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The Benefits of giving up Nasty Financial Habits

As the next few days of overindulgence start to take their toll, thoughts will inevitably turn towards new year resolutions. Whether it be the raging hangover, the smoker's cough or the unpleasant sensation of finding your jeans not quite so comfortable as they were a few weeks ago, the physical fallout from Christmas gets to most of us in the end.

There are strong financial reasons to crack down on vice too. The pack-a-day smoker can save £1,752 a year by giving up, while cutting back on your alcohol consumption by one pint of beer per day could save you about £1,000 a year.

But research from Lloyds TSB shows that most of us are not prepared to give up our nasty habits purely in order to save money. Its Savings in Britain survey found that just one in ten smokers would be prepared to quit in order to boost their savings, while just five per cent of drinkers would be willing to cut back.

Source: ASH Daily News, 24^th December 2003 from The Times, 24^th December 2003

Vitamin may Help Lung Disease

Vitamin A could be used to treat the as yet incurable lung disease emphysema. Scientists from the Medical Research Centre for Developmental Neurobiology at King's college, London, discovered that retinioc acid, a derivative from vitamin A, can reverse damage caused to the lungs of mice. Organs that had developed the defects that cause emphysema were restored to normal by retinoic acid, which is used to treat chronic acne. Trials are now being carried out to see if the same striking effects can be achieved in humans.

Source: ASH Daily News, 23^rd December 2003 from Western Mail, 22^nd December 2003

Revealed: Callous way the Tobacco Industry Ensnares our Youngsters

The secret and 'sleazy' world of tobacco advertising was exposed yesterday by documents revealing the tactics used to ensnare the young and manipulate adults.

In a unique initiative, the Cancer Research UK centre for tobacco control at Strathclyde University Glasgow, has created the first internet database of "evidence". It reveals how the tobacco industry "cynically" promotes products that kill 13,000 Scots each year.

The launch of tobaccopapers.com provoked a scathing attack on the advertising agencies, condemning them for "their weasel words".

Documents reveal strategies to "grab them young"...

David Hinchcliffe MP, the chairman of the Commons health select committee, said "These papers show what the industry thinks of its customers in its own words. It's damning ..."

The 14,000 documents - briefings, brainstorming session memos and outlines - were written by staff promoting brands such as Benson and Hedges, Hamlet Cigars, Silk Cut and low-tar cigarettes.

Professor Gerard Hastings, the director of the centre for tobacco control research at Glasgow, said "The tobacco industry maximise commercial success at any cost."

The documents can be viewed at: www.tobaccopapers.com
Source: ASH Daily News, 17^th December 2003 from The Scotsman, 17^th December 2003

Smoking 'Falling out of Favour'

Three quarters of people believe smoking is less socially acceptable than a year ago, a poll suggests. The survey by the NHS Smoking Help line also found over half of smokers are thinking about giving up the habit in the next twelve months.

The findings follow calls by doctors for smoking to be banned in public places - and a call from a medical journal for it to be banned completely. A help line spokeswoman said: "Attitudes towards smoking seem to have shifted." More and more are now aware that passive smoking is bad for their health. Last year saw bans on tobacco advertising and light and mild cigarette branding, new warnings on cigarette packets and TV adverts on the dangers of second-hand smoke.

The heads of eighteen medical royal colleges recently called for smoking to be banned in public places, such as pubs and restaurants. And an editorial in the Lancet medical journal called for a complete ban on the habit because of its effects on peoples health. But the government said while smoke-free places were ideal, the public appeared to have mixed feelings about the idea and a complete ban would be "extreme".

Over 1,300 adults were questioned in the survey for the NHS smoking help line. Four out of every five women questioned said they believed smoking was less socially acceptable than it was at the start of 2003. Forty three percent said the warnings and advertising campaigns over the last year has made them more likely to quit. Many said they had made smoking less attractive, appealing or socially acceptable.

Debbie Findlay, an advisor with the NHS Smoking Help line, said: "General attitudes to smoking seem to have shifted, and a lot of people are contemplating giving up for 2004. It was good to find in our survey that most smokers are aware there is free help available on the NHS to help them give up. But nearly a quarter of men intend to go 'cold turkey' when quitting, which almost certainly dooms their attempt to failure. We found many men will refuse help for fear of appearing weak. They may think they should be strong enough to quit with will power alone, but probably don't realise nicotine is as addictive as heroin."

Ian Willmore, from the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), told BBC News Online: "People used to know it was bad for individuals, but more and more are now aware of passive smoking is bad for their health." He added the perception of smoking was a significant factor in promoting people to quit - or deterring them from starting smoking in the first place. "Warnings are important, advertising is important, but in addition, what is and isn't socially acceptable is very important too."

Source: ASH Daily News 16^th December 2003 from BBC News Online here

Smoking may Kill your Career

Tobacco addicts may be letting their careers go up in smoke, according to new ICM poll of recruitment consultants. A third of UK businesses would employ a non-smoker in preference to a smoker, and 76% of employers thought that smoking has a more negative impact on an employee's career than it did 20 years ago.

Job seekers themselves are also concerned; recruitment consultants notice that candidates are often reluctant to admit that they smoke.

Source: ASH Daily News, 13^th-15^th December 2003 from The Guardian, 13^th December 2003

Second-hand Smoke and the Onset of Asthma

People regularly exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke are more likely to develop asthma, according to Finnish research published in the American Journal of Public Health. Those living with smokers were 4.8 times more likely to experience the problem. Many people are susceptible to asthma but develop it only when the appropriate trigger is present.

Source: ASH Daily News, 12^th December 2003 from The Times, 12^th December 2003

UEFA introduce Touchline Smoking Ban

Following yesterday's announcement by UEFA that it was to introduce a ban on smoking on the touchline, several regional papers cover the story. UEFA's own press release says it put the ban in place to improve football's image, branding smoking an unhealthy practice.

Source: ASH Daily News, 12^th December 2003. UEFA statement on touchline ban here

New Zealand Workplaces to be Smoke-free by December 2004

New Zealand has become the latest country to pass a law that will ban smoking in all pubs, clubs and casino's by December 2004. The initial Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill first introduced in July 1999 would have allowed smoking in ventilated areas but was toughened when the Government was persuaded to back a complete ban and extend it to all workplaces. The Act provides for very limited exemptions such as prison cells and some residential care institutions.

Source: ASH Daily News, Morning Advertiser, 11^th December 2003

Brown signals Care Shake Up

The chancellor, Gordon Brown, yesterday signalled big plans to shake up Britain's preventative healthcare system when he published a report from his specialist adviser Derek Wanless identifying poor working class lifestyle as a root cause of health inequalities.

In his interim report, Mr Wanless said he would bring forward proposals early next year setting out the government
action required to defeat the big shift in the burden of disease from the infectious diseases of the 19th century to the
chronic diseases of the 20th century.

Source: ASH Daily News, 10^th December 2003 from the Guardian, 10^th December 2003

Wanless Report calls for Preventative NHS

Unhealthy lifestyles, poverty and an ageing population will pose the greatest burdens on the NHS over the next 20 years,
according to Derek Wanless, the former banker who advises the government on health service spending.

Source: ASH Daily News, 10^th December 2003 from Society Guardian, 9^th December 2003.
Full Article

Teenagers facing a Health Time Bomb

The binge drinking, drug taking, sexually careless behaviour of today's adolescents is setting them up to become the most obese and infertile generation of adults ever, warns a report from Britain's doctors.

Adolescents - still shedding their childhood but desperate to be adults - are falling through the gap between services provided for those who are younger or older than they are, says the British Medical Association in a report out yesterday.

Source: ASH Daily News, 9^th December 2003 from The Guardian, The Times, Daily Telegraph, The Sun, 9^th December 2003

Baby Bib Campaign warns about Second Hand Smoke

Efforts to protect children against second hand smoke were stepped up today with the launch of a baby bib campaign. Chief Medical Officer for England Sir Liam Donaldson said that a bib warning of the dangers of smoking near children had been produced for every baby born in December.

It follows a hard-hitting television campaign showing children breathing out smoke to demonstrate the risks of smoking near youngsters and babies.

Source: ASH Daily News, 4^th December 2003 from The Scotsman, 3^rd December 2003.
Full Article

Tackling Tobacco Head on at School

School children are to be given a lesson in the dangers of smoking by a cancer charity. The Ulster Cancer Foundation launched the anti-smoking initiative yesterday in a bid to educate children about the dangers of the habit.

Primary schools will receive activity packs that teachers will use with P6 and P7 pupils.

The Smokebusters packs, which will be distributed this week in the Western Health and Social Services Board area, includes detailed lesson plans and worksheets that will help get the message across to the 9 - 11 year olds.

UCF staff will give free training to teachers and school nurses in presenting the information.

Source: ASH Daily News, 4^th December 2003 from Belfast Newsletter, 3^rd December 2003

27% of Pregnant Scots Smoke

More than a quarter of Scottish mothers are putting the lives of their unborn babies at risk by smoking during pregnancy. Figures released yesterday show that 27.4 per cent of women smoked at the start of their pregnancy, with this increasing to 37.8 per cent in the most deprived areas.

The smoking rates for pregnant women are among the worst in Europe, increasing the risk of premature births or smaller babies. Babies with a low birth weight are more at risk of death and disease in infancy and early childhood.

The rates for smoking during pregnancy fall short of the Scottish Executives target to reduce the number of pregnant
women who smoke to 23 per cent by 2005 and to 20 per cent by 2010. The figures were contained in a report gauging the state of the nation's health, which also looked at obesity and breastfeeding. Not only did Scotland have one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in Europe, but more than a fifth of three-and-a-half year olds were overweight, 8.8 per cent were obese and 4.5 per cent were severely obese.

Dr Mac Armstrong, the chief medical officer, said yesterday that the report was not so-much a wake-up call but more of an "alarm bell which every single one of us should heed."

Source: ASH Daily News 3^rd December 2003 from The Scotsman, 3^rd December 2003

GP's 'overestimating' Heart Risks

Gp's overestimate the risk of heart disease in men by about half because they are expected to use outdated methods to calculate the risks, according to a study.

This might mean that patients are put on treatments that cause unnecessary side-effects and anxiety, affect their insurance premiums, waste doctors time supervising patients, and drain NHS drug budgets.

The methods used are based on data collected between 1968 and 1974 from Framing ham, a town in Massachusetts.
They identify risk factors including age, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking and diabetes, but their relevance to a British population is seriously questioned by the team, led by Peter Brindle, a Bristol University lecturer and GP.

Source: ASH Daily News, 28^th November 2003 from The Guardian, The Times, Financial Times 28^th November 2003.
Full Article

So you Think you're a Non-Smoker eh? Not Quite.

Reacting to the Royal College's letter to the Times, the Mirror newspaper ran a special report - sending out one of it's reporters to smoke filled bars armed with a carbon monoxide monitor to measure second-hand smoke exposure to non smokers.

He constantly analysed the amount of the gas in the air and used a breathalyser machine to test the concentration of carbon monoxide in his blood before and after spending time in the pub. The results were frightening. After just one hour, the air quality was as bad as standing in a traffic-filled city street. By closing time the pub's atmosphere contained 10 TIMES more carbon monoxide than outside.

Over the night, our reporter's carbon monoxide level had increased from one part per million to more than ten. That's the same as a regular smoker puffing on one cigarette - and it was on a quiet mid-week evening.

Professor Martin Jarvis, a specialist in tobacco research for Cancer Research UK, says: "The hazards of smoking are so great that even inhaling other people's smoke can be very dangerous. People who are regularly exposed to smoky atmospheres certainly have a higher risk of developing lung cancer or heart disease. Studies have shown that passive smoking over a number of years due to working in a smoke-filled environment or living with a smoker increase the chances of getting lung cancer by about 25% ."

Anti-smoking group ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) spokesman Ian Wilmore said: "The Mirror's shocking findings show it's time for a new law to ban smoking in workplaces and bars. There's no evidence to suggest that banning smoking affects businesses, and the statistics show that fewer people are actually going to pubs because they are sick of the smoky atmospheres."

Source: ASH Daily News 26^th November 2003 from Article

Passive Smoking: claims from Employees could mean Costs for Employers

The leisure industry has been warned to gear up for a wave of lawsuits if they do not address the issue of staff and
customers smoking in the workplace. This warning comes following the recently reported 50,000 out of court
settlement which Michael Dunn, a casino worker in central London, reached with his employer following his claim that
he had developed asthma due to passive smoking at work.

Considering the fact that compensation for unfair dismissal awards could reach 50,000 in the employment tribunal,
employers, even in workplaces where employees are traditionally exposed to smoke (like pubs and clubs), are well
advised to enter into an active consultation with their employees to discuss measures which could be implemented to accommodate non-smoking employees.

Source: ASH Daily News, 21^st November 2003.
Full Article

Smoking during Pregnancy linked with ADHD

Women who smoke during pregnancy appear to have a greater risk of having a child with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to UK researchers.

Dr Anita Thapar, of the University of Wales College of Medicine, and colleagues used questionnaires to assess children's ADHD symptoms, maternal smoking during pregnancy, conduct disorder symptoms, and family adversity, in sample population of 1452 pairs of twins.

Genetic factors accounted for most of the cases of ADHD, the investigators report in the November issue of the
American Journal of Psychiatry. However, they also noted a significant association between smoking during pregnancy
and the development of ADHD symptoms in the children.

Source: ASH Daily News, 21^st November 2003 from Reuters Health , 20^th November 2003.
Full Article

Robbie Williams to give up Smoking

Robbie Williams has announced his plans to give up smoking. The singer, 29, is expected to move out of the public eye as a hectic world tour winds down in December after almost six months on the road.

Williams revealed his resolution as he rounded off his recording of a BBC Radio 2 concert in front of 300 fans.

Source: ASH Daily News, 21^st November 2003 from PA News, 20^th November 2003.
Full Article

China to ban Tobacco Advertising

China is preparing legislation to ban tobacco advertising after it signed on to a United Nations anti-smoking treaty. The
decision is likely to hit the nations tobacco producers hard.

The measures would follow approval of the United Nations Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by the National
People's Congress, China's legislature, at its annual session early next year.

"I believe it will be approved as lots of representatives of the National People's Congress have a positive attitude
toward tobacco control," said Yang Gonghuan, the Chinese representative on the United Nation's Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control. The global treaty aims to cut an annual 4.9 million smoking-related deaths worldwide
by imposing curbs on the advertising, marketing and sale of cigarettes and tobacco products, of which China makes a
significant portion.

According to official statistics, China see's more than 2000 tobacco related deaths a day with the number of fatalities
forecast to reach 8000 per day by 2050. In a nation of 350 million smokers, or one-quarter of the worlds population,
Chinese tobacco companies are likely to fight hard to keep a comprehensive ban on advertising off the legislative
books.

"Some tobacco manufacturers may adopt a negative attitude as it will have an impact on their businesses," said Yang.
The tobacco industry brings handsome profits to state coffers, generating nearly $20 billion in annual revenues and tax, said an official with the China Tobacco Society.

The new legislation, which if passed in March would take effect 90 days later, would also impact on major tobacco-sponsored events such as the Formula 1 Grand Prix which will be held in Shanghai next year. Shanghai Formula
1 organisers have said they are working towards a solution. "No exceptions should be made for Formula 1 even though
there are many disputes about it," said Yang. "To do so would hurt China's international image."

Source: ASH Daily News, 19^th November 2003 from AFP, 18^th November 2003

Rizla Advert ban over Drug Use

An advert for Rizla cigarette papers has been banned because it could be seen as condoning the use of cannabis. The advert had the words "Twist and" above the packet of Rizla with a turn at one end and" burn" on one side.

The Advertising Standards Authority backed a complaint from rival manufacturer, which claimed the promotion "condoned the product's use for the consumption of illegal drugs." "Twist" is a slang term for a cannabis cigarette and "burn" could be referred to smoking one. Imperial Tobacco, makers of Rizla, denied the reference was intentional.

Source: ASH Daily News, 19^th November 2003

Boycott Bush Backers

The Daily Mirror reports that anti-Bush campaigners are urging Britons to avoid products made by companies which
back his leadership with massive donations.

Among high street brands named because of their financial links to Bush's party are ASDA, Walkers Crisps, Marlboro
cigarettes, Kenco coffee, Philadelphia cheese, Esso fuel and Aquafresh toothpaste.

Source: ASH Daily News, 19^th November 2003 from Daily Mirror, 19^th November 2003

Scanner Shortage hits Lung Cancer Treatment

At least 5,000 patients with lung cancer are having futile surgery or being denied life-saving operations each year
because of a shortage of scanners that can show how far the cancer has spread.

Specialists say that about 10,000 patients - a quarter of the 38,000 diagnosed each year - could benefit from the hi-tech
machines, known as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners. But the NHS has only five in use - all in London, and serving about 5,000 patients.

A group of cancer charities launched a campaign yesterday to treble the number of PET scanners and place them in 15
locations within 5 years. The £4m machines cost £1m a year to run and provide a 3D image of the tumour to assist the
surgeon and can reveal whether the cancer has spread too far to make surgery worthwhile.

Source: ASH Daily News, 18^th November 2003 from The Independent, 18^th November 2003.
Full Article

Women and COPD

The Daily Express reports that chronic bronchitis and lung cancer, usually associated with the elderly, are on the
increase and commonly found in people in their forties and fifties.

Lung cancer kills 28,000 people in the UK every year, and is now the biggest cancer killer in the world, beating breast,
prostate and colon cancer combined.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), also known as chronic bronchitis, killed more than 25,000 Britons last
year. More than three million of us are thought to suffer from it. COPD causes acute attacks of breathlessness which
can be triggered by walking or climbing stairs. The British Lung Foundation says its prevalence has peaked in men but
women now account for 45.9 cases - a trend that continues to rise.

Professor Stephen Spiro, of the British Lung Foundation, says: "The image of the chronic bronchitic, an elderly chap in cloth cap, is fast fading. Now the typical sufferer is a middle aged woman." He says that lung cancer and COPD are both major health issues for women. "Although lung cancer is still more prevalent in men, if you add it together with other lung diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema, women are beginning to take over." he said.

Source: ASH Daily News 18^th November 2003 from Daily Express, 18^th November 2003

Smoke Alarm: Skin Ages Faster When You Smoke

Smoking is the worst thing you can do with your mouth. The 12m smokers in the UK know this. But that doesn't stop a
quarter of the female population from lighting up in the belief that smoking keeps them from eating, calms the nerves
and raises the body's ability to burn calories. But it seems that smokers, especially as they age, must follow the spicy
French beauty adage that translates, almost literally, thus: "After a certain age, a woman has to choose between her
face and her ass."

The damage smoking does to facial skin is startling. According to Dr Nicholas Lowe, a dermatologist at London's
Cranley Clinic, smoking reduces the skins blood supply and damages its ability to produce elastin and collagen, which
keeps the skin smooth and firm.

Source: ASH Daily News 18^th November 2003, from The Times, 16^th November 2003.
Full Article

Department of Health: Statistical Bulletin: Statistics on smoking: England, 2003

The Department of Health yesterday released its latest Statistical Bulletin on Smoking in England. The main findings of the bulletin :

- In 2001, 27% of adults aged 16 and over smoked cigarettes in England; 28 % of men and 25% of women.
- The prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults has dropped substantially since 1980 (from 39%) although it levelled off in the 1990's.
- In 2001, the prevalence of cigarette smoking continued to be higher for people in manual than non-manual socio-economic groups (32% compared with 21%).
- In 2001, 66% of smokers in England wanted to give up smoking.
- In 2002, 10% of children aged 11-15 smoked cigarettes regularly; 9% of boys and 11% of girls.
- More than 120,000 deaths were caused by smoking in the UK in 1995; that is, one in five of all deaths.

Source: ASH Daily News 13^th November 2003.
Full DoH Statistical Bulletin is available here

NHS to get free stop-smoking aids

Quitting products are to be given free to the NHS in a move which could help 10,000 more smokers kick the habit. The deal with manufacturers will include products such as nicotine patches and gum prescribed by doctors. Secretary of State for Health said: "It will help the NHS to reach our target of 800,000 quitters by 2006."

Source: ASH Daily News 14^th November 2003 from Metro (London) 13^th November 2003

Tobacco Tax may Rise

Gordon Browne’s move to switch the Bank of England’s inflation target this year could open the way for him to impose steep increases in “sin taxes” on cigarettes, alcohol and petrol, according to today’s Times.

Leading city analysts gave warning last night that the technical move under which the bank will adopt a new EU inflation target, could give the chancellor leeway to raise an extra £4.5bn in tax duties. The move could mean 5p on a litre of petrol, 11p on a bottle of wine, 3p on a pint of beer, 55p on a bottle of spirits and 30p on a packet of 20 cigarettes.

Source: ASH Daily News 10^th November 2003 from The Times 10^th November 2003.
Full Article

Smoking and Binge Drinking Blamed for the Rise in Oral Cancers

Binge drinking combined with smoking is causing oral cancer in men and women as young as 20, according to a new study. The rise in heavy drinking and smoking among young people- particularly women – has led to the surge in the incidence of mouth cancer for people in their 20’s and 30’s, according to researchers from Kings College London.

Scientists believe that tobacco smoke mixed with alcohol produces dangerous levels of cancer-causing chemicals that attack the lining of the mouth. Oral cancer cases have risen by 17 percent over the past four years - a faster rate than for any other major cancer.

Source: ASH Daily News 10^th November 2003 from Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail 9^th November 2003.
Full Article

ASA examines Rizla Ads after Rival’s Allegations

Imperial Tobacco’s Rizla advertising is being scrutinised by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), after rival Zig-Zag
complained it condones the use of drugs.

The complaint swiftly follows the introduction of guidelines by the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), warning against using drug references in the marketing of rolling papers and filters. The CAP guidance, drawn up in consultation with the rolling-paper industry and the Department of Health, also stipulates that tobacco paper advertising should not depict smoking or suggest smoking is glamorous, rebellious or aspirational.

The new rules could help Zig-Zag’s case against Imperial Tobacco. This is the fourth time the company has complained of drug references in the “twist and burn” Rizla advertising, which shows a packet of Rizla papers in situations such as being roasted on a spit.

Zig-Zag is confident that its complaint will be upheld, after the CAP sent out draft recommendations, which will be put before the ASA, that state the advertising “could be seen to condone the use of drugs”.

Imperial Tobacco marketing manager for tobacco products Terry Rogers says he is surprised the recommendations may
rule against the Rizla advertising: “We have had no consumer complaints since we launched the campaign.”

Source: ASH Daily News November 6^th 2003 from Marketing Week November 6^th 2003

Reid quits Smoking

The health secretary, John Reid, was offered congratulations for having gone without a cigarette for 11 months. Labour
former minister George Foulkes hailed him for “now having given up smoking for 11 months.” Junior health minister
Melanie Johnson said she was happy to congratulate Dr Reid on his period of “abstinence from tobacco.”

Source: ASH Daily News November 6^th 2003 from The Guardian November 5^th 2003

Britons are Winning War on Smoking

The number of smokers in England and Wales has hit a record low, with levels now plummeting by 170,000 people each year, according to Cancer Research UK.

A huge drop over the past few years puts the current levels of those who smoke at one out of four people, outstripping government targets for 2005 of 26 percent. This means that half a million fewer people are indulging in the habit than in 2000. The study, which looks at data from the General Household Survey (GHS) and the Omnibus survey, shows the lowest percentage of people smoking since figures using the GHS began in the early seventies.

The new figures have delighted anti-smoking groups, who feared that the situation in the nineties – where the rate stopped declining and there was a persistently high level of smoking – was irreversible.

Martin Jarvis, the author of the study from the Charity’s Health Behaviour Unit, said: “There have been actions on a lot of fronts, and when Labour came in they gave a high priority to this. The study shows a clear decline, and this sort of change in smoking is what drives a decline in cancer.”

ASH, the anti-smoking group, welcomed the news. Its Chief Executive, Donal Reid, said: “In 1997 the Government pretty well promised all the things we asked for and most have been put into place – we are very pleased. We …. will continue to push for a ban on smoking in all workplaces. That includes bars and restaurants.”

The Cancer Research UK figures will come as a relief to the Government, which considers smoking to be ‘the greatest single cause of preventable illness and premature death in the UK’.

Source: ASH Daily News 3^rd November 2003 from The Observer, 2^nd November 2003

Ex-smoker up for an Award

A council boss who beat a 31 year cigarette addiction is in line for a top award. Douglas Munro, 50, of Anniesland, Glasgow, will head to London on November 26 for the Quitter of the Year Awards 2003.

Mr Munro, who works with Glasgow City Council’s development and re-generation services, is one of eight ex-smokers from across the UK in line for the award run by the charity QUIT, which helps people stop smoking.

He said: “I don’t really care if I win the award because as far as I’m concerned I have won already by beating my nicotine addiction. I gave up in March last year and although I have what I call my ‘cigarette moments’ after meals or a coffee, I have never smoked since.” Mr Munro will be accompanied to the ceremony by his wife Enid, who gave up her cigarette habit shortly after her husband quit.

Source: ASH Daily News 30^th October 2003 from Evening Times Online, 29^th October 2003.
Full Article

Smokeless Tobacco

Sarah Howden writing for the Edinburgh Evening News reports on the possible rise of smokeless tobacco as an alternative to cigarettes. She says that with more and more countries banning smoking in public places, high profile lawsuits putting billion-dollar dents in their profits and the now unmissable health warnings which must adorn cigarette packets, tobacco companies have been facing an uphill battle in recent years.

And while few non-smokers will be shedding tears over the industry’s struggles, tobacco giants have been donning their thinking caps to devise ingenious ways of reaching their market. Although it hardly enjoys the most glamorous image, the answer they have come up with is snuff. Tobacco giant, the US Smokeless Tobacco Company (USSTC) is busy trying to attract young professionals to its newly packaged product.

Already smoking in restaurants, bars, hotels and other public places is banned in various countries including parts of the US and Australia, and is set to be outlawed in Ireland from January 1. And it looks as though it’s only a matter of time before those who fail to kick the increasingly taboo habit in the UK will be forced to smoke in the privacy of their own home. Indeed, the smell, taste and health implications associated with passive smoking are slowly sending smokers into social exile. So as public smoking bans get tougher worldwide, an alternative form of tobacco is the obvious answer. And tobacco companies seem confident that they will be successful in seducing smokers with smokeless snuff rebranded as a glamorous, more healthy alternative to the cigarette.

Source: ASH Daily News 30^th October 2003 from Edinburgh Evening News, 29^th October 2003.
Full Article

Smoking Ban for City

Health bosses hope to ban smoking across Plymouth within five years. Smoking could be banned in all restaurants, bars, shops, offices and entertainment venues according to Plymouth Primary Care Trust’s Public Health Director Debra Lapthorne.

A new policy being developed by Ms Lapthorne and the Smoking Advice Service aims to put a stop to smoking in all workplaces, which they say will include all indoor public places in the city.

In the first annual report by the director of public health, which was presented to bosses at the Primary Care Trust last week, Ms Lapthorne said treating illnesses and diseases caused by smoking is estimated to cost the NHS in Plymouth £8 million, and causes more than 560 deaths per year.

Each year in Plymouth, more than 70 admissions to hospital of under-five year olds are due to their parents smoking. Bosses at the PCT, which funds all NHS services in the city, have backed the move.

Source: ASH Daily News 30^th October 2003

Smokers can Stubb out their Habit for Free

Smokers can now kick the habit at work thanks to a new scheme which holds quitting roadshows at the office. The free Stop Smoking Service, backed by Bracknell Forest Primary Care Trust, wants companies in the town interested in hosting the roadshows to get in touch.

It already runs nine specialist clinics throughout east Berkshire, including two at the Skimped Hill health complex in Bracknell, and has just helped 55 Masterfoods employees in Slough quit smoking after a successful roadshow.

Source: ASH Daily News 29^th October 2003

Smoking can Double the Risk of MS

Smokers are 1.81 times more likely to develop multiple sclerosis than non smokers according to Dr Trond Riise from the University of Bergen, Norway, whose findings were reported in the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Scientists found that smokers in their forties were almost twice as likely as non-smokers to develop MS in later life, with male smokers having 2.7 times the risk.

The study examined 87 MS patients in a sample of 22,312 people between the ages of 40 and 47 in the Norwegian country of Hordaland, in order to identify the environmental factors that increase the chances of developing the disease. Professor Riise said: “This is the first time that smoking has been established as a risk factor … hopefully these results will help us learn more about what causes MS by looking at how smoking affects the onset of the disease.”

Source: ASH Daily News 28^th October 2003 from The Guardian, The Independent, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror 28^th October 2003

London Survey on Smoking Bans

Londoners are being asked to say what they think about smoking in public places. A referendum launched yesterday seeks views on bans on smoking in places such as pubs, shops and restaurants. The results could be used to shape a smoke-free initiative along the same lines as the New York ban and San Francisco, where smoking is banned in bars and restaurants.

Other cities including Sheffield, Birmingham and Brighton are already considering increasing restrictions. Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, said he looked forward to hearing the views on the issue and working with businesses and groups to increase access to smoke-free venues.

The pro-smoking group Forest labelled the initiative a “crude publicity stunt”.

The poll will run until the end of the year. Londoners can log onto www.bigsmokedebate.com or fill in the questionnaire in the Mayors newsletter ‘The Londoner’ delivered to households.

Source: ASH Daily News 28^th October 2003 from The Times 28^th October 2003

Gallaher to re-use ‘happiness’ Slogan

Hamlet aims to bring joy to smokers with the launch of a special edition Happiness pack this Christmas, according to the Morning Advertiser.

The new look design is based on the brand’s advertising slogan “Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet.” Gallaher will release Happiness in five-pack formats: Hamlet 5’s, Hamlet 10’s, Hamlet Miniatures 10’s tin.

Jerry Blackburn, trade communications manager at Gallaher said “It’s about using our heritage in a different format. “Many smokers can recall the strap-line, which is now a powerful element of the Hamlet brand.”

Gallaher will release the new packs on the 3rd of November accompanied by a cash and carry road show [?] until the end of the year.

Source: ASH Daily News 24^th October 2003 from Morning Advertiser 23^rd October 2003

Don’t hide but Heed the Warnings!

Anti-smoking campaigners have condemned the sale of customised cases designed to cover up stark health warnings on cigarette packets.

Packraps are PVC sleeves which slide over the out-side of the boxes, enabling people to indulge their love of nicotine, while allowing them to ignore messages spelling out the dangers of smoking. The new accessory has caused outrage at the Liverpool-based Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.

Charity Founder Ray Donnelly said: “All these products do is help people stay in denial about the very serious harm they can cause themselves by smoking cigarettes.” A spokesperson for anti-smoking group ASH said: “It’s a sign that these warnings are working. The warnings are really stark, and make people feel uncomfortable. That’s why the people who make these products think there is a market. The real message is that smoking kills half of long-term smokers, half of whom are in their middle age.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: “These warnings were introduced for a reason, and we don’t believe they should be covered up.”

Source: ASH Daily News 23^rd October 2003 from Cheshire Chronicle 22^nd October 2003
Full Article

Medical Student Smoking Falls

Nursing students are more likely to smoke cigarettes and to be nicotine dependent than medical students, says a study published in CHEST (2003; 124: 1415 – 20). A survey of more than 500 students in Philadelphia, showed that four times as many nursing students smoked cigarettes as medical students, and twice as many students were former smokers. The rate of smoking among medical students had fallen in the past decade, and those who did smoke were less nicotine dependent than their nursing counterparts.

Source: ASH Daily News 23^rd October 2003 from The Lancet, 18^th October 2003

122 year old Smoker Dies

A man who claimed smoking contributed to a long life has died at 122.

Tiger hunter Sek Yi believed tobacco and praying kept him going. His wife, who is now 103, agreed (though it is not clear whether she is a smoker too). His identity papers were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge but researchers believe Mr Yi was born in 1881. That was the year when Lillie Langtry, the Prince of Wales mistress made her debut as an actress at the Haymarket theatre in London, while in New York Thomas Edison turned on the first electric lights.

When he was 21, the British forces were winning the Boer War, while a London to Folkestone trial was organised to show that cars could one day be a reliable means of transport. As WWII broke out, Mr Yi was fast heading to retirement age, at 58. In later years, he was revered throughout Cambodia for his age.

The oldest fully authenticated age for any human being is the 122 years and 164 days of Frenchwoman Jeanne-Louise Calment, who died in 1997.

Source: ASH Daily News 22^nd October 2003 from The Mirror, Daily Mail, 21^st October 2003

Grandmothers’ Smoking and Birth Weight

A study in the British Medical Journal takes a look at the effects of grandmothers’ smoking in pregnancy on birth weight. The link between smoking during pregnancy and birth weight is established, but this study examines whether smoking during pregnancy has intergenerational manifestations.

Conclusion: Deficits in mothers’ birth weight attributable to their mother smoking was not evident in the grandchildren.

Source: ASH Daily News 22^nd October 2003 from British Medical Journal, 18^th October 2003.
Full BMJ Study

Bath University tackles Smoking

The Sunday Express reports from Bath University where plans are developing to ban smoking in the student union bar and other union areas. Midge Mistry of the student’s union said: “There are those who hope this is going to be a deterrent. Many young people start smoking at university, but if cigarettes were less evident, then it is possible that they won’t become smokers in the first place.”

Bath is not alone in expressing concern about smoking. Oxford, Manchester, Leeds, Southampton, Bradford and Plymouth universities have all tackled the issue.

An ASH spokesperson said: "Tobacco companies target students and young people in the hope of making them addicts for life. Student unions have a duty to resist pressure and to discourage smoking."

Source: ASH Daily News 20^th October 2003 from Sunday Express 19^th October 2003

BBC Journalist to be Issued Guidelines for Health Reporting

Following a recent report by the King’s Fund, Health in the News, that found Britain’s main killers – smoking, alcohol abuse, and mental illness – are ‘statistically under-reported’, the Guardian’s media section reports that the BBC is preparing guidelines for reporters.

These guidelines are intended for journalists reporting on stories involving risk to help editors ensure that scare stories are kept in perspective. The informal checklist will advise on interpreting complex statistical data and help editors decide the right time to pull out of a scare story – after the news has been aired but before it spins too far out of proportion.

Source: ASH Daily News 20^th October 2003 from The Guardian 20^th October 2003.
Full Article

NRT for 12 year olds in a bid to Cut Youth Smoking

GP’s are prescribing NRT to children as young as 12 in a country-wide move to cut youth smoking, according to publication Doctor. Gloucestershire LMC chairman and GPS member Dr Peter Fellows said many doctors in the country were taking advantage of the ability to prescribe nicotine replacement therapy to target children and teenagers.

“Smoking among young people is certainly a problem. I was very disappointed to see many young people smoking outside the cinema in Gloucestershire at the weekend,” Dr Fellows said.

The British National Formulary says NRT is not ‘recommended’ in people under the age of 18. However, Dr Fellows said that he did not regard it as too extreme for children and teenagers. He said: “If children are smoking, then they are already taking nicotine into their bodies. By prescribing patches, all we are doing is substituting the cigarettes for something which is easier to wean them off.”

Source: ASH Daily News 17^th October 2003 from Doctor 16^th October 2003

‘Lights’ just as bad, says Marlboro Firm

The maker of Marlboro cigarettes has admitted so-called ”light” cigarettes are no less harmful than any others in a major newspaper advertising campaign aimed at improving its image in the face of the growing threat of lawsuits against the tobacco industry.

Philip Morris this weekend took the unprecedented step of placing ads in all major national newspapers detailing the problems of youth smoking and low-tar cigarettes. In one advert, the company admitted there was no evidence that switching to cigarettes with reduced levels of tar or nicotine offered any “significant health benefits”.

“You should not assume that lower tar cigarettes are less harmful or that smoking this kind of cigarette will help you quit. No one wants kids to smoke, including us. We know it might be difficult to accept that a tobacco company holds this view. After all, many people believe that if kids don’t smoke, our business could eventually disappear,” it said …..

Research carried out in the US, where Philip Morris has run similar campaigns aimed at young people, showed teenagers who had watched the ads were actually more likely to believe the tobacco industry should be allowed to stay in business.

Source: ASH Daily News 14^th October 2003 from The Guardian, 13^th October 2003.
Full Article

How was your Weekend?

Quiet time with the kids? Reorganising the garden shed? Well, in that case this one is not strictly for you. But if you can’t recall most of it because of bingeful behaviour then this Sunday Times piece is worth a read. Anita Chauduri examines what effects a weekend binge has on our bodies – looking at alcohol and smoking, amongst other substances.

Source: ASH Daily News 11-13^th October 2003 from The Sunday Times, 12^th October 2003.
Full Article

Nicotine Patches for Kids

Doctors in Gloucestershire are prescribing nicotine patches for children as young as 12 to help them kick their smoking habit. GP's across the county are dishing out patches and gum to the youngsters in a desperate attempt to cut the growing number of under-age smokers. As The Citizen reported on Saturday, health bosses are concerned about the increasing number of teenage smokers in the county.

Dr Peter Fellows, of Severnbank Surgery, Lydney, said: "Smoking among young people is certainly a problem. I was very disappointed, for example, to see so many young people smoking outside the cinema in Gloucester at the weekend, but it is very difficult to stop this. All GP's in Gloucestershire are emphasising the need for smoking advice to teenagers, and we are prescribing patches and gum as part of this process."

Dr Fellow disagreed with the suggestion the measure was too extreme for young children. He said: "If children are already smoking then they are already taking nicotine into their bodies. By prescribing patches all we are doing is substituting this for something easier to wean them off. Children just shouldn't be smoking, full stop."

Source: ASH Daily News, 7^th October 2003 from The Citizen (Gloucester), 7^th October 2003.
Full Article

Anti-smokers Fume about Craig David

Anti-smoking campaigners are furious the singer Craig David is to perform in a concert in Malaysia partly sponsored by a tobacco company. David, who boasts a clean-living image, is to take part in the concert in Penang on 11 October, backed by Japan Tobacco International, which makes the Salem brand of cigarettes.

Campaigners in Malaysia and Britain believe he should withdraw in case young people will see his involvement as an endorsement of smoking. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has written to David's management to ask whether the young performer wanted to do the industry's "dirty work" in Malaysia. "Is Craig David really willing to be used by the tobacco industry to market cigarettes to his young fans?" asked an ASH spokesman, adding "Sponsorship of cultural and musical events by tobacco companies have been banned by the UK government because of the net effect of marketing a deadly product to a largely young audiences."

Tickets were being advertised as available to people over the age of 18 but promotional material for the concert was being widely distributed and not limited to the venue. Deborah Arnott, ASH's director, said: "There is a great deal of evidence to show that when a role model is involved with promoting something that has an impact on young people and the amount of smoking they do. That is why tobacco advertising has been banned in this country."

But a spokesman for Craig David replied that the event involved Salem Cool Planet, a chain of record stores owned by JTI, rather than the cigarette brand itself. "There is no advertising of any kind that we have seen that includes both Salem and Craig David. To this end, Craig David is not promoting or condoning smoking or cigarettes." Craig David was not the headline act for the event, which had sponsorship from many other commercial brands including Starbucks, Carlsberg and Adidas, the spokesman added.

It is not known whether the singer was aware of the issue - and the bad feeling it has stirred up - before it was raised this week by ASH.

Source: ASH Daily News 6^th October 2003 from The Independent, 4^th October 2003

Passive Smoking Increases Risk of CHD

The impact of smoking on the risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD) has been hugely underestimated, a 20 year landmark study has found. Researchers said that the risk was nearly four fold higher in non-smokers with high exposure to passive smoke, such as cigarette smoking by a partner, compared with non-smokers with low exposure.

Study lead Professor Peter Whincup, professor of cardiovascular epidemiology at St Georges Hospital Medical School, London, said the effect of passive smoking by someone you live with was originally thought to increase the risk of CHD by 20 percent. The study followed 2,105 non-smoking men from the British Regional Heart study and measured levels of cotinine in their blood. Of these, 308 suffered a major CHD event during follow up.

During the first five years of follow-up, patients with the highest level of cotinine in the blood had nearly 4 times the risk of having a cardiac event compared with those who registered the lowest levels of cotinine. Dr Mike Kirby, a GP and member of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society, said GP's and practice nurses could use the results to call passive smokers in for a cardiac risk assessment. "The results are quite useful because it gives us something definite to tell the patients and in this evidence-based environment, it could be used to focus our resources," he added.

Source: ASH Daily News, 1^st October 2003 from Pulse, 29^th September 2003

Smokers Wooed with Citrus Flavour

Japan Tobacco, the worlds third-largest tobacco company, is attempting to combat the bad smell hanging round its products by producing an odour-free cigarette.

The company's new brand is called Lucia Citrus Fresh Menthol, and it has already been test-marketed in Tokyo with some success. The company said the Lucia cigarette "gained market share almost twice as fast as other new brands launched in the last five years." The new cigarette has a citrus flavour that is supposed to mask unpleasant odours "effectively and selectively", a spokesman said. The Lucia cigarette is also claimed to have less smoke.

The spokesman said: "This totally new technology. BAT and Imperial don't have anything like this. It's the result of lots of market research into what people do and don't like in cigarettes." The new cigarettes also use a double thickness of wrapping paper to stop smoke coming out of the sides of the stick.

The spokesman said while the company had no immediate plans to roll out the cigarette in Europe, this would be a logical next step. Japan Tobacco's other brands, which include Camel, Winston, Mild Seven and Salem, are widely available on the Continent. The company is a former state monopoly in which the Japanese government still holds a large proportion of the shares. Since privatisation in 1985, it has diversified into sectors that include pharmaceuticals, where its portfolio has anti-cancer drugs.

Source: ASH Daily News 30^th September 2003 from the Daily Telegraph, 30^th September 2003

Smoke interferes with Asthma Drug

British scientists have found more evidence to show that people with asthma should not smoke. Researchers at the University Glasgow say smoking can interfere with asthmatics' medication.

Speaking at a European Respiratory Society conference in Vienna, they said it can increase the risks of breathing problems or an asthma attack. The researchers said the findings highlight the need to encourage asthmatics who smoke to quit. Figures suggest that 40% of people with asthma aged between 16 and 44 smoke. This is much higher than the general population, where 32% of people in this age group smoke.

Source: ASH Daily News 30^th September 2003 from BBC Online, 30^th September 2003.
Full Article

Britain is 'below EU average' for Cancer Treatment

Britons diagnosed with cancer die sooner than patients in most other European countries, a survey has found. League tables of cancer survival for 22 nations in Europe show England, Scotland and Wales falling below the European average for most cancers.

France and Austria top the table and Poland is at the bottom. Only Eastern European countries do worse than Britain.

Overall, the chances of surviving five years with a diagnosis of any cancer in Britain are about a fifth lower for men and a seventh lower for women compared with the countries at the top of the table. But on some cancers, Britain does better than the average. On melanoma, the most dangerous of skin cancer, Scotland is ranked the fourth in the table for women with a five year survival rate of more than 90%, attributed to early diagnosis and aggressive treatment. Britain also performs well on the treatment of testicular cancer and Hodgkin's disease.

Source: ASH Daily News 26^th September 2003 from The Independent, 26^th September 2003.
Full Article

NHS Targets Smashed as Smokers Kick the Habit

Nearly 124,00 people gave up smoking last year after receiving help from the NHS, exceeding government targets to reduce the number of smokers, according to figures published today.

The figures, released by the Department of Health, showed that, of the 234,400 smokers in England who set a quit date to quit in the year up to March 2003, over half had successfully given up four weeks later. This meant that about 123,900 smokers successfully quit after receiving help from NHS stop smoking services, compared with the target of 100,000.

The public health minister, Melanie Johnson welcomed the success of the smoking cessation programme set up as part of the government's strategy to reduce smoking-related disease and death. She said: "As these results show, the NHS stop smoking services are giving smokers a head start in giving up. In the last year over 234,000 smokers set a date to quit with the NHS services. Nearly 124,000 were successful four weeks later, far exceeding our target of 100,000".

Source: ASH Daily News 25^th September 2003 from The Guardian 24^th September 2003

Smoking link to Cleft Palette Babies

A "significant" link has been found between smoking and facial deformities in children, according to research. The study found that smoking in early pregnancy increased the risk of babies developing a facial cleft by up to three times.

The work was carried out by Professor Peter Mossey, from Dundee University's Dental School, who is leading a World Health Organisation project looking at the causes of cleft palates and lips across the globe. Professor Mossey said the development of the palate takes place during a critical 48-hour period during the early stages of pregnancy at 6-8 weeks and can be disturbed by smoking.

Source: ASH Daily News 22^nd September 2003 from BBC Online, 22^nd September 2003

Ads Target Smokers of Mild Brands

The UK's biggest cancer charity is launching its first ever anti-smoking advertising campaign on Monday. The Cancer Research UK ads, which will run for three years, are being funded by the Department of Health. They are expected to urge smokers not to be fooled into thinking 'low tar' or 'mild' cigarette brands are less harmful.

The ads are expected to warn people that they are still at risk of developing cancer if they smoke, regardless of the type of cigarette. A survey carried out two years ago suggested some smokers suffer from misapprehensions about low tar brands of cigarettes. The poll of 780 women in London, who smoke low tar, light or mild cigarettes, found almost 40% believed they were doing themselves less damage than if they smoked regular cigarettes.

Three years ago, the governments top doctor warned that light or low tar cigarettes may be responsible for a significant increase in a rare form of lung cancer. Sir Liam Donaldson, chief medical officer for England, said smokers of these cigarettes were under the misapprehension that those brands were not as bad for them.

Source: ASH Daily News 22^nd September 2003 from www.ash.org.uk/html/press/030922.html

Cigarette blamed for £14m Bike Museum Fire

A discarded cigarette has been blamed for a fire which caused £14 million worth of damage to Britain's National Motorcycle Museum. The fire, which broke out yesterday afternoon, gutted the building and destroyed half of the 800 exhibits.

Fire officials now believe it was caused by a cigarette butt discarded by a member of staff which ignited a small piece of cardboard boxes outside the building. At its height, the blaze could be seen 15 miles away and fire fighters were still at the scene this morning putting out secondary fires. A section of the M42 in Solihull, near Birmingham, was closed yesterday evening as fire fighters fought the blaze.

Source: ASH Daily News 18^th September 2003 from The Times, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, 18^th September 2003.
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School asks Parents to allow Children to Smoke

A special needs school has come under fire for asking parents' permission for pupils to smoke - then offering nicotine patches for the youngsters to quit their habit. Parents have blasted the policy at the Gatehouse School for boys as not only bizarre but downright dangerous for children as young as 12.

One father told how he received a letter, complete with a tear-off form, asking him to give his permission for his 13 year old son to smoke. "The school was having problems with pupils having crafty cigarettes - what school does not these days? But rather than police the problem, the school was asking for the parents to allow smoking," he said. "I have never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life. What parent in their right mind would sign a form to allow their 13 year-old to smoke?"

Source: ASH Daily News 17^th September 2003 from Milton Keynes Today 15^th September 2003.
Full Article

L&G pumps Blood into Healthy Life Campaign

Legal and General has joined forces with the British Heart Foundation to boost its healthy workforce campaign. They have launched two leaflets: Your Heart, Smoking and How to Give Up and Get Active.

The first highlights the dangers of smoking and includes tips on how to give up, while the second shows employees how being active can make a difference to their quality of life. Jane Dale, director of group risk at L&G, said: "An active and healthy workforce is less likely to suffer from a serious illness such as heart disease."

Source: ASH Daily News 12^th September 2003 from Financial Adviser 11^th September 2003

Dotty Cure for Smokers

Smokers desperate to give up cigarettes could soon resort to a small program on their mobile phone or PDA. It would throw up a series of flickering dots on the screen, which psychologists say seem to break some of the mental processes that drive the need for another nicotine fix. The idea has been tested in the lab on a desktop computer in a controlled study on students.

But researcher Dr John May, from Sheffield University, UK said it was something that could quite possibly find its way on to portable devices in the not too distant future.

"They would need to have reasonable screen resolutions but you could imagine that instead of having a button to launch a Tetris or snake game, you could have a 'stop your craving' button," he told the British Association's science festival in Salford, Greater Manchester.

The dots create what is termed "visual noise" and interfere with the pleasurable images the mind associates with the object of desire. "They don't stop the images but they do make them less vivid," he said. "It seems to break the link between the imagery, the emotion and the reward that you feel."

Dr May and colleagues are investigating the thought processes that build up to that moment when an individual has the sudden urge to reach for a cigarette. Their work suggests there are many unconscious cues that grow in intensity until the intrusive thought occurs.

Source: ASH Daily News 12^th September 2003 from BBC Online, Evening Standard, The Times, The Independent 11 September 2003

Smoking kills Five Million a Year

Almost five million people die from smoking-related diseases across the world in 2000, researchers estimate. A study published in The Lancet found that for the first time, deaths from smoking that year were as high in the developing world as in industrialised countries.

Over three quarters of deaths among smokers worldwide were among men.

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston say the only way to stop deaths increasing is to improve education and prevention work. Amanda Sandford of the campaign group Action on Smoking and Health told BBC News Online there were a number of factors involved in the increase in smoking-related deaths in developing countries.

"Partly it's because in a growing population, there are more people smoking. But it also stems back to the actions of the tobacco companies. They are aggressively marketing their products to developing countries. I think we'll be seeing this until the countries themselves put a stop to it."

Ms Sandford added education and prevention measures were essential to reduce smoking-related deaths.

Source: ASH Daily News 12^th September 2003 from BBC Online, The Lancet, 12^th September 2003.
Full Article

Pregnant Smokers fail to Cut Nicotine

Women who smoke less during pregnancy may not be cutting the amount of nicotine that enters their bodies according to new research. The toxin levels from smoking of more than 500 women remained unchanged throughout pregnancy, a Birmingham University has found. Researchers questioned 559 pregnant smokers, who reported smoking 10-19 cigarettes a day before pregnancy. The average at booking in was 6.3, which by 20 weeks of pregnancy had risen to 11.5, levelling off at 11 at 30 weeks and postnatally. The average levels of nicotine by-product cotinine in the women's urine remained constant throughout.

Source: ASH Daily News 10^th September 2003 from Financial Times 10^th September 2003

Teens Smoking Peril

The Sun reports on a new study that shows teenage smoking increases the chances of lifelong nicotine addiction. Kids who start puffing aged 13-19 develop brain "imprint" making it harder to kick the habit.

Study leader Dr. Edward Levin of Duke University, North Carolina, said: "The brains of adolescents are developing throughout the teenage years and may be sculpted around nicotine."

Source: ASH Daily News 10^th September 2003 from The Sun 10^th September 2003

EU look for Shock Images for Cigarette Packets

The hunt began yesterday for shocking picture to illustrate the negative health effects of smoking, as the European Commission stepped up its campaign against cigarette consumption. Canada and Brazil already use hard-hitting images of cancer victims and diseased lungs on cigarette packs, and Brussels plans to compile a library of similar picture to be used in Europe.

Yesterday, the Commission invited companies to tender for the work of creating and testing the picture for shock value. Each will be tried out on the public in all EU states to see which work best in each country. From next year, all nations will have the option of forcing tobacco manufacturers to display the images. The UK has no plans to do so but has not ruled out the idea.

Source: ASH Daily News 9^th September 2003 from The Independent, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal 9^th September 2003.
Full Article

Vaccine could End Drug Abuse

Researchers are developing vaccines which might one day help nicotine and cocaine addicts quit their habits, the British Association science festival heard yesterday. Addicts might find it easier to cope with their withdrawal if they found that their drug no longer delivered a rush of euphoria, immunologist Campbell Bunce told the gathering in Salford.

Vaccines trigger the immune system to produce antibodies or natural agents that block invasive infection. Dr Bunce, of Xenova Research at Cambridge, said he and colleagues had managed to produce a "fairly strong antibody response to both nicotine and cocaine."

The researchers do not expect the vaccines to help addicts overcome the raw cravings for nicotine, or help with the anxiety or depression that accompany withdrawal. The antibody response is more likely to help prevent relapse in those who have decided to give up. No non-user has been vaccinated in the trials of cocaine vaccine. The cocaine addicts in the trial were otherwise healthy individuals who were increasing their risk of seizures, heart attack, hallucinations and paranoia. Volunteers came from counselling services.

Source: ASH Daily News 9^th September 2003 from The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Evening Standard 9^th September 2003.
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Revealed: Tobacco Giant's Fear of Teens Switching to 'Cooler' Drugs

Britain's biggest tobacco company was so concerned that it would lose market share to hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin that it examined a series of strategies to give its products a more 'rebellious' image - in a bid to make them more attractive to youngsters.

A previously undisclosed internal presentation made to BAT (British American Tobacco), shows that during the Eighties the company became concerned that the burgeoning illegal drugs market could eat into its profits and considered ways to arrest the possible slide.

Written in 1985 by a senior BAT advisor, David Creighton, the 'Structured Creativity Group Presentation' predicted that cigarettes would face 'competition with cannabis, glue-sniffing and possibly hard drugs - heroin and cocaine'.

The document, buried within the company's archives in Guilford, Surrey, concludes: "We must find a way to appeal to the young, who want to protest so that the product image, and the product, will satisfy this part of the market. The cigar and pipe market has an "old" image. Cigarettes will follow as something "my father and grandfather did".'

Source: ASH Daily News 8^th September 2003
Full Article

Stress 'Stops Smokers Giving Up'

People who smoke because they are stressed are less likely to be able to quit than other smokers. Researchers found smokers wrongly think cigarettes will help relieve stress. In fact, smoking exacerbates stressful feelings, experts told the British Psychological Society conference in Stoke-on-Trent.

They said counsellors helping smokers quit should tackle the cause of stress and offer other ways of coping with problems.

Researchers from Hillingdon Hospital in north-west London followed 550 smokers on a seven week cessation programme. The smokers received a combination of nicotine replacement therapy and group counselling.

Amanda Sandford of the charity Action on Smoking and Health said: "Smokers think that smoking is helping them to relieve their stress, whereas actually it's having the opposite effect. People are fooling themselves if they think carrying on smoking is going to help. For the professionals who are counselling smokers, it might be a case of finding out the causes of the stress and dealing with those."

Source: ASH Daily News 8^th September 2003 from BBC Online, 5^th September 2003
Full Article

Pssst.... hey you... wanna buy some bacci?

Smokers have been conned by a couple who pretended to sell them a sack of tobacco which turned out to be a grow bag. The pair managed to convince at least two people in Worthing and Brighton to part with cash.

One was working at a company in Hollingbury, Brighton, on Sunday afternoon when a man and an pregnant woman pulled up in a car. The victim said: "They said they had just come back from holiday and couldn't get to a bank. They said they had tobacco to sell and asked if I wanted some." He asked to see the product before he bought it, so they opened up their boot and showed him a black bag full of Golden Virginia rolling tobacco. He asked for £200-worth and drove to ASDA in Hollingbury to withdraw cash. The couple followed in their white L-registered Rover 316. The victim handed over the cash and the couple drove away. When he opened the black bag there were only four pouches of tobacco inside and a grow bag, worth a total of about £9. Later on Sunday night the victim bumped into a friend in a pub in Worthing who told him he had been caught out in the same scam earlier in the day at a car boot sale in Worthing. The Brighton man reported the con to the police.

A spokeswoman said: "If an offer seems too good to be true it usually is. People should buy tobacco from a legitimate outlet."

Source: ASH Daily News 3^rd September 2003
Full Article

Enzyme aids Heavy Smokers

Israeli researchers said yesterday they had identified a naturally produced compound that may explain why only some smokers get lung cancer. Smokers with low levels of the enzyme OGG1, or 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase 1, were five to ten times more likely to develop lung cancers than smokers with the highest levels, the team at Israel's Weizmann Institute found.

The enzyme fixes damage done to DNA by smoking. Writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Zvi Livneh and colleagues said 40% of the 68 lung cancer patients they tested had low levels of OGG1 activity, in contrast to 4% of a healthy group of 68 people.

Non-smokers with the lowest levels of OGG1 had a higher risk of lung cancer, although their overall risk was lower than that of smokers.

Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer, claiming a million lives worldwide each year. Up to 90% of all lung cancer patients are smokers, but only 10% of heavy smokers develop lung cancer.

Source: ASH Daily News 3^rd September 2003 from The Guardian, The Independent, The Times 3^rd September 2003. Full article

Heart warning over Second-hand Smoke

Being exposed to even a small amount of second-hand tobacco smoke may increase your chances of developing heart disease, according to Greek doctors. They found people who are exposed to smoke just a few times a week could see their risk rise by 15% in five years.

Their study of more than 1,900 people also found that over 30 years that risk could have more than doubled. Speaking at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Vienna, they called for a ban on smoking at work. An estimated 3 million people in the UK are exposed to second-hand smoke while at work. Many more are believed to be inhaling smoke from someone else's cigarette at home.

These latest findings are based on a study of 847 people with heart disease and 1,078 healthy volunteers by Dr Demosthenes Panagiotakos and colleagues at the University of Athens.

"Even a short exposure to second-hand smoke increases the risk of developing acute coronary syndromes," said Dr Panagiotakos. "The only safe way to protect non-smokers from exposure to cigarette smoke is to eliminate this health hazard from public places and workplaces, as well as from the home. A ban on smoking in workplaces might be an effective way to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke."

Source: ASH Daily News 3^rd September 2003 from BBC Online 2^nd September 2003
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Motorist Burned as Cigarette Ignites Fuel

In an horrific accident a motorist who filled his car with petrol while smoking a cigarette suffered serious burns when the fuel caught light. The man was engulfed in flames as he poured petrol from a can into his car at the side of the M5 near Wellington in Somerset. It is thought he had been driving north along the motorway in the early hours of Friday morning when he ran out of petrol. He bought a can of fuel, but as he was filling up the car the vapour ignited, setting fire to his clothes.

Source: ASH Daily News 2^nd September 2003 from BBC Online 1^st September 2003
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Red Wine is Good for You

Drinking two large glasses of red wine can counter some of the harmful effects of smoking one cigarette, according to Greek researchers. However, they found that certain properties of the wine, rather than the alcohol in it, appeared to produce the benefit.

Dr John Lekakis told the European Society of Cardiology meeting yesterday that his team had measured the function of the arteries of volunteers - who all smoked - after they drank alcohol, after they drank non-alcoholic wine and when they did not drink. One cigarette, smoked intensively, was enough to damage arterial function for up to an hour afterwards.

When the volunteers drank two 250ml glasses of red Greek wine at the same time as smoking one cigarette, the "harmful effect of one cigarette was suspended", said Dr Lekakis, of the department of clinical therapeutics, Alexandra University Hospital, Athens. For the third part of the experiment, the volunteers drank the same wine with alcohol removed, although the doctors said that because of its strong flavour, it tasted the same. Again, the harmful effects of smoking were absent in the arteries.

The research took no account of other ill-effects of smoking, including its role in causing cancer. This explains the Greek doctors' concern that smokers will use their small study among 16 healthy adults as an excuse to carry on smoking, as long as they drink red wine with their cigarettes.

"It is important that our findings are not misinterpreted since two glasses of wine counteracted acute smoking of one cigarette," Dr Lekakis said. He added: "This doesn't prove that regular consumption of red wine could possibly attenuate the harmful effect of chronic smoking."

What was important, Dr Lekakis said, was that it looked as if red wine contained powerful chemicals that could counter the effect of the cigarette. "This is very useful for understanding the mechanisms through which smoking induces arterial dysfunction," he said.

Source: ASH Daily News 1^st September 2003 from The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, The Sun 1^st September 2003

Smoking ban to stand says Irish PM

A ban on smoking in public places in Ireland will go ahead, Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said Sunday, insisting there could be "no compromise" on plans to outlaw it in pubs, clubs and restaurants.

The complete prohibition, to begin January 1st, has come in for sustained criticism from the hospitality industry, which fears that it will lead to the loss of thousands of jobs. "What the government has to do is finalise the directive" putting the ban into place, Ahern told reporters in Dublin.

Source: ASH Daily News 1^st September 2003 from International Herald Tribune 1^st September

Cigarettes, Pocket Diary and Pencil, Save Man's Life

A Chilean man who was shot in the chest survived after the bullet hit a pack of cigarettes, a diary and pencil. Jose Villalobos, 63, is convinced the contents of his chest pocket saved his life, reports Las Ultimas Online.

Mr Villalobos was outside his home in Talca, when he saw his wife being attacked by an armed man. He tried to fight the man off but was shot in the chest and also in the face. He said: "The diary, cigarette pack and pencil have saved my life, because of them the bullet didn't enter my body. It was a miracle."

After Mr Villabolos was shot, his wife ran after the attacker and bumped into her police officer daughter with another policeman. The man was arrested and Mr Villalobos is recovering from the wound to his face.

Source: ASH Daily News 28^th August 2003 from Press Association 26^th August 2003

Smokers risk of RA Doubled

Heavy smokers are almost twice as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as patients who have never smoked, according to a study. The risk is greater in men and remains for 10-19 years after cessation, the researchers said.

The study looked at 679 cases of RA and 847 controls in Sweden over a four year period. Smoking habits among all patients were recorded and whether the cases tested positive for rheumatoid factor (RF), a marker present in about 80 percent of patients with RA.

The results which appear in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (September), showed men and women who smoked - or had smoked - and tested positive for RF were 70 to 90 percent more likely to develop RA than those who had never smoked.

Source: ASH Daily News 28^th August 2003 from Pulse 25^th August 2003

Hollywood asked to Stop Smoking

Hollywood is being urged to crack down on the amount of smoking featured in movies. In a letter to the president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Jack Valenti, 24 attorney generals called on him to persuade the industry to reduce the appeal of cigarettes to teenagers.

"We are hopeful you will use your best efforts again here to rally the industry from being a source of the problem," the letter said. "Simply by reducing the depiction of smoking in movies, the industry can protect our nation's youth from the known perils of smoking."

The letter cited a recent study conducted at the Dartmouth Medical School, New Hampshire, that suggested that non-smoking children are influenced by screen idols seen smoking on screen. The study concluded: "If the link between exposure to smoking in movies and smoking initiation proves to be causal, our data suggest that eliminating adolescents' exposure to movie smoking could reduce smoking initiation by half."

Source: ASH Daily News 28^th August 2003 from BBC Online 27^th August 2003.
Full article

Singer and Smoker Charlotte Church - the New Face for Nicorette?

Despite her failure to quit smoking, Charlotte Church is being considered as the advertising face of Nicorette, claims the Daily Mail. The 17 year old singer has apparently tried to give up smoking and it is reported that the pharmaceutical giant is keen to recruit her for their latest campaign.

Source: ASH Daily News 27^th August 2003 from Daily Mail 27^th August 2003

Customs Pay Women £14,000 for Wrongful Seizure of Tobacco

Customs and Excise have been ordered to pay three women a total of £14,000 in compensation and costs for wrongly seizing their duty-free goods and their car. The friends, who work for a financial management firm and are heavy smokers, had £2,300 worth of cigarettes and wine seized at Calais two years ago.

Elaine Hart, an accountant, said her Vauxhall Astra had been held for nearly two years in a Customs pound and was now "not worth a penny". Customs seized the goods in the belief that the women were bringing them back for "commercial purposes". However, in May, a court in Margate, Kent, accepted the women's claim that the goods were for their personal use.

The court ordered that the value of the car, the cigarettes and alcohol, a total of £5,965, to be paid to the women. Yesterday, the court awarded the women a further £8,081 in costs, to be paid by Customs.

Mrs Hart, 43, Samantha Watts, 27, an administrator, and Alison Brown, 37, all from Gloucestershire, had 21,780, 250 cigars, 5.9 kilos of tobacco, seven bottles of wine, a bottle of spirits and half a kilo of pipe tobacco seized. Mrs Hart, the car owner, said: "This has been a two year nightmare."

Source: ASH Daily 27^th August 2003 from The Daily Telegraph 27^th August 2003.
Full article

Canadian government stands firm over F1

The federal government played hardball with Formula 1 officials yesterday, refusing to bend its anti-tobacco law to save the Canadian Grand Prix. The Prime Minister's office dismissed reports that Ottawa is considering a loophole in the legislation to please race organizers.

Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has said the Montreal race won't be held next year unless he receives a permanent exemption from a law banning cigarette ads. But Ottawa replied yesterday that its cigarette ban won't be repealed, leaving the sides at an apparent impasse.

"The government has no intention whatsoever of amending the law," said Steven Hogue, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Jean Chretien. At the present time, there is no question of changing this legislation."

Justice Minister Martin Chauchon returned Saturday from the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he led a Canadian lobby effort to save the race. He denied any concession was in the works. Granting the Grand Prix an exemption to the tobacco law is not at all on our radar screen," Chaucon said in an interview.

He met twice with Ecclestone and described their exchanges as "courteous" - even if they haven't yet resulted in Montreal getting its race back for 2004. There had been reports Cauchon would propose a one-year exemption to the law to save next year's race. The law has already been delayed for a seven-year grace period that expires October 31^st.

Source: ASH Daily News 27^th August 2003
Full article

Smoking ban fears for prisons, psychiatric units in Ireland

The debate about the impact of the forthcoming workplace smoking ban continues in the Irish press and concerns are now being expressed by groups other than the hospitality sector.

Prison service personnel have expressed concern that the smoke-free policy could adversely affect drug treatment programmes. A committee warned that cigarettes and tobacco products would become a "contraband which could rival the existing drugs culture" and result in "peer-pressure and inmate disorder". A spokesman said the smoking ban would be difficult to implement and cautioned against "an abrupt transition" to a smoke-free environment.

Similar concerns have been voiced by health board officials regarding the implementation of the law in psychiatric hospitals where a high proportion of patients smoke. Staff are particularly concerned about a possible increase in assaults on staff if the "all-out ban" goes ahead.

Source: ASH Daily News 23^rd-26^th August 2003 from Irish Times, 19^th & 21^st August 2003

Catholics warned over Dangers of Inhaling Incense

Irelands Catholic Church said yesterday it would take seriously a government minister’s concern over the threat to health posed by incense.

The health risk was raised by Jim McDaid, a minister of state in Irelands Ministry of Transport, who said the burning of incense could cause cancer. He highlighted the threat, particularly to alter boys and girls, in a comment on the Irish governments plan to ban smoking in the workplace from the beginning of next year.

Dr McDaid, who operated a medical practice before entering politics, and who supports the smoking ban, said he was not anti-church, anti-smoking or against the use of incense.

“But there is a serious aspect to this,” he said. “We all know that carbon is a carcinogenic agent, and wherever you have smoke, you are actually looking at carbon molecules. And wherever you have carbon molecules and happen to be inhaling them, then there is that chance that you will be doing damage. On a daily basis, we see people that are doing things that are detrimental to their health, and we all know they are doing that.” He said.

Responding to the minister’s comment, a spokeswoman for the Dublin archdiocese said although there was no official position on Dr McDaid’s remarks, any concerns about the use of incense would be taken seriously and subject to investigation by the church. “Given it’s been raised, I think it is seriously something that should be looked into,” she said. “Obviously anything that sends a cloud of smoke into a child’s face is something we would be concerned about.”

The spokesperson said incense had been widely used in the past during benediction and high mass, but was most often used now during funeral ceremonies, when the priest was performing a blessing over the coffin. Father John McCann, master of ceremonies to the Archbishop of Dublin, said he believed there was growing awareness about the potentially harmful effects of the smoke from burning incense. He said: “For example, in a large church building where there is plenty of space, I would be less worried. But in a small church building you have to be particularly aware, particularly if there are servers suffering from asthma.”

Source: ASH Daily News 22^nd August 2003 from the Independent 22^nd August 2003.
Full article

Lung Cancer Detection Breakthrough

New lung cancer scans for heavy smokers could prevent thousands of deaths, a new report in the Lancet suggests. Italian scientists have combined ct scans and radioactive trace PET scans to give more accurate detection rates. Ct x-ray scans alone can find false positive results.

Dr Ugo Pastorino of the national Institute of Cancer in Milan, used the technique to identify lung lesions in 29 per cent of 1,000 smokers he studied. However, screening is costly. Dr Sio Ming Lee of Cancer Research UK said: “The issues surrounding PET are complex and controversial.”

Pastorino, U et al ‘Early lung cancer detection with spiral CT and positron emission tomography in heavy smokers: 2 year results’, The Lancet 2003; 362:593-97

Pizza Hut outlaws smoking in all its restaurants

Pizza Hut is banning smoking in all its 500 restaurants across the country. The company said yesterday that it was the first nationwide restaurant chain in Britain to make the move, which was intended to protect consumers and staff from the dangers of passive smoking.

The company's older outlets already had a designated smoking area and it recently went further by making all newly-opened restaurants smoke-free. In the latest move smoking will still be allowed at the delivery-only outlets.

Brian Rimmer, the operations director for Pizza Hut, said his company "strongly believes that families should be able to take time to have a leisurely meal in a restaurant without exposing their children to other people's smoke. It is equally important that our staff can work in a smoke-free environment."

Deborah Arnott, Director of ASH, said: "This will be good for staff, good for customers and good for business. Pizza Hut is to be congratulated for taking this initiative and starting what we believe will be a trend for restaurants in the UK to go smoke free."

Source: ASH Daily News 18^th August 2003 from Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, and most other UK papers 18^th August 2003

Advice to Employers on Worker's Health

Further to the debate on smoke-free policies, the FT examines the legal implications of exposure to second-hand smoke.

In office buildings, many employers set aside separate smoking rooms. But the situation is trickier at pubs, casinos and clubs, whose employees often work in smoky environments.

Claims over passive smoking could become more common because society is becoming more litigious, according to David Gibson, of Dickinson Dees law firm, who advises businesses on workplace policies. He said there was no need for over-reaction but employers should pursue pragmatic policies to ensure the health and safety of employees.

Short of banning smoking, which can hit custom, owners of leisure venues can take several preventative measures to minimise the exposure of non-smoking employees, lawyers say. One of the most important steps is to keep lines of communication open in order to assess the employees' "levels of happiness".

Luke Menzies, a barrister at London's Stephenson Harwood law firm and an expert on employment law, said smoky venues should have "the very best ventilation that the business can afford." Despite the prominence of the issue, Mr Menzies said it was unlikely there would be a 'great flood' of smoking related cases. "The practicality of employees being able to pin a particular smoking-related illness on a particular job and with a particular employer is a big hurdle."

According to ASH, the anti-smoking group, proof was needed to show that a non-smoker's health was damaged by smoke at work. In the UK, no claim has been decided in favour of a claimant in a personal injury case but, in addition to a recent £50,000 out-of-court settlement for a casino worker, there have been at least four other settlements and a few ongoing cases.

Source: ASH Daily News 19^th August 2003 from Financial Times 19^th August 2003

Beating the Smoke Ban

The Publican reports on the findings of the latest Market Report survey of pubs and their responses to the Public Places Charter. The survey found that 88% of respondents said they were aware of the Charter and 83% displayed Charter signs. The survey also found that 46% of respondents now offer a designated non-smoking area in their pubs. The survey reveals that a greater proportion of rural pubs now offer non-smoking areas (59%) despite the fact that turnover is often less than their urban counterparts .

The report also notes that many smaller pubs claim there is no point in them installing non-smoking areas because of the problem of smoke drift. Also, given that smaller pubs make less turnover they are unlikely to spend money on installing ventilation systems, "especially if the government is indicating that it might ban smoking."

Source: ASH Daily News 21^st August 2003 from The Publican 18^th August 2003

Ed: The main conclusions The Publican draws from this survey are that larger pubs should be urged to invest in ventilation whilst small, rural pubs will inevitably suffer if a smoking ban is introduced. But as the study from the US reported above shows, ventilation and separate smoking/non-smoking areas are not adequate to protect the health of customers or staff.

Union warns Pubs of Action on Smoking

Pubs, nightclubs and casinos should brace themselves for a wave of lawsuits and a possible ban on smoking if they do not improve workplace conditions swiftly, trade unions and activists said yesterday.

The warning came after Michael Dunn, a casino worker, received about £50,000 in an-out-of-court settlement with Napoleon's Casino in central London, after he claimed he had developed asthma due to passive smoking at work. The GMB general union, which brought Mr Dunns case, said it already had four more claims "in progress" and expected several more.

The case highlights the increasing pressure being placed on employers and the government to ensure smoke-free places of work. Unison, the public services union that represents many workers in the leisure industry, said: "The next step is pubs and clubs rather than just an office environment. It's not just about customers there; the fact it is somebody's workplace too."

Both the GMB and Unison are campaigning for employers to have credible non-smoking policies while setting aside space for smokers.

ASH, the anti-smoking group, said large companies had made good progress in implementing such policies but Mr Dunn's case would force attention on pubs and clubs. The case does not represent the first payout for passive smoking in the UK, but it is thought to be the first to occur in the leisure industry.

Veronica Bland and Beryl Roe won out-of-court settlements in 1993 and 1995 respectively from Stockport council for alleged smoking-induced illnesses.

Calls for a ban on smoking in public have come from the Greater London Assembly as well as Brighton council in recent weeks, but legislation is needed to enforce such a ban. Several countries have passed legislation recently including Norway and Ireland as well as US States and cities such as California and New York.

Bob Cotton, chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, said his group would not resist legislation. "What we want is a sensible and workable piece of legislation. What I don't want is a law that is unfair to people in the hospitality sector."

The Federation of Licensed Victuallers, which represents publicans, said that pubs had spent alot of money on ventilation equipment. "We are not expecting a lot of litigation," it said. "The area where we would have concern is if the government tried to stop smoking in public places including public houses. That would put a lot of people out of work."

Source: ASH Daily News 13th August 2003 from Financial Times 13th August 2003

Casino Payout over Passive Smoking Claim

A casino worker has agreed a five-figure out-of-court settlement with his employer over claims that he developed asthma from passive smoking. The court case brought by the GMB is thought to be the first of its kind in England and anti-smoking campaigners are disappointed that it has ended without a public trial.

However, the union believes that the casino's readiness to settle and its insistence on a draconian gagging clause show how sensitive the leisure industry is about passive smoking and the possibility of a flood of similar claims.

Michael Dunn, 58, from Upminster, who worked at Napoleons casino in London for 14 years, claimed that he contracted asthma three years ago after breathing in the smoke of customers' cigarettes and cigars. His job as an inspector required him to be on the gaming floor throughout his shift. The GMB contended that tight security meant that the casino was inadequately ventilated. The union had intended to show that Dunn had never had any chest problems and was a regular marathon runner until he developed asthma.

Although so far there have been no successful passive smoking claims in Britain, there have been big payouts in America and Australia following high profile cases.

Two years ago in Australia, a Sydney bar worker was awarded £170,000 after contracting cancer which she claimed was the result of passive smoking.

The Dunn case occurred as the government comes under pressure to consider a ban on smoking in public places. Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, is also considering a capital-wide ban on smoking in pubs, clubs and restaurants.

Source: ASH Daily News 11^th August 2003 from The Sunday Times, 10^th August 2003.
Full article

Imperial to Roll Out 'youth' Rizla

Imperial Tobacco is to launch a premium priced 'youth' rolling paper called Rizla Silver next month. Rizla Silver will be the first major addition to the brand in over three years.

Already available in Europe, the papers will be thinner and narrower than the existing range. Rizla Silver is expected to appeal to younger rolling tobacco users, marking a departure from Rizla's traditional red, blue and green packaged papers.

One industry source says: "Imperial Tobacco wants to attract younger consumers, such as people who go to nightclubs, with Rizla Silver."

Source: ASH Daily News 7th August 2003 from Marketing Week 7th August 2003

Cigarette Butt Fire Engulfs Car

A woman's car as been reduced to ashes after a discarded cigarette was accidentally flicked through the window. Abe King had a lucky escape when she pulled over in Redhill Avenue, Bournemouth, after spotting flames leaping up to the roof of her Proton car.

The 20 year old was driving in Dorset on Tuesday morning, when she noticed somebody discarding a cigarette butt. She continued driving but later glanced over her shoulder to discover flames shooting from her vehicle.

Ms King said: "If I'd stayed in the car 10 seconds longer I'd be a goner."

Source: ASH Daily News 7th August 2003 from BBC Online 7th August 2003.
Full article

Smoking? Play sport instead

Don't light up. That was the message children spread at an anti-smoking day in Cheltenham. Fifty youngsters, aged 9 to 14, took part in sports to promote the message that non-smokers stay fit. The event at Linton House Clinic, home of Cobalt Unit Appeal Fund, urged youngsters to say no before lighting their first cigarette.

Sue White, a co-ordinator with the Cobalt's Smoke Busters group, said: "We encouraged the children not to waste their money on smoking and to keep active and fit."

Charlie White, 11, from Chase Avenue, said: "It's good to get the message across that smoking is bad for you."

Source: ASH Daily News 6^th August 2003 from Gloucestershire Echo 5^th August 2003

Ladettes in Cancer Warning

Hundreds more young women will develop mouth and throat cancer because of the growing 'ladette' culture of heavy smoking and drinking, doctors say.

Hospitals have traditionally seen more such cases among men, with 3,150 diagnosed last year compared to 350 women. But women are catching up, and the ladette culture of binge drinking and smoking associated with celebrities such as DJ's Zoe Ball and Sara Cox is being blamed. Among those most at risk are the rising number of single career women who often work in high pressure jobs and turn to drink and cigarettes to let off steam.

Nearly half of all mouth and throat cancers are associated with heavy drinking. Smoking increases the risk. Consultant Shaun Jackson, a leading head and neck surgeon at University Hospital Aintree, Merseyside, said: "Head cancer victims are getting younger and we are seeing more women in their 40's with signs of the disease."

Source: ASH Daily News 5^th August 2003 from Evening Standard 4^th August 2003.
Full article

Germany to Crackdown on Smokers

The German government wants to introduce tough American-style laws after years of "smoke wherever you want" policies in bars and restaurants.

Restaurants would have to set up non-smoking areas and there would be a ban on smoking in schools, hospitals and government property. The plans, which are in their early stages, are designed to protect Germans from the risks of passive smoking.

Marion Caspers-Merk, the Deputy Health Minister, told Bild am Sonntag newspaper: "Not smoking in public has to become what is considered normal."

Opposition politicians have responded warmly. Eberhard Sinner, Bavarias conservative Christian Social Union Health Minister, said: "My goal is a society which is as smoke-free as possible. Smoking is a war on health, especially the health of our children."

Source: ASH Daily News 5^th August 2003 from The Independent 5^th August 2003.
Full article

Helsinki: EU Health Chief backs Irish Smoking Ban

Irish plans to stub out smoking in public places were backed on Monday by the European Union's top health official. The ban, proposed by the Irish Health Minister, Michael Martin, would take effect in 2004 despite the restaurant industry fears that their profits will be hurt.

The EU's health and consumer affairs missioner David Byrne, who is Irish, said, "I believe the tobacco industry is manipulating and misleading people and targeting young people and adolescents because they realize that if they get them young, they're hooked." Byrne's remarks came during the World Conference on Tobacco and Health in Helsinki. The World Health Organisation estimates that by 2030 more than 10 million people will die each year from smoking.

Cancer experts said on Monday that the European Commission was looking into putting gory images of diseased organs on cigarette packets.

Source: ASH Daily News, 5^th August 2003 from Reuters 5^th August 2003

Beckham, Real Madrid and China Tobacco

Buffeted by corruption scandals, falling sales and an unprofitable diversification strategy, Hong Ta Shan (Red Pagoda Hill) China's biggest cigarette company, is seeking salvation in its home market with a foreign pitch.

For the sum of Rmb8m ($968,000, £599,000), the Hong Ta group is sponsoring the week-long trip by Spain's star-studded Real Madrid football team to two Chinese cities, including one exhibition game to be played in Beijing tomorrow. Hong Ta sees the Real Madrid connection reinforcing its image as China's leading cigarette brand. Real Madrid, in turn, thinks its sponsor can provide a platform to make the club into China's leading football brand.

Real Madrid marketing officials, quoted in a wire service report, said the team would make $9.1m (£5.6m) from the trip, which takes in Hong-Kong, Japan and Thailand, after the game in Beijing. The tour is significant for another reason: Real Madrid will be showcasing for the first time David Beckham, the England captain, who recently left Manchester United to join the Spanish club. Beckham adds real value to Real Madrid in Asia, because of the popularity of the English Premier League in China and elsewhere in the region, through broadcasts on the ESPN Star Sports joint venture channel.

Source: ASH Daily News 1^st August 2003 from Financial Times, 1^st August 2003.
Full Article

Exceptional Awareness Campaign

The French are almost as committed to Gauloises as they are to champagne and escargot - so Havas owned BETC Euro RSCG in Paris had to come up with an exceptional idea to get compatriots to quit.

Jerome Guilbert, BETC's head of planning, devised a strategy to tap into the new breed of activist consumer, dubbed the 'prosumer' and to encourage dissent against the evils of tobacco. "In every smoker there is a prosumer sleeping", he said. "We have to wake up that guy."

In the research smokers were shown a list of chemicals found in a certain product. Asked if they would fight to ban the product, 100% said they would. When told that the product was a cigarette, Mr Guilbert said "They were stunned. A strong insight emerged - that smokers are as sensitive as anyone else to dangerous products."

At the heart of the campaign was a 12 second TV slot announcing that a popular product contained traces of mercury, ammonia, hydrocyanic acid and acetone. When consumers rang a protest help line number, they discovered that the product was a cigarette, and smokers were offered assistance with quitting. The Hotline number was jammed with 1 million callers on the evening the ad was shown.

BETC judges the success of its campaign for the French health authority, INPES, by the 5.8% decrease in tobacco sales by volume between June 2002 and May 2003 - the highest annual decrease since 1994. [Brilliant!]

Source: ASH Daily News 1^st August 2003 from Advertising Age International 28^th July 2003

Call for New Anti-smoking Proposals to go Further

Health and Social Services anti-smoking proposals do not go far enough, says Senator Ted Vibert, who is calling for a ban to cover all places where alcohol is served as well as food. The committee's strategy, would, if adopted, lead only to a ban on smoking in public eating places - a situation which Senator Vibert has described as absurd.

He has lodged amendments seeking a smoking ban in all licensed premises where alcohol is sold and consumed. "My amendment would cover all discos and nightclubs frequented mainly by young people - a large target area for the proposed legislation." he said.

Fully expecting a backlash to his proposals from the hotel industry, Senator Vibert said that in countries where smoking in restaurants and pubs had been banned, the industry had fought a long and bitter battle against such a move claiming their businesses would be ruined. "Publicans always forget that many non-smokers just won't go into their premises because of the foulness of the air and stench of stale nicotine. Those people will come back and smokers will learn to change their smoking habits," he said.

Source: ASH Daily 30^th July 2003 from Jersey Evening Post, 29^th July 2003

Truancy is Bad for your Health

There has been a "significant increase" in the number of teenagers taking cocaine and ecstasy, a major new study shows today.

Cocaine use in older teenagers has risen since 1994 from 1% to 5%, and the number using ecstasy has risen from 4% to 7%. The findings come as new Department of Health research also reveals that a quarter of 11 - 15 year olds admit to drinking alcohol every week. Today's study, based on interviews with 10,000 pupils across England and Wales, shows that the amount drunk by youngsters aged 11-15 has doubled in a decade to more than five pints of lager a week. But overall figures show slightly fewer teenagers are drinking, smoking and taking drugs than previous studies revealed.

But while smoking levels in young teenagers fell during the mid-Nineties, there has been no change since 2000, with one in ten smoking cigarettes. As in previous years, girls are more likely to smoke than boys.

Pupils who skip school are more likely to smoke, drink and take drugs, the study shows. Truants are 30% more likely to be smokers, 35 % more likely to have drunk alcohol, and 29% more likely to have taken drugs than their peers who regularly go to school.

Source: ASH Daily News 30^th July 2003 from Evening Standard, Daily Mail, BBC Online, 30^th July 2003.
Full article here and here

UK near Top in Reducing Cancer Deaths

Deaths from cancer are increasing across Europe at a slower rate than was envisaged in the 1980's. Britain is among the countries with the best programmes for reducing cancer mortality. Although it failed to hit the target of 15 % set in 1985, it came close.

There were 92,500 fewer cancer deaths in the European Union in 2000 than predicted in 1985. Instead of 1.03 million deaths there were 940,500, according to figures published in Annals of Oncology. In absolute terms, this was an increase of just under 90,000 over the 15 years, about half what had been expected. This was largely a result of prevention rather than cure, with the decline in tobacco smoking among men being the principal change.

Only two countries, Austria and Finland, hit the 15 % reduction target set by Europe Against Cancer, but Britain, Italy and Luxembourg came close. In Britain the target was achieved among men, with a 16% reduction in expected cancer deaths. But among women the reduction was only 10%.

Source: ASH Daily News 30^th July 2003 from The Times, The Daily Telegraph 29^th July 2003.
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Give Smoking in Films an X-certificate say Doctors

Children are nearly three times more likely to try cigarettes if they regularly watch films showing actors smoking, according to new research.

A study published in the medical journal The Lancet found that watching role models smoke was the major influence on more than half of youngsters aged between 10 and 14 who had experimented with tobacco.

The study says the effect of seeing smoking in films is far greater than that of tobacco advertising, which influences a third of young smokers. The finding prompted calls from the British Medical Association and Cancer Research UK for curbs on smoking scenes and for films with such scenes to carry adult classifications.

The portrayal of smoking in films has risen in the past decade. A notable recent example was the film version of Chicago, in which Catherine Zeta Jones was shown smoking repeatedly. It won Oscars this year for best film and best supporting actress for Ms Zeta Jones, but also received the American Lung Foundation's "Hackademy" award for most scenes of smoking.

Jean King of Cancer Research UK, said: "Such films should carry at least a 15-plus age restriction."

In the past, tobacco companies have been willing to pay for stars to smoke in films. In 1983, Brown and Williamson paid £320,000 to Sylvester Stallone to smoke its cigarettes in five films, including Rambo. Philip Morris supplied cigarettes to many films in the 1970's and 1980's, including the popular PG-rated films Grease, The Muppet Movie and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, according to leaked internal company papers.

"There has been an alarming rise in the portrayal of smoking in movies classified as suitable for young people," said Dr Nathanson. "This kind of product placement has nothing to do with artistic freedom, and everything to do with effective marketing, particularly at children. Parents have a right to know whether their children's favourite film stars are being paid to push cigarettes. Any film that receives sponsorship from the tobacco industry should be required to declare that information."

Source: ASH Daily News 28^th July 2003 from The Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail, 27^th July 2003.
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The Tobacco Additives that Keep you Hooked

Some brands of cigarette are likely to be far more habit-forming than others because of the amount of highly addictive "freebase" nicotine they produce.

Scientists have found wide differences between different cigarette brands in the amount of freebase nicotine, which is quickly absorbed through the lungs and carried in the bloodstream to the brain. Just as smoking "crack" causes vaporised cocaine to reach the brain within seconds, freebase nicotine also has an almost instantaneous effect on the central nervous system, making addiction more likely.

The researchers, from the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, compared 11 cigarette brands available in the US and found that some contained between 10 and 20 times higher levels of freebase nicotine than expected. Professor James Pankow, who led the study reported in the Journal Chemical Research Toxicology, said: "During smoking, only the freebase form can [evaporate] from a particle into the air in the respiratory tract. Gaseous nicotine is known to deposit super-quickly in the lungs. From there, its transported rapidly to the brain. Since scientists have shown that a drug becomes more addictive when it is delivered to the brain more rapidly, freebase nicotine levels in cigarette smoke are thus at the heart of the controversy regarding the tobacco industry's use of additives such as ammonia and urea."

Source: ASH Daily News 28th July 2003 from The Independent, Daily Telegraph, Daily Express.
Full article

NHS targets smashed as smokers kick the habit

Nearly 124,000 people gave up smoking last year after receiving help from the NHS, exceeding government targets to reduce the number of smokers, according to figures published today.

The figures, released by the Department of Health, showed that, of the 234,400 smokers in England who set a date to quit in the year up to March 2003, over half had successfully given up four weeks later. This meant that about 123,900 smokers successfully quit after receiving help from NHS stop smoking services, compared with the target of 100,000.

The public health minister, Melanie Johnson welcomed the success of the smoking cessation programme set up as part of the government's strategy to reduce smoking related disease and death. She said: "As these results show the NHS stop smoking services are giving smokers a head start in giving up."

Source: ASH Daily News, 25^th July 2003 from Guardian online 25^th July 2003.
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Harold Wilson's u-turn on Tobacco Advert Ban

Plans by Harold Wilson's government to ban tobacco advertising were scuppered after Customs warned it could hit revenue, official documents released yesterday suggested.

A memo in July 1968 warned that banning cigarette coupons and advertising could jeopardise the government's intention to raise an extra £30 million that year from tobacco duty and "rock the boat" of the UK economy. The warning came as officials struggled to find a way to control the consumption of cigarettes without affecting revenue collection.

An earlier attempt to push the health campaign came from the home affairs committee, which suggested asking the BBC and the Independent Television Authority to make its popular characters non-smokers, according to the files released by the national archive in Kew.

Source: ASH Daily News 25^th July 2003 from Financial Times, The Times, Daily Mail, Daily Express, 25^th July 2003.
Full article

Lets all live to 65

Early deaths across the world could be cut by almost half if health risks such as smoking and drinking were eliminated a study said yesterday.

Global life expectancy would rise by nine years from 56 - 65. In Western countries the average age at death would go up 4.4 years. In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the rise would be 16.1 years.

The study in The Lancet showed the effects of concentrating on 20 known health risks. They included malnutrition, poor water and sanitation, high blood pressure as well as smoking and alcohol abuse.

Source: ASH Daily News 25^th July 2003 from The Daily Mirror, The Lancet, 25^th July 2003

Smoking Miner has Compensation Reduced

Former miner Jack Whitmore has had his £31,000 lung damage compensation cut to £3,000 because he is a smoker.

Jack, 71, developed chronic bronchitis after 15 years down in the pits. Jack, of Poole, Dorset, said "I know my illness is due to mining. The dust was so bad you couldn't see 2 feet away. But they say each year of smoking is equal to a year of inhaling coal dust".

The Department of Trade and Industry said a medical board assessed the claim.

Source: ASH Daily News 24^th July 2003, from The Sun 24^th July 2003.

NHS tells Patients to change Lifestyle

The first official NHS guidance requiring doctors to advise patients to change their lifestyles was published yesterday.

People with chronic heart failure must be told to play their part managing the disease by giving up smoking, exercising regularly and abstaining or cutting down on alcohol, according to recommendations for treating the condition thought to affect 750,000 people.

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), who's remit is limited to England and Wales, went further than any government body so far in suggesting that patients had a responsibility to make lifestyle changes to help health professionals manage progressive diseases.

Its new guidelines, designed to sit alongside professional advice from the royal colleges and other health bodies, represented the heaviest moral pressure yet on patients to use the NHS responsibly.

Source: ASH Daily News 24^th July 2003 from The Guardian, 24^th July 2003.
Full story here

First Tongue Transplant lets Patient Eat and Talk

The Times reports a truly remarkable operation, which also sadly brings home some of the devastating, and less regarded, consequences of smoking and tobacco.

Doctors in Austria have successfully transplanted the tongue of a dead donor into another persons mouth in the first operation of its kind. The tongue, from an unnamed donor, was chosen because is blood type and tongue size matched that of a 42 year old man who had a malignant tumour of the jaw and tongue. The 14 hour transplant was carried out on Saturday at the General Hospital in Vienna by Dr Christian Kermer.

He said: "The man had been suffering from a malignant tumour covering the right side of his tongue, the glands, the right lower jaw and the underside of his tongue. By the time he was admitted for surgery ten days ago, he was unable to open his mouth."

The transplant involved one team of surgeons removing the tongue from the donor in an adjacent theatre, while a second team cut out the patients tongue through an incision from ear to ear. They then connected muscle tissue, nerve endings, arteries and veins of the donor tongue to those in the recipients mouth.

Source: ASH Daily News 23^rd July 2003 from The Times, 23^rd July 2003.
Full story here

Will Formula 1 be able to give up its tobacco addiction?

Formula 1 has an acute dependency on tobacco: the industry has bankrolled the sport since 1968, and half the teams on the grid this Sunday will have leading tobacco sponsors. The big question now is whether the sport will be able to kick the habit once the tobacco advertising ban - originally agreed for the end of 2006 but since brought forward by 18 months - comes into effect. One team boss told The Times: "The sponsorship market is looking grim. Its been hard for all the teams, big and small".

Formula 1 offers an unrivalled mass-market promotional opportunity, attracting 300 million television viewers on race weekends. But there are rumours that at least one team has not yet secured any major sponsorship for the 2004 season. The search is made harder by the fact that few global brands boast the marketing budgets to afford the sports advertising rates.

Source: ASH Daily News 18^th July 2003 from The Times, 18^th July 2003.
Full article

Peers seek Smoking Ban

Everyone should have the right to smoke-free environment at work, particularly workers at Westminster, a Labour peer said yesterday. Lady Gale called for a deadline for smoking bans to be implemented in all public sector buildings. "There is overwhelming evidence that passive smoking causes ill-health." Lord Warner, a health minister, said his department's premises were already smoke free.

Lord Simon (Lab) said: "Some of the chemicals to which people are exposed from second-hand smoke include arsenic, DDT, formaldehyde- which is used as a preservative for dead bodies - and hydrogen cyanide, which they say was a gas chamber poison."

Lord Gedes (C) said: "We agree that there is overwhelming evidence of the damage to health caused by second-hand smoke and that smoke-free places are ideal."

Source: ASH Daily News 18^th July 2003 from The Daily Telegraph 18^th July 2003.

Softer Line on Channel Smugglers

Low level cross-channel smuggling is no longer a jailing offence if the excise duty evaded is less than £10,000 the Court of Appeal ruled yesterday.

But gangs of smugglers will still face the heaviest penalties of up to life imprisonment. In a group of test cases, the judges adopted recommendations for a softening of penalties.

Under the new guidelines, those caught illegally bringing in goods with a duty of less than £1000 will normally be dealt with by a conditional discharge or moderate fine.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 17^th July 2003 from The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, 17^th July 2003

Second-hand Smoking a Drag for Children

Health chiefs in Rotherham are backing a new NHS campaign that highlights the health risks to children of second-hand smoking.

Controversial TV adverts, which were launched last week, show young children and babies appearing to exhale tobacco smoke.

Around 42 % of children live in a house where at least one person smokes, and approximately one-third of all smokers say they smoke near children - more than four million adults nationwide.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 16^th July 2003 from Sheffield Today, 15^th July 2003.

Restaurant Smoking Ban Mooted

People could be banned from smoking in restaurants in Jersey, and the legal age for buying cigarettes could be raised to 18.

The plans are part of the Health Committee's new tobacco strategy which has been put to the States. In future there could be a limit on the number of places where people can smoke and teenagers will be discouraged from taking up smoking. Tobacco would go up by more than the cost of living every year.

Connie le Sueeur, Chair of the Jersey branch of anti-smoking group ASH, said it would be only be good for peoples health. She said: "We applaud this action very much. We would be very happy if it was realised".

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 16^th July 2003 from BBC Online, 16^th July 2003

Smoking Ban a Success says Landlord

Smoke doesn't get in your eyes in a Furness pub running a controversial cigarette ban. The ban has ignited the smoking/no smoking debate in South Cumbria.

Barry Postlethwaite, joint owner of the Ship Inn at Kirby insists smokers are welcome in the newly refurbished hostelry and says they can smoke in the attractive beer garden - where ash trays are provided - behind the 17th century pub.

Non-smoker Mr Postlethwaite said: "The smoking ban has gone down very well with customers."

In reply pub-goers, such as former Marton publican and confirmed smoker Tom Weall, claim a pint and cigarette go together like lager and lime or gin and tonic. He said: "Many pub-goers are smokers. It's a cultural thing. People got to a pub to relax and a smoke is part of winding down. The Ship has been beautifully refurbished but what happens in the winter? I can't see smokers going there to stand outside in the rain."

The debate follows hard on the heels of a ruling by the government's chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson that smoking should be banned in public places such as pubs. He said dealing with passive smoking, which contributes to lung cancer, heart disease, cot death and ear infection was the most important issue facing public health.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 16^th July 2003 from Northwest Evening Mail, 15^th July 2003

£50 Litter Fine Keeps Tabs on Smokers

No ifs...no butts. Drop a cigarette on the street of Halifax and a team of litter wardens are waiting to pounce and issue a £50 fine for anyone foolish enough to discard their fag-ends on the ground. More than 50 people have been caught already as a dozen plain clothes litter wardens patrol the town in a clampdown on litter.

The fine has been introduced by Calderdale metropolitan borough council in response to a public demand for a blitz on litter, and on one day last week 29 people were caught by wardens.

The council has placed a dozen of its environmental health officers in the part-time role of litter wardens and authorised them to issue the £50 parking-ticket-style penalty notices for dropping litter. If the fine is not paid within 14 days it can rise up to £2,500 and a court appearance. The powers to issue fines were granted to councils under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, although very few councils have adopted them, mainly due to the costs of running any anti-litter schemes.

Source: ASH Daily News 3^rd July 2003 from The Guardian, Daily Express, The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, 3^rd July 2003

Doctors Call for Ban on Smoking in Public Places

Doctors have called on the government to ban smoking in public places. A motion proposing a ban was passed overwhelmingly by doctors attending the British Medical Association annual conference in Torquay. Such a move would see smoking outlawed in restaurants, bars, taxis and all workplaces. Doctors said the policy is needed is to protect people from the dangers of second hand smoke.

Dr. Colin Hamilton, a public health doctor in Northern Ireland who proposed the motion, said there was clear medical evidence to support a ban. "There is a 20% to 30% increase in lung cancer and a 20% to 35 % increase in heart disease for people exposed on a long-term basis to second hand smoke" he said.

He praised the recent decision of the Irish government to ban smoking in public places and urged the British government to follow suit. He suggested the general public should be given time to come to terms with any new law. " The legislation should come in and then take some time to be accepted".

Source: ASH Daily News, 25^th June-2nd July 2003 from the BBC News, 1^st July 2003. Also reported in Evening Standard, 1^st July 2003, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, 2^nd July 2003.

Gene Defect Stops Some Smokers Quitting

The key to quitting smoking may lie in the genes rather than in willpower, a new study has shown. Some people have a defective gene that makes quitting more difficult but the same gene may protect against emphysema, scientists found. People with the gene are more likely to be light smokers, because fewer cigarettes are needed for them to get their nicotine fix.

Scientists in Japan took DNA from 203 present and former smokers with suspected chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and compared it with DNA from 123 healthy volunteers. Scientists have already identified a gene that assists the breakdown of nicotine in the body. But the Japanese scientists identified a mutant version of the gene, called CYP2A6del, which makes it harder for this breakdown to occur, and therefore makes quitting more difficult.

Source: ASH Daily News 25^th June-2^nd July 2003 from The Independent, FT, The Sun, The Mirror, 1^st July 2003.
Full article here

Spoof Labels Cover up Health Warnings

A website has begun selling stickers parodying the health warnings on cigarettes. Spoof messages such as "You could get hit by a bus tomorrow", and "Smoking makes you look hard" are among those being touted by the site. The designer, a non-smoker, said the stickers were "a good laugh" and " one in the eye for the Big Brother style of government intervention". Deborah Arnott, Director of ASH said: " I think its unfortunate they're trying to make a joke out of something so serious".

Source: ASH Daily News 25^th June-2nd July 2003 from The Daily Mirror, 27^th June 2003

Manchester & North-East Smoke-free Plans

Manchester and the north-east of England are vying to become the first smoke-free areas of Britain. Manchester City Council is planning to create a by-law similar to the one banning alcohol on the streets. A new anti-tobacco alliance has set a target date of 2006 for the prohibition of smoking in all workplaces, including bars, cafes and pubs.

Meanwhile, the Northumberland and Wear strategic health authority has applied for £5 million grant from the EU to help set up a new office for tobacco control for the region, which would include a programme to outlaw smoking in public places. Dr Eugene Milne, said the region had a much greater problem than the rest of the country, and therefore had to take a stronger stance on tackling smoking.

Source: ASH Daily News 25^th June- 2nd July 2003 from Manchester Evening News, 26^th June 2003, Newcastle Journal, 27^th June 2003

Smoking and Drug Abuse Traits Linked to Genes

People who drink, smoke and take drugs could be more at the mercy of their genes than was previously realised, research showed yesterday.

A study involving more than 20,000 people has suggested that particular genes can influence personality traits linked to unhealthy behaviour.

Cancer Research UK scientists at Oxford University pooled data from 46 separate studies looking at the link between human behaviour and inheritance. The research focused on genes that control chemicals used to transmit signals between brain cells. The findings were published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Researchers found that one version of the human serotonin transporter gene (5HTTP-LPR) was strongly associated with anxious personalities. Individuals with this gene variant were the sort who find social interaction stressful and may take refuge in substance abuse.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 18^th June 2003 from The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, Daily Express, 18^th June 2003.

Full Independent article

Smoke-free city in the Pipeline

Dozens of cafes and restaurants have signed up to a plan to make Manchester the first no-smoking city in Britain.

The city's anti-smoking tsars wants to promote "smoke-free environments" in all public places.

She is urging the council to use the Republic of Ireland - which is banning tobacco in all workplaces, including pubs - as an example.
The proposals are at an early stage and face a number of hurdles.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 17^th June from Manchester Online, 16^th June 2003.
Full article

Smoking During Pregnancy

Sons of mothers who smoked more than ten cigarettes a day during pregnancy have significantly lower sperm counts according to Danish researchers at Aarhus University Hospital. Their findings were published in Epidemiology (2203; 14: 278-286). They found that sperm density was 48% lower than men whose mothers didn't smoke.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 17^th June 2003 from the Times, 17^th June 2003

Smoking and Substance Abuse

UK researchers have discovered the link between substance use and psychiatric disorders among adolescents is mainly accounted for by regular smoking.

Evidence has suggested that substance use was strongly associated with psychiatric disorders in both adults and adolescents. However, it was unclear which substances was most strongly linked with psychiatric disorders.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 17^th June 2003 from Clinnix, 16^th June 2003. Full article

Most Kids Exposed to Passive Smoke

Seven out of ten British children are exposed to passive smoking in cafes, restaurants and pubs according to a new survey.

More than half complained in a poll that they had to breath in cigarette smoke in their own home or a friend's or relative's.

Cancer Research UK found that 91% of kids were exposed to smoke either in the home or out and about. Almost 2,500 youngsters aged between 11 and 16 were quizzed.

Jean King, from Cancer Researcher, said: "Passive smoking is a serious risk to health. It is not acceptable that children are being exposed to this level of environmental tobacco smoke. A ban on smoking in public places will significantly reduce children's exposure. Smoke free public places must become the norm, not the exception."

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 30^th May 2003 from The Sun, 30^th May 2003

Thai Schools made Smoke-free Zones

Parents and staff are to be banned from smoking in or around 2,000 schools in Thailand in an effort to improve pupils health.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said those breaking the new rule would be fined up to £35 - around one and half times the average weekly income.

Permanent secretary Nathanon Thavisin said parents had been seen lighting up outside schools or in playgrounds while they waited for their children.

Teachers, who were previously permitted to smoke in staff rooms and private rooms, will now be banned from smoking on school premises or outside.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 29^th May 2003 from BBC Online, 27^th May 2003

Breast-feeding Better for Babies of Smoking Mothers

Breast-feeding may be able to compensate for the harmful effects of smoking during pregnancy, a new study in the Netherlands has indicated.

Researchers followed the educational progress of 570 children born in one Dutch hospital between 1975 and 1978. Details of the smoking habits of their mothers and the results of maths, spelling and reading tests taken by the children up to the age of nine were analysed.

The researchers found a link between poor performance in the tests and maternal smoking during pregnancy, but only in babies who were bottle-fed. Those who were breast-fed showed no evidence of reduced performance, the team reports in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 29^th May 2003 from The Times, 29^th May 2003

Smoking Ban could Close Cannabis Cafes

For the Netherlands' famous network of cannabis-peddling coffee shops the high times could be about to be stubbed out - for good.

A tough new anti-smoking law due to take effect from January of next year is about to turn the Dutch work place into a smoke-free zone and coffee shops are not exempt.

Under the new law every company in the country must ensure that their employees are not exposed to tobacco smoke. Lighting up a joint in one of 800 coffee shops therefore faces extinction from 2005.

Coffee shops will still be allowed to sell joints but their customers will have to go outside to smoke. Unsurprisingly the country's marijuana retailers are not pleased. "We might as well just shut up shop," Dick Lanereis, the manager of two Amsterdam coffee shops, told the daily Trouw. "Just let them try and enforce this in the Hague," added a man called Gilbert who runs a coffee shop in the city of Nijmegan.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 29^th May 2003 from The Guardian, The Mirror, The Express, 29^th May 2003

Passive Smokers $5.37 million Payout

A New York jury has ordered Elite Model Agency to pay $5.27 million to a former employee. Victoria Gallegos, 32, said she was fired after complaining that cigarette smoke in the office had aggravated her asthma.

The Supreme Court jury awarded Ms Gallegos the money after finding that Elite subjected her to a hostile work environment and fired her because of her asthma and her complaints. Ms Gallegos was sacked in 1999, seven weeks after she was hired to eventually run the agency's New York office.

She sued under the city's Human Rights Law, which requires employer to accommodate employee's disabilities.

Elites lawyer told the judge that the company would appeal the decision.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS, 23^rd May 2003 from Aberdeen Evening News, 16^th May 2003

Exhibition Aims to bring Home Reality of Smoking

Photographs are being shown at an exhibition aimed to "steal back the techniques used by the tobacco industry" to remind people of the real consequences of smoking.

It is being held at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to coincide with this year's World No Tobacco Day on 31st May, which is homing in on the film and fashion industries to stop them promoting tobacco products. Eighty percent of the top earning films between 1996 and 2000 featured smoking ...

Sue Lawrence, one of the organisers of the exhibition said: "Tobacco advertising makes false associations between smoking and images of beauty, sexiness and desirability"

The exhibition runs from 27^th to 30^th of May

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS 23^rd May 2003 from British Medical Journal 24^th May 2003

Numbers of Smokers Rising

The number of smokers worldwide is rising according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). There are an estimated 1.25 billion smokers in the world, and nearly 5 million of those die each year from cancer and other smoking related diseases. This figure is expected to double over the next twenty years. The WHO estimates that one in five 13-15 year olds smokes and says that the percentage is rising, especially among girls.

Professor Sir Richard Peto, Director of Cancer Research UK Oxford Unit said "... Worldwide the only two big causes of death that are getting bigger fast are tobacco and HIV"

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS, 22^nd May 2003 from The Independent, New York Times, Wall Street Journal Europe, 22^nd May 2003

Smoking and Increased Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

New research has found that smoking may increase the risks of pancreatic cancer for those who have a family history of the disease. Smokers with a family history of pancreatic cancer may be four times more likely to develop the disease compared to non-smokers with hereditary risk, according to US researchers.

Approximately 6,700 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year in the UK, which is roughly 3% of all cancers. Although the majority of patients diagnosed with the disease don't have a family history of pancreatic cancer, in some cases there is a hereditary factor.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS, 20^th May 2003 from Clinnix Online, 20^th May 2003

Smuggling Scam costs Taxpayers 20m

A father and son led a huge tobacco smuggling operation which cheated the taxman of an estimated £20m over two years, a court heard. The father and son arranged for 'an army' of couriers to make around 3,500 ticketed journeys to France by sea and via the Channel Tunnel between June 1998 and 2000.

Tickets were bought through a Dover agency which recorded that 50 to 60 % of all tickets allocated for Hoverspeed's cross-Channel service from May to July 2000 were taken by those involved in the conspiracy.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS, 20^th May 2003 from BBC Online, 20^th May 2003

Watch Out on the School bus

Police are arresting approximately one person every week for smoking on buses. The statistic has been revealed by bus company Travel West Midlands. The travel firm and West Midlands Police have joined forces in Operation Safer Travel to cut the amount of anti-social behaviour by passengers. They promise to prosecute everyone who is caught smoking either tobacco or cannabis. The initiative is aimed at making people who use the bus feel more secure.

Source: ASH DAILY NEWS, 19^th May 2003 from BBC Online, 18^th May 2003