Category: People

Christmas appeal
People in the Philippines have been urged by a pro-health group to spare Christmas parties and gatherings from ‘lethal cigarette smoke,’ according to a story in The Manila Bulletin.
The president of the New Vois Association of the Philippines (NVAP), Emer Rojas, said his group was hopeful that smokers would allow their families and friends to enjoy the Christmas season without being annoyed by and worried about cigarette smoke.
“Let us stop ourselves from smoking, especially when we attend so many Christmas parties in the coming days,” urged Rojas.
The anti-smoking advocate said too it would be good if smokers made it their New Year’s resolution to quit smoking.
“The traditional New Year’s resolution would be a good moment for those who have been looking to quit smoking,” said Rojas.
“Let us just hope that having this resolution will not be just like others that are meant to be broken,” he added.
December 18, 2017
Teenagers are revolting
In the US, graphic anti-tobacco posters intended to deter young people from buying cigarettes might have the opposite effect, according to a HealthDay story citing new research.
The research suggests that the strategy of hanging such posters in convenience stores could backfire, prompting some teenagers to light up.
The HealthDay story described how the tobacco industry focused much of its promotional efforts on convenience stores, and how some states had tried to counter such promotions by requiring that these stores display graphic posters depicting the effects of smoking-related diseases.
For the study, researchers from the Rand Corporation created a replica of a convenience store in which the tobacco wall or display included also a photograph of a diseased mouth and the words “Warning: Cigarettes cause cancer”.
Four-hundred-and-forty-one adolescents 11 to 17 years of age were questioned about their views on smoking before and after they shopped in the fake store. About five percent of the participants had smoked before, and about 20 percent were considered at-risk for future cigarette smoking when the study began because they weren’t entirely against the habit.
The study found that some of the young people were more tempted to smoke after shopping in the store, though this reaction was noted only among those who’d admitted originally that they thought about smoking – not those who’d been sure they would never light up.
“Our findings are counterintuitive and suggest that some anti-smoking strategies may actually go too far,” said the study’s lead author, William Shadel, a senior behavioral scientist at Rand.
Whatever the cause, “our findings do suggest that policymakers should be careful when considering graphic warning posters as part of anti-tobacco education in retail environments,” Shadel said.
The Rand Corporation is a non-profit institution that works to help improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. It focuses on issues such as health, education and the environment.
The HealthDay story is at: https://consumer.healthday.com/cancer-information-5/tobacco-and-kids-health-news-662/graphic-anti-smoking-ads-can-backfire-on-kids-729222.html.
December 15, 2017
Thai e-cig ban challenged
A network of electronic-cigarette users yesterday pressed Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly to consider lifting the ban on the import, production, sale and possession of electronic cigarettes, according to a story in the Bangkok Post.
The Commerce Ministry earlier this year banned e-cigarettes and related products.
The chairman of the NLA’s commerce subcommittee, Siripol Yodmuangcharoen, who received the petition, said the group had backed its call for the ban to be reversed with information indicating that 160 countries allow the sale of e-cigarettes while only 15 countries ban them.
The group had claimed also that the ban on imported e-cigarettes resulted in a substantial loss in import tax revenues.
Siripol said the subcommittee would discuss the group’s demand.
Meanwhile, Maris Karanyawat, the network’s representative, said the group had presented its petition to the NLA along with the signatures of more than 17,000 people in support of the right of more than 11 million cigarette smokers to gain access to e-cigarettes.
The Post’s story is at: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1378195/network-fired-up-over-electronic-cigarette-ban
December 15, 2017
US equivocates on quitting
Not one US state funds tobacco prevention programs at levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP).
This is one of the findings contained in a report, Broken Promises to Our Children: A State-by-State Look at the 1998 Tobacco Settlement 19 Years Later. The report was published yesterday by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Americans for Non-smokers’ Rights and the Truth Initiative.
It finds that the states will collect $27.5 billion this year from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend less than three percent of that income, $721.6 million, on tobacco prevention programs.
And the $721.6 million that the states have budgeted for tobacco prevention is a small fraction of the $3.3 billion the CDCP recommends. Not a single state funds tobacco prevention programs at CDCP-recommended levels, and only two states, Alaska and California, provide more than 90 percent of the recommended funding.
But the report finds that states with ‘well-funded’, sustained tobacco prevention programs have seen remarkable progress. Florida, with one of the longest-running programs, had reduced its high school smoking rate to 5.2 percent, one of the lowest rates ever reported by any state.
A press note announcing the publication of the report said the US had reduced smoking to record lows of 15.1 percent among adults and 8.0 percent among high school students.
‘But tobacco use still kills more than 480,000 Americans and costs the nation about $170 billion in health care bills each year,’ the note said.
‘Today’s [Wednesday’s] report also highlights large disparities in who smokes and who suffers from tobacco-related diseases in the United States.
‘Smoking rates are especially high in a swath of 12 states in the Midwest and South, an area called “Tobacco Nation” in a recent Truth Initiative report.
‘Nationwide, smoking rates are highest among people who live below the poverty level and have less education, American Indians/Alaska Natives, LGBT Americans, those who are uninsured or on Medicaid, and those with mental illness.
‘These differences are in large part due to the tobacco industry’s targeting of vulnerable populations through advertising, price discounting and other marketing strategies.
‘By funding tobacco prevention and cessation programs at the CDC’s recommended levels, states can reduce tobacco use among all Americans. But most states are falling far short…’
The report ranks California as the top state for funding programs that prevent children from smoking and help smokers quit, while it put Connecticut and West Virginia, which each budgeted zero state funds this year for tobacco prevention and cessation programs, equal bottom.
December 14, 2017
Decentralizing sales
Zimbabwe’s tobacco auction companies have been given the green light to decentralize their operations during the next marketing season, which is due to start in March, according to a story in The Herald.
The move is expected to reduce the costs incurred by farmers in transporting their tobacco to the market.
The Tobacco and Industry Marketing Board’s chief executive Andrew Matibiri reportedly told The Herald that all three auction floors – Boka Tobacco Floors, Tobacco Sales Floor (TSF) and Premier – had been granted licenses to set up tobacco auction facilities outside Harare.
“Boka will operate from Rusape, TSF from Karoi and Premier from Mvurwi,” said Dr Matibiri.
With the volume of tobacco being sold by auction having been falling, concerns have been raised about whether it was feasible for auction floors to set up facilities outside Harare.
In the most recent flue-cured tobacco season, Zimbabwe produced about 180 million kg, of which 20 percent was sold by auction.
The Federation of Farmers’ Union (FoFU) welcomed the move, but urged the authorities to ensure there would be enough buyers at the new buying centers.
“This is good for the convenience of the farmer and it will reduce congestion at existing auction centers but we would want to see all buyers represented at the new centers to increase competition,” FoFU chairman Wonder Chabikwa said in an interview.
The Herald report said that Zimbabwe’s tobacco auction system used to be the marketing model of tobacco in the world, but that auction-tobacco volumes had shrunk as farmers, mostly those who benefited under the land reform program, had joined contract schemes because they did not have money to finance production.
December 14, 2017
Seeking pure health
Ajman municipality, part of the United Arab Emirates, is banning shisha smoking in parks, green spaces and beaches, according to a story in The Khaleej Times quoting the Al Bayan newspaper.
People who violate the ban will face fines of up to Dh1,000.
Al Bayan said the municipality was committed to providing a healthy and clean environment for residents and visitors to the emirate.
Khalid Moeen Al Hossani, executive director of the Public Health and Environment division of the municipality, said the ban was being imposed under the directions of His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, the Head of the department.
Al Hossani said the health and safety of individuals, along with their happiness, was the goal that everybody sought and strived to achieve.
Gardens, green spaces and beaches were the most important places for people to seek rest, the perfect atmosphere and pure health.
December 14, 2017
Range of options needed
The European smokers’ group Forest EU said yesterday it welcomed the scrapping of plans for a ban on smoking in Austria’s bars, restaurants and nightclubs.
The ban, a policy of the outgoing government, was due to come into effect in May 2018.
It was scrapped following talks between the Freedom Party and the People’s Party, which expect to form the next coalition government.
“This is defeat for smokers’ ostracization and a great victory for tolerance,” said Guillaume Périgois, director of Forest EU.
“Governments in Europe must review their smoking ban laws to accommodate smokers without inconveniencing those who don’t want to be exposed to tobacco smoke.
“Options should include separate, properly ventilated smoking rooms, as … is the case in many EU countries such as Austria. Regulations on outdoor smoking shelters should be relaxed so that people can smoke outside in a warm and comfortable environment all year round.”
Périgois called on the European hospitality industry to take a stand, defend its customers and call for the repeal of total indoor smoking bans in Ireland, the UK, Greece, Bulgaria, Malta, Spain and Hungary. It should call for the relaxation of national regulations so bars, restaurants and hotels could provide more sheltered outdoor smoking areas.
“Some countries that allow smoking rooms in bars, restaurants and nightclubs make them pointlessly punitive for smokers,” he said. “In Belgium for example, it is forbidden to have a television in smoking rooms. As if a TV could be bothered by tobacco smoke. This nonsense must end as soon as possible.”
December 13, 2017
Snus reducing harm
Life expectancy has increased for all groups in Sweden except women with low educational attainment, and a sociology researcher believes that could be due to these women smoking at a time when Swedish men have mostly transitioned to snus, according to a EurekAlert! story relayed by the TMA.
Deaths from smoking are said to be three times more common among women with a compulsory education only than among those with a university education.
Deaths from smoking in Sweden had decreased among men and increased among women, particularly those with compulsory schooling only, said Olof Östergren, sociology researcher at Stockholm University.
“One possible explanation as to why men are less harmed by tobacco is snus,” said Östergren.
“Snus isn’t as dangerous as smoking, and it’s much more common among men than [among] women.”
At the same time, a stressful life situation can make the body more susceptible to the damaging effects of tobacco and alcohol, which means that differences in mortality depend both on behavioural differences and social and economic differences.
December 13, 2017
Smoking-rate rise in Mexico
Smoking rates in Mexico increased during the past five years despite campaigns, initiatives and laws aimed at discouraging tobacco use, according to a story in the Mexico News Daily citing the results of a national survey.
The 2016-2017 National Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Consumption Survey showed that smoking prevalence among those 12 to 65 years of age rose from 17.0 percent in 2011 to 17.6 percent in 2016. During the same period, the average number of cigarettes individuals smoked each day increased from 6.5 to 7.3.
Of Mexico’s 14.9 million smokers, nearly 11.1 million are men, among whom smoking rates increased from 25.2 percent to 27.1 percent during the period studied.
There are about 3.8 million women smokers, but their proportion within the population as a whole fell from 9.3 percent to 8.7 percent.
The survey found that, on average, smokers spend 282 pesos (US$14.80) a month on their habit, with a pack of 20 cigarettes generally costing about 50 pesos (US$2.60).
Although laws banning smoking in public places such as restaurants, bars and workplaces went into effect in 2008, the survey called their effectiveness into question.
The survey found that non-smokers were exposed to the risk of passive smoking in public spaces such as bars, restaurants, public transport, schools and workplaces.
Meanwhile, the widespread flouting of a 25-year-old law designed to prevent the sale of single cigarettes is said to make smoking more financially accessible. Fifty per cent of smokers surveyed said they bought cigarettes from vendors who sold them separately, usually for about five pesos (US$0.26) each.
December 12, 2017
Limiting contacts in India
The Health Department of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu is setting up an empowered panel to implement measures recommended by the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), according to a story in the latest issue of the BBM Bommidala Group newsletter.
The panel will be focusing in particular on dealing with interactions with, or any kind of interference from, representatives of the tobacco industry.
The panel will reportedly comprise secretaries with the state government’s ‘Health, Home, Finance, Commercial tax, Registration and Law departments.
The Tamil Nadu government has already issued a protocol for its employees in dealing with the tobacco industry.
The protocol limits their interactions with tobacco-industry representatives and forbids them from accepting from the industry any contributions or services for themselves or their families, relatives or friends, including funds for research, policy drafts or legal advice.
Meetings between government employees and representatives of the tobacco industry must be cleared with the panel in writing.
December 12, 2017