 FROM
THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
In the 'it could only happen in New Zealand' category, I happened to be at the same coffee stand at the same time
as Health Minister Pete Hodgson yesterday. I'm not one to let a chance go by, and to be fair to Pete he actually asked me
what would make a difference in terms of tobacco control in New Zealand. It will come as no surprise
that I took the chance to push our "tax increase" message, although the rhetoric of recent weeks has caught up with me and he
had to keep correcting me not to say tax cuts! Naughty me. But we both knew what I was talking about.
That is the beauty about New Zealand. This stuff can and does happen. Try getting close to a Congressman in the USA
and see what happens!
Things are getting interesting at the Commerce Commission. I was informed yesterday that they are assessing all
the information that has been sent in from a lot of people about our complaint about British American Tobacco NZ.
Well done this team!
As I suspected though, they have not made a decision to investigate yet despite the weight of evidence. But the
story is now public (thank you Anna Chalmers from the Dominion Post) and the public will be able to judge if this is
an issue worthy of investigation or not.
Regulators in Australia have taken a very hard line and the
recent US court
decision makes clear the systemic lies of the industry over misleading
descriptors and second-hand smoke. The only way to deal with these people is through heavy sanction.
The Commerce Commission is caught between a rock and a hard place. If they take a soft stance on the issue they will be seen to wimp out, and if they investigate they take on the might of
the tobacco industry.
New Zealand authorities do not have a history of strong action against the tobacco industry. By contrast, the United States -
which has litigation history - is developing a strong precedent case book; and this is also an area in which we are being beaten
by our Australian cousins. Surely it is time we too got some runs on the board?
I say we need to keep the pressure up. Well done so far. If you want to help we have the forms here for you to access.
I mean, if Wellington can win a rugby match against Auckland, then the
Commerce Commission can make a good decision too!
Have a good fortnight.
Mark Peck
Director
Smokefree Coalition
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Smokefree Coalition delighted at inquiry prospect
- Don't hide the truth; just filter it
- Tobacco giants convicted of evil conspiracy
- New study finds cigarette machines inaccurate
- British snuff out cartoon smoking scenes
- Rothmans introduces no-name cigarette
- Smoking cessation courses
- Blast from the past
- Quotable quotes
- Media themes
SMOKEFREE COALITION DELIGHTED AT INQUIRY PROSPECT
The Smokefree Coalition is delighted that the Commerce Commission seems poised to begin investigating cigarette
manufacturers in New Zealand. The Coalition lodged a complaint against British American Tobacco (BATNZ) under the Fair Trading
Act 1986, alleging that the company made deliberately misleading statements about second-hand smoke, and about light and mild
cigarettes.
The complaint, supported by many key health groups, the Consumers' Institute and leading academics, said that BATNZ
played down the effects of second-hand smoke on its website by referring to research that was out of date and
methodologically flawed.
At the time of the complaint, BATNZ's website said that "claims against environmental tobacco smoke have been overstated".
This is an extremely unfunny joke according to Smokefree Coalition director, Mark Peck. "They chose to ignore current research
which has found clear and damning evidence of the harms of second-hand smoke in favour of an old study that they neglected to
mention was funded by the tobacco industry. If that's not deliberate deceit, then I don't know what is."
As recently as June this year, the US Surgeon General issued a report that said second-hand smoke caused disease
and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke. This report confirmed that second-hand smoke caused
respiratory illness, coronary heart disease and lung cancer, and that there is no risk-free level of exposure.
The second part of the complaint alleged that light and mild cigarettes are deliberately misrepresented as having health
benefits over full strength varieties, or are less addictive.
"Tobacco companies know full well that so-called light and mild cigarettes are just as addictive and harmful, and that
in fact, people who smoke them tend to compensate by smoking more deeply or frequently," Mark Peck said.
Tobacco companies in Australia will remove 'light' and 'mild' descriptors from their brands in a court-enforceable
undertaking, and regulations are also being introduced in Canada to ban the terms.
"New Zealand authorities do not have a history of strong action against the tobacco industry," says Mark Peck, "but
the overseas examples and precedents are now there. There's a growing feeling that the tobacco industry has been allowed to
get away with lies and deception for far too long. Hopefully, that is about to change."
For further information about the Commerce Commission complaint and the harm caused by second-hand smoke, see the
Smokefree Coalition's website: www.sfc.org.nz.
DON'T HIDE THE TRUTH; JUST FILTER IT
By Sneha Paul,
ASH Communications Advisor
 I don't know about you, but I enjoy going to the movies, and for me the best time to watch movies is during the
film festival. I recently went along and watched the movie Thank you for Smoking and I recommend it.
The story centres on Nick Naylor, PR extraordinaire, who makes his living defending the rights of tobacco companies.
The chief spokesman for the major tobacco companies, Naylor filters the truth in a convincing manner.
His job is to go on TV and intentionally shift the focus from the important topics discussed - lung cancer and smoking,
why tobacco companies 'advertise' to children, or Hollywood and smoking - to anything that makes tobacco control groups and
the government look bad. With plans to put 'sex back into cigarettes' he also recruits a Hollywood agent to promote smoking
in movies.
As one commentator says of the movie, Naylor's PR prevalence contributes to the death of thousands, and he's in danger
of losing whatever humanity he has left. He comforts himself by saying that he is good at what he does, plus he's got to pay
a mortgage. Naylor is so good at his job he's managed to fool even himself.
Recent dealings by tobacco companies around the world in general, and Australia and NZ in particular, have convinced
me that in this case art has imitated reality - the reality of the constant, continual, behind the scenes spin undertaken
by the tobacco industry.
News from Australia reveals that British American Tobacco ranks as the eighth most responsible company in Australia.
I'm reeling with disbelief and trying to comprehend this decision made by 'knowledgeable' experts in an ethics organisation.
Ethics! Whose ethics? Martian? Surely, even a lay person would know that a company that kills millions to make billions
cannot be socially responsible.
A place on a list for public relations spin is credible, eighth on a list of the most responsible companies must be a
late April Fools.
Back home in New Zealand, BATNZ has released its glossy, sophisticated, well written 2005 Social Report. This report
is appealing to the eye. It makes you want to pick it up and read it. It must have taken a lot of PR dollars to put that
together. Well done guys!
However, should social responsibility be measured by the quality of a company's 'social responsibility' report, or the
style of writing? I think not.
Read uncritically, the publication appears to give a reasonable picture of the company's situation. However, when
critically analysed, the publication is constructed with deceptive, manipulative language, disingenuous and hypocritical
declarations.
The company claims that the 2005 social report "is part of an ongoing effort to report back on our social, economic
and environmental performance in an open and transparent manner."
Why not be transparent about dealings with dairy owners to promote cigarettes, or how about some transparency in why
they continually oppose stronger regulations?
BATNZ's General Manager Peter Henriques says that they are "always open to feedback and welcome any comments or
concerns about our Social Report or any other element of how we conduct ourselves at BATNZ."
I believe it is time people asked him why the company does not address the 5000 lives lost in NZ every year due to smoking,
or the numbers of teenagers who start smoking every year, or why the company funds tobacco control programmes that are not
effective.
Why do they put profits over people and constantly spin a tale of lies, deceit and death?
Perhaps, as portrayed in the movie, they justify it by comforting themselves that it is okay to filter the truth as
long as it pays the mortgage.
TOBACCO GIANTS CONVICTED OF EVIL CONSPIRACY
A US judge has convicted the tobacco industry of orchestrating a sinister conspiracy stretching back decades to cover
up the lethal effects of smoking.
Washington federal judge Gladys Kessler ordered a ban from next January on the use of terms such as 'light', 'low tar'
and 'mild' on cigarette packets.
But she prompted an outcry from campaigners by rejecting government demands for 'Big Tobacco' to fund a US$10-billion
stop-smoking campaign. Nor did she agree to forbid cigarette advertising in motor sports.
Nevertheless, Kessler endorsed the government's central argument that the tobacco giants had systematically tried to
distort the fact that smoking kills.
One of the defendants, Philip Morris's parent Altria Group, said it would appeal on the grounds that much of Kessler's
decision was not supported by the law and appeared to be 'constitutionally impermissible'. The other defendants were American
Tobacco, British American Tobacco (BAT), Brown and Williamson Tobacco, Lorillard Tobacco and RJ Reynolds Tobacco.
Kessler ordered the firms to take out advertisements on national television and in major newspapers to spell out the
truth about smoking.
The Department of Justice said it was "pleased with the court's finding of liability on the part of the defendants,
but disappointed the court did not impose all of the remedies sought by the government."
"Nevertheless, we are hopeful that the remedies that were imposed by the court can have a significant, positive impact on the
health of the American public," it said in a brief statement.
Using an anti-racketeering law that was designed to hunt down gangland mobsters, the government sued the tobacco
industry in 1999, alleging it had pursued an elaborate conspiracy to cover up the risks of smoking. The lawsuit came a year
after American states won a landmark settlement worth $US246 billion aimed at recovering the costs of treating smokers from
the tobacco industry.
Cigarette makers will be back on the defensive after Kessler catalogued their deceptions down the years, including
savage attacks on anti-smoking advice issued by the US Surgeon-General.
She noted that up to the 1970s, tobacco executives continually insisted they would be happy to remove any harmful elements
from cigarettes "if and when" they were identified. They knew full well from research by their in-house scientists
that nicotine, for instance, was highly addictive.
Daily News (South Africa), 18 August 2006
NEW STUDY FINDS CIGARETTE MACHINE TESTS INACCURATE
 All four machine tests currently used to measure tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in cigarette smoke fail to
accurately measure actual human exposure and provide inaccurate information to consumers, according to a new study
published in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. This study adds to the evidence that current
cigarette machine tests, including the commonly used method of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO),
provide misleading and inaccurate information to consumers and government regulators and should not be used as the basis
of either individual or government decisions aimed at reducing smokers' health risks.
The new study is important and timely as the World Health Organization, the ISO and government agencies are
debating the role of machine tests in the regulation of cigarettes. Some countries currently require cigarette
manufacturers to print machine-test yields of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide on cigarette packages, but the
researchers recommend discontinuing this approach.
"Given that cigarette yields are not associated with human exposure and cannot be used by individual smokers to
compare brands in a meaningful way, there is little or no reason to communicate numerical yields to consumers," the
researchers recommend. "Indeed, standard smoking regimens introduce deceptive differences between brands that, when
communicated directly to smokers, are often misunderstood and misused... As a consequence, regulators should remove
numerical cigarette yields from packages."
This study is also timely because nations are ratifying and implementing the international tobacco control treaty,
the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Among its many provisions, the Treaty calls on governments to
require tobacco companies to disclose the "contents and emissions of tobacco products" and make public "information
about the toxic constituents of the tobacco products and the emissions that they may produce". It also requires
effective measures to ensure that "tobacco product packaging and labelling do not promote a tobacco product by any means
that are false, misleading, deceptive or likely to create an erroneous impression about its characteristics, health
effects, hazards or emissions".
The new study's findings confirm that disclosing information based on machine tests rather than actual impact on
smokers will only mislead consumers. The goal of providing meaningful information to consumers can only be achieved
through a regulatory framework that gives authority to an independent agency with scientific expertise and broad
authority over tobacco products.
Previous studies have also found machine tests to be inappropriate for evaluating actual human exposure.
These studies have found that cigarette manufacturers have designed cigarettes to perform one way in machine tests,
but to deliver much higher levels of nicotine and toxic smoke constituents when actually smoked by people. They have
done so primarily by adding ventilation holes that smokers can circumvent either by blocking the holes with their
lips or simply inhaling larger quantities of smoke (a behaviour called "compensatory smoking").
In 2001, the U.S. National Cancer Institute issued a report that found that many of the changes in cigarette
design that had produced lower tar measurements in the ISO test did not result in any change in the amount of tar
and nicotine actually received by smokers and therefore did not reduce health risks of smoking. As a consequence,
the NCI concluded that the marketing of light and low-tar cigarettes was deceptive for the smoker.
Media Release: Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids, 14 August 2006
BRITISH SNUFF OUT CARTOON SMOKING SCENES
 They chase each other at high speed wielding axes and hammers. But the famous cartoon duo of Tom and Jerry are in trouble
in Britain for smoking on screen.
A channel airing the cartoons has agreed to cut scenes which glamorise smoking after British media regulator Ofcom
received a complaint from a viewer who took offence at two episodes.
In the first, Texas Tom, the hapless cat Tom tries to impress a feline female by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and
smoking it with one hand. In the second, Tennis Chumps, Tom's opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.
In a bulletin posted online, Ofcom noted "concerns that smoking on television may normalise smoking", and said that the
Turner company, licensee for Boomerang which aired the cartoons, had agreed to edit some smoking scenes out of Tom and Jerry.
"The licensee has proposed editing any scenes or references in the series where smoking appeared to be condoned,
acceptable, glamorized or where it might encourage imitation," Ofcom said, adding that
Texas Tom was one such example.
But it would not cut all smoking scenes, it added.
Ofcom said it recognised smoking was more generally accepted when cartoons were produced in the 1940s, 50s and 60s,
but noted that the threshold for including such scenes when the audience is predominately young should be high.
The Belgian cartoonist Maurice de Bevere replaced his famous creation Lucky Luke's ubiquitous cigarette with a blade
of grass, winning him official recognition from the World Health Organization in 1988.
NewsMax, 21 August 2006
ROTHMANS INTRODUCES NO-NAME CIGARETTE
 Rothmans Inc. has unveiled a new brand of cigarettes that, while nameless, will be instantly recognisable to most tobacco
consumers in Canada.
The brand features package design that is almost identical to that of Marlboro, the world's best-selling cigarette
brand (and the 12th best brand in the world according to the recent BusinessWeek/Interbrand ranking). The colours and
familiar chevron and coat-of-arms logo are the same, as is the signature tag line "Come to where the flavour is," but
the Marlboro name does not appear.
U.S. tobacco giant Philip Morris, which owns a 40 percent stake in Rothmans, also owns the Marlboro brand. However,
the Canadian rights to the name Marlboro are owned by rival Imperial Tobacco (the Canadian subsidiary of international
powerhouse British American Tobacco), which has sold its own brand under that name for decades. The packaging of the
Imperial version, as well as its tobacco blend, bear little resemblance to the better-known Marlboro brand sold by Philip
Morris, but until now the copyright issue has allowed Imperial to keep a key competitor out of the Canadian market.
By leaving the Marlboro name off the package, Rothmans has sidestepped Imperial's defensive measure. "Our belief is
that consumers will see the design, see the trademark 'Come to where the flavour is,' both of which are used by Philip
Morris in connection with the Marlboro brand, and we feel consumers are going to make the connection and recognize it as
an American-style cigarette," says Karen Bodirsky, director of public affairs for Rothmans. "We thought that using any
other name, or any name at all, would detract from the design."
Bodirsky says the idea had been discussed for several years, and represents a first in tobacco marketing. "As far
as we know this is the first time a cigarette has been sold with no name on the package," she says.
Cynthia Callard, executive director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, says the new development is the inverse
of what her organisation has been pushing for. "We said we wanted a package with the name on it but none of the brand
imagery. This one has the brand imagery but not the name."
The cigarettes, which contain a tobacco blend similar to Philip Morris' Marlboro brand, have been available in
Ontario since late July, are currently available in Alberta and will be introduced to the rest of the country in the
coming weeks.
Marketing Daily (Toronto), 14 August 2006
SMOKING CESSATION COURSES
The following smoking cessation courses are available free to all health professionals
and are facilitated by Denise Barlow,
or Dr Mark Wallace-Bell, Heart Foundation Smoking Cessation Specialists. Times are 9 am - 4 pm. Pre-course reading and
a pre-course questionnaire are required for stages 1 and 2.
Completion of stages 1 and 2 allows the participant to become a quit card provider. Stage 3 is for those who have
previously completed Stages 1 and 2 and have been working in smoking cessation for at least twelve months. Further courses
are being scheduled during 2006 - details later.
Please direct all registrations or queries to Jenny Ansley, NHF Cessation Training Coordinator, 03 366 2112,
or jennya@nhf.org.nz.
Hamilton (Denise)
Stage 1 - Wednesday 13 September
Stage 2 - Thursday 14 September
Stage 3 - Tuesday 12 September |
Napier (Denise)
Stage 1 - Thursday 28 September
Stage 2 - Friday 29 September
Stage 3 - Wednesday 27 September |
BLAST FROM THE PAST
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Retrieved from: 20th Century Tobacco Ad Collection Collected by Richard Pollay, catalogued by Roswell Park Cancer Institute
http://roswell.tobaccodocuments.org/pollay/dirdet.cfm
QUOTABLE QUOTES
"Cynical people might just say, well you're doing it because you want to appease the masses and try to
pass yourself off as a responsible company when you are in fact, selling death. To that, I'd say, come and
have a talk to us. Come and witness what we're actually doing in Cambodia. British American Tobacco IS a
responsible company. I'm very proud to represent them. We've got to remember at the end of the day, while
our product may be controversial, people actually enjoy smoking. There are millions of people around the
world who enjoy smoking. We recognise that some people don't like it. But there should be a bit of give and take.
There should be some tolerance from people."
Carrick Graham, British American Tobacco, Cambodia
Focus Asia, 12 August 2001
"It's true that babies born from women who smoke are smaller, but they are just as healthy as the babies born to women
who do not smoke. Some women would prefer to have smaller babies."
Joseph Cullman, then President of Philip Morris,
in a 1971 television interview
"Cigarettes in full view in shops are essentially a big billboard. Point-of-sale displays are common in corner
shops, where many under-age smokers buy cigarettes. A move to end point-of-sale displays would significantly reduce
the incidence of smoking, particularly among young people. The same applies to generic packaging. Branding is a powerful
drive for young smokers. The advertising ban has gone a long way in diminishing the effect of branding, but packaging
is still emblazoned with clear imagery."
Professor Gerard Hastings, member, Scottish executive Ministerial Advisory Group for Tobacco, director, Stirling
University Institute of Social Marketing,
Sunday Times, 20 August 2006
MEDIA THEMES
France to make restaurants smokefree
France is preparing to clear the air in smoky restaurants and other public areas starting next year.
The measure, which could be applied nationally from 1 January 2007, would bring France closer in line with Britain,
Ireland, Italy, Spain and Sweden.
"It's going to happen" for France, too, the country's health minister, Xavier Bertrand, told Wednesday's edition of Le Figaro.
The newspaper said the government was planning a decree announcing the new law, but would exempt casinos, nightclubs,
and tobacco shops.
"Congratulations to France," says Joe Cherner, President of SmokeFree Educational Services, Inc. "We are thrilled for
restaurant workers. We only wish the same respect for health was shown to nightclub and casino workers."
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin's office stressed, though, that "nothing is yet definitively decided." But it said
"the timetable is known", pointing to a parliamentary report on the issue due to be submitted in September this year.
"The government will announce its plan in the following month (October). The decree's application could take effect from
1 January 2007," the newspaper said.
News of the possible smoking ban came after a study published by Britain's scientific review the Lancet which said that
smoking triples the risk of heart attacks and all sorts of smoking - including passive smoking - was bad for the heart.
France has long shed its image of a country overrun with smoky bars and cafes, though tobacco addiction is still a
big problem despite successive government price rises that have made packets of cigarettes among the most expensive in Europe.
Smoking kills 61,000 people a year in the country and another 5,000 die of second-hand smoke, according to the health minister.
French cigarette consumption unexpectedly rose this year after four years of decline. About 30 percent of the French
population smokes, more than in any European countries except Greece.
Joe Cherner Announce,
JoeCherner-announce@smokefree.net
24 August 2006
Millions for anti-smoking
New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire and former smoker, has announced he is pouring US$125 (NZ$201) million
of his own money into a worldwide campaign against smoking, a cause he says is largely neglected by philanthropists.
Bloomberg's fortune is estimated at US$5.1 billion making him the 40th richest American and 112th in the world, according to
Forbes magazine. He built his wealth after founding the financial information company that bears his name, and he gives away
millions of dollars each year.
Gisborne Herald, 16 August 2006
Does Swedish tobacco have the right snuff?
When people think of Sweden, they tend to envision boxy blue Ikea stores or blondes. North Carolina-based giant R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco is hoping to add another item to that list: snus, the Swedish word for 'snuff.' In Sweden, a million adults use
snus - more than smoke cigarettes.
Unlike regular fermented chewing tobacco, snus is pasteurized, refrigerated for freshness, and packed in disposable
tea-bag-like pouches, meaning no spitting or chewing is necessary. (Snus may still cause mouth cancer.) Reynolds'
Camel-branded version,
called simply Snus, hit test-market shelves in Portland, Oregon and Austin in June.
Its arrival may help reverse the fortunes of U.S. tobacco companies. Cigarette sales have been declining 2 to 3 percent
annually. Smokeless products' sales have grown about 4 to 5 percent a year.
But the smokeless market's biggest gains have been at the low end, with cheap chew that can sell for as little as $1.75.
Snus, meanwhile, will retail for as much as $5 a tin - in line with a pack of premium cigarettes. Still, Philip Morris USA
and UST are testing the waters with their own versions, Taboka and Skoal Dry.
Let the snus wars begin.
Cecilia Nilsson Founder, Snusworldwide.com: "Snus has made an amazing social journey in Sweden. You used to just see old
men doing it. Now anyone can take out a can of snus in a business meeting and use it. There's definitely a business opportunity:
Smokeless products already in the U.S. market do not target the white-collar group."
Kenneth Warner Dean, University of Michigan School of Public Health: "About 20 percent of Swedish males use the product
daily. That's a very large percentage of the population using smokeless tobacco. It has not appealed to women in Sweden,
however, and that suggests there are barriers."
Fayaz Popalzai Manager, Cigarette World, Sunnyvale, California: "Everybody knows the
Camel brand, so anything else
they bring out, people will be attracted to that. If it is fancy packaging and the product is good - the best tobacco
and the best make - then people will want it. It might do well."
CNNMoney, 21 August 2006
New stop-smoking drug
Varenicline, a non-nicotine drug designed specifically for smoking cessation appears to be safe and effective according
to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Varenicline is FDA-approved and marketed by Pfizer as Chantix. It binds to
a nicotine receptor that's believed to trigger the rewarding effects felt with smoking. Because varenicline competes more
strongly than nicotine to bind to the receptor, yet has less of a rewarding effect, the investigators figured that it would
alleviate craving and withdrawal. Dr Mitchell Nides said the study randomly assigned 626 people to varenicline at three
different doses. Craving was significantly reduced at all weekly time points for highest dose varenicline.
Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 August 2006
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