inc VAT).”

    Labour MP John Robertson said: “Politics should be clean of this kind of vested interest.”

    But he added: “I guess we shouldn’t be too shocked. After all Mr Blunt is a justice minister under Ken Clarke, a former director of British American Tobacco.”

    Mr Blunt said: “My commitment to cricket is well known. There was no identifiable conflict of interest. Advice was sought and appropriate declarations made.”

    Source: The Mirror - 07 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/navJSe

  • British firms attacked for routine use of tax havens

    Ninety-eight of the FTSE 100 companies use tax havens, including the state-backed Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, according to a report published today.

    For example, the oil giants BP and Shell have almost 1,000 tax haven companies between them, while British American Tobacco has 200.

    ActionAid, the international development charity, said the use of offshore companies had reached "epidemic levels" and demanded that politicians live up to their rhetoric about closing tax loopholes. They said tax dodging by multinational companies in the world's poorest countries kept them dependent on aid from countries such as Britain.

    The charity, which has analysed information requested by Companies House, found that the 100 largest groups registered on the London Stock Exchange have 34,216 subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates – a quarter of which are located in tax havens.

    The charity admitted its report, Addicted to tax havens: The secret life of the FTSE 100, does not in itself prove tax avoidance. But it argued that the scale of multinationals' operations in countries that provide tax advantages showed the need for greater transparency. It called on the G20 summit in Cannes next month to force companies to break down their accounts on a country-by-country basis.

    Source: The Independent - 11 October 2011
    Link: http://ind.pn/pjW8wL

  • France targets tobacco industry to raise cash for global health

    France is considering introducing an innovative new additional tax on the tobacco industry, in an effort to reduce the number of deaths from tobacco related illnesses. It is estimated that there are 60 000 deaths a year in France from these illnesses.

    The proposed new tax, which would raise money to be used in France and in the developing world, is inspired by Unitaid, the international facility to buy drugs for developing countries. Unitaid’s main source of funding is a levy on airplane tickets.

    [requires subscription] 

    Source: BMJ - 10 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/no5qOh

  • Letter: To an unknown health minister: UK tobacco firms behind cancer export drive

    Stewart Brock, public health specialist

    Last month Imperial Tobacco gave an update to the markets, congratulating itself on further progress in emerging markets. British American Tobacco (BAT) will likely do the same at its next market update. As Western markets become increasingly “dark” and smoking prevalence declines, so they target eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America, markets with huge numbers of young people and relatively limited restrictions on marketing of this deadly product.

    Imperial and BAT are two of the largest tobacco companies in the world, both FTSE 100 businesses. Yet in the recent UK government Tobacco Control Plan for England there was no mention of the UK’s key role in the worldwide tobacco business. We may be world leaders in tobacco control at home, but we are exporting tobacco related death and disease to the developing world on a large and growing scale, cheered on by many in the City.

    Is it too much to hope that the next tobacco control plan will directly address our leading role in the forthcoming lung cancer epidemic that will affect the developing world?

    Imperial is well named; developing country ministers would do well to recognise the imperial ambitions of all the transnational tobacco companies, and implement to the full the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. After all, these companies seek to profit by creating a lung cancer epidemic in your countries in the decades to come.

    Source: BMJ - 12 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/nmvv5O

  • Effects of tobacco smoking on tuberculosis

    Abstract
    Objectives Almost 20% of people smoke tobacco worldwide—a percentage projected to rise in many poor countries. Smoking has been linked to increased individual risk of tuberculosis infection and mortality, but it remains unclear how these risks affect population-wide tuberculosis rates.

    Design We constructed a state transition, compartmental, mathematical model of tuberculosis epidemics to estimate the impact of alternative future smoking trends on tuberculosis control. We projected tuberculosis incidence, prevalence, and mortality in each World Health Organization region from 2010 to 2050, and incorporated changing trends in smoking, case detection, treatment success, and HIV prevalence.

    Results The model predicted that smoking would produce an excess of 18 million tuberculosis cases (standard error 16-20) and 40 million deaths from tuberculosis (39-41) between 2010 and 2050, if smoking trends continued along current trajectories. The effect of smoking was anticipated to increase the number of tuberculosis cases by 7% (274 million v 256 million) and deaths by 66% (101 million v 61 million), compared with model predictions that did not account for smoking. Smoking was also expected to delay the millennium development goal target to reduce tuberculosis mortality by half from 1990 to 2015. The model estimated that aggressive tobacco control (achieving a 1% decrease in smoking prevalence per year down to eradication) would avert 27 million smoking attributable deaths from tuberculosis by 2050. However, if the prevalence of smoking increased to 50% of adults (as observed in countries with high tobacco use), the model estimated that 34 million additional deaths from tuberculosis would occur by 2050.

    Conclusions Tobacco smoking could substantially increase tuberculosis cases and deaths worldwide in coming years, undermining progress towards tuberculosis mortality targets. Aggressive tobacco control could avert millions of deaths from tuberculosis.

    Basu, S., et al., Projected effects of tobacco smoking on worldwide tuberculosis control: mathematical modelling analysis, BMJ, 2011; 343:d5506

    Source: BMJ - 04 October 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/q4ljhF

  • Is smokeless tobacco harmful?

    Abstract
    Smokeless tobacco (ST) delivers nicotine in doses similar to those received in cigarette smoking but does not expose the user to the toxic combustion gases and particles that are responsible for most tobacco-induced disease. This Opinion piece discusses the controversies pertaining to ST and health, the pros and cons of ST in harm reduction, and progress in treatment for those who would like to quit ST use.

    Benowitz, N., Smokeless Tobacco as a Nicotine Delivery Device: Harm or Harm Reduction? Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2011) 90 4, 491–493. doi:10.1038/clpt.2011.191

    Source: Nature - 10 August 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/rjTbqm

  • Point-of-sale anti-smoking warnings and attempts to quit

    Abstract
    Aims This study aimed to examine the associations between reported exposure to anti-smoking warnings at the point-of-sale (POS) and smokers’ interest in quitting and their subsequent quit attempts by comparing reactions in Australia where warnings are prominent to smokers in other countries.

    Design A prospective multi-country cohort design was employed.

    Setting Australia, Canada, the UK and the US.

    Participants 21,613 adult smokers who completed at least one of the seven waves (2002-2008) of the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey were included in the analysis.

    Measurements Reported exposure to POS anti-smoking warnings and smokers’ interest in quitting at the same wave and quit attempts over the following year.

    Findings Compared to smokers in Canada, the UK and the US, Australian smokers reported higher levels of awareness of POS anti-smoking warnings, and this difference was consistent over the study period. Over waves in Australia (but not in the other three countries) there was a significantly positive association between reported exposure to POS anti-smoking warnings and interest in quitting (adjusted odds ratio = 1.139, 95% CI 1.039∼1.249, p < 0.01) and prospective quit attempts (adjusted odds ratio = 1.216, 95% CI 1.114∼1.327, p < 0.001) when controlling for demographics, smoking characteristics, overall salience of anti-smoking information, and awareness of anti-smoking material from channels other than POS.

    Conclusions Point-of-sale health warnings about tobacco are more prominent in Australia than US, UK or Canada and appear to act as a prompt to quitting.

    Li, L., et al., The association between exposure to point-of-sale anti-smoking warnings and smokers’ interest in quitting and quit attempts: Findings from the International Tobacco Control Four Country Survey, Addiction, DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03668.x
     

    Source: Addiction - 29 September 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/n6ZnZZ

  • Smoking and early menopause

    Abstract
    Objective: Age at natural menopause (ANM) is usually defined as the age at the last menstrual bleeding followed by the absence of menses for 12 consecutive months. Although many studies have suggested an association between smoking and early age at natural menopause, evidence remains conflicting because some studies reported inconsistent or contrasting results. To resolve this ambiguity and to quantitatively evaluate the effect of smoking on ANM, we conducted a meta-analysis of the available data about smoking and ANM.

    Methods: After extensive searching of public literature databases, a total of 11 studies were selected for this meta-analysis. Among them, the phenotype of the participants in five studies (dichotomous studies) was classified as early or late ANM, and odds ratio (OR) was used to evaluate the effect of smoking on early ANM. For the other six studies (continuous studies), mean and SD were provided for smoking and nonsmoking samples, and weighted mean difference (WMD) was used as the effect size.

    Results: We found that smoking was significantly associated with early ANM in both dichotomous and continuous studies. The pooled effect was OR = 0.74 (95% CI, 0.60-0.91, P < 0.01) in the dichotomous studies. For the continuous studies, the pooled effect estimated by WMD was -1.12 (95% CI, -1.80 to -0.44, P = 0.04). After adjustment of the original data for heterogeneity, the pooled results changed only a little: OR = 0.67 (95% CI, 0.61-0.73, P < 0.01) for dichotomous studies and WMD = -0.90 (95% CI, -1.58 to -0.21, P = 0.01) for the continuous studies.

    Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that smoking is a significant independent factor for early ANM.

    Sun L, et al., Meta-analysis suggests that smoking is associated with an increased risk of early natural menopause, Menopause. 2011 Sep 19. [Epub ahead of print]

     

    Source: LWW - 19 September 2011
    Link: http://bit.ly/ncMswA

  • Smoking and Weight

    Abstract
    Research has shown that current smokers have a lower mean body mass index (BMI) than never and former smokers, with former smokers having the highest mean BMI. A number of physiological mechanisms have been hypothesized to explain this pattern, but few studies have explored the possible role of behavioral factors. Using data from the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2006, this descriptive study explored the associations among smoking status, sedentary behavior, and two anthropometric measures (BMI and waist circumference (WC)). Sedentary behavior was significantly higher among current smokers compared to never and former smokers; former smokers had higher levels of sedentary behavior compared to never smokers. The association between smoking status and anthropometric outcomes was moderated by sedentary behavior, with current smokers evidencing higher BMI and WC at higher levels of sedentary behavior compared to lower levels of sedentary behavior. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for interventions, particularly with respect to postcessation weight gain.

    Kaufman, A., et al., Unraveling the Relationship between Smoking and Weight: The Role of Sedentary Behaviour, Journal of Obesity, 2012; 2012: 735465.

    Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine - 05 July 2011
    Link: http://1.usa.gov/rhHtQT

Events

  • Tobacco science at ICAA 54th International Conference on Dependencies

    Plenary sessions with keynote speakers of international renown will address major themes, most of them having a general, non-substance-specific nature covering aspects relevant to matters regarding alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

    On Monday 14th November one plenary session will deal with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. (Presenters: Deborah Arnott, Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) UK,  Prof. Robert West, Professor of Health Psychology and Director of Tobacco Studies. University College London

    On Wednesday 16th November there will be Major sessions including four presentations with tobacco-specific content: 
    Harm reduction 
    Prof Ann McNeil, Professor in Health Policy and Promotion, Deputy Director of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies. Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham. UK

    Pharmacological and non-pharmacological features of Substance Dependence : comparisons between alcohol/drugs/tobacco
    Karl Olov Fagerstrom PhD, Fagerstrom Consulting, Helsingborg, Sweden

    Scientific basis for tobacco product regulation
    Lars Ramström PhD, Institute for Tobacco Studies, Stockholm, Sweden

    Tobacco control policies
    Deborah Arnott, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), London, UK

    SESSIONS OF THE ICAA SECTION ON TOBACCO DEPENDENCE 
    All participants are encouraged to submit abstracts of contributed papers for oral presentation in the sessions of the ICAA Section on Tobacco Dependence. We welcome presentations dealing with any aspect of tobacco science and control (research, prevention, treatment, policy etc). 


     

    Date: 13 November 2011
    Venue: British Medical Association's Conference Centre, BMA House, London
    Contact: www.icaa.ch/london/

  • Stop Smoking Live!

    A combination of seminars, exhibition stands from key suppliers, organisations active in the field, and services keen to recruit and share their expertise will offer stop smoking practitioners and tobacco control advisers a way to update their knowledge and skills.

    There will be over 600 delegates drawn from primary health care, hospital settings and specialist smoking cessation services.

    Date: 02 December 2011
    Venue: Business Design Centre, Islington, London
    Contact: http://www.stopsmokinglive.org

  • 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

  • 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