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| Issue 68 | 6 June 2007 |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
While we've made incredible strides here in New Zealand, we're certainly nowhere near there yet. Cigarettes are still too cheap, and nearly a quarter of New Zealanders continue to burn their lives away (and the lives of their loved ones), three inches at a time. There is still much to be done, and if we're going to achieve a smokefree future for coming generations of New Zealanders, we are going to need an informed, and well-equipped tobacco control workforce where we're all on the same page and reading from the same road map. Nothing will help achieve that more than a conference of this quality. We've included the promotional piece on the conference once again, with a link to the website for more information about what's on and how to register. Early-bird discounts are available to 29 June, so get in early, and make sure you're going to attend. I really do look forward to seeing you all there. Have a good fortnight. Mark Peck Director IN THIS ISSUE:
GUEST EDITORIAL - IAIN POTTER
By the start of next year we will see clearer graphic warnings on cigarette packets, and the push for having tobacco displays removed from public sight at points of sale is gathering momentum. Indeed the last couple of years have been relatively good ones for tobacco control, and much has been accomplished. Does this mean we can now rest on our laurels? Is it time to take a breather and smell the smokefree roses? Hell no! Now, more than ever is the time to redouble our efforts and further refine our focus. Bringing about social change is not a matter for the short haul. It's time to build on the momentum gathered so far to keep the snowball growing, lest it dissipate. That's why I believe the coming Smokefree Oceania Conference is a MUST for every tobacco control worker in Godzone. I know that many managers will be concerned about the cost of sending all their staff to the conference but I strongly urge them to treat this event as a once in a lifetime opportunity. This will be the biggest, most important tobacco control-specific professional development opportunity ever held in New Zealand, and it is unlikely that we will see another like it for many years. With a range of world class speakers, the conference offers an opportunity to hear the latest in research, discuss emerging issues, use evidence to support our work and better understand how the vision of a smokefree/auahi kore Oceania can truly be achieved. It would be a false economy to ration attendance. If we want to continue to lift our game and increase our effectiveness, we need to keep improving our understanding and knowledge of tobacco control issues, and also of what others are doing, both here and overseas. This Smokefree Oceania Conference will help us all do this. No one in tobacco control should miss it. Iain Potter is the Chief Executive Officer of the Health Sponsorship Council (HSC). OCEANIA TOBACCO CONTROL CONFERENCEThe conference is being held in Auckland from 4 to 7 September.
Early bird registration is open for the inaugural Oceania Tobacco Control Conference until the 29 June 2007. The rate per delegate is $550.00 plus GST ($618.75), with any gateway event attendance running at $150.00 plus GST ($168.75). Those who have provided silver sponsorship for the conference will receive one registration as part of the package of benefits from this sponsorship. Please let your networks know about this conference. Registration and more information is available on line at www.smokefreeoceania.org.nz. Don't delay – time is marching on! NEW FUNDING WILL HELP PEOPLE QUIT SMOKINGThe Smokefree Coalition is welcoming an increase in funding for tobacco control, announced recently by Associate Minister of Health Damien O'Connor. Director Mark Peck said tobacco control had been under-funded for years, despite tobacco being the largest single cause of preventable death in New Zealand. "At last we are getting a chunk of funding that starts to recognise the size of the problem. An additional $43.6 million over four years will enable New Zealand's very capable quit smoking providers to offer quit advice to more people who really need it." He said funding to increase the number of health professionals who could provide smoking cessation support and advice would provide smokers with more opportunities to quit. "Ideally, smokers should be encouraged to quit every time they see a health professional - whether that's their practice nurse, GP, pharmacist or dentist. Coupling this with increased access to nicotine replacement therapy, and increasing the capacity of the Quitline, has got to mean more successful quit attempts. "These initiatives and the graphic new television campaign about the effects of smoking may just provide the incentive for many smokers to quit. It may also have the effect of discouraging smoking initiation thus providing a double whammy," said Mr Peck. New funding is also going towards:
Smokefree Coalition media release, 24 May 2007 SHOCK TV CAMPAIGN WILL ENCOURAGE SMOKERS TO QUIT
The Quit Group has welcomed the Government announcement that it is injecting $43.6 million into tobacco control over the next four years, including funding a new threat appeal campaign to highlight and explain the graphic warnings which will feature on tobacco products next year. Executive Director Helen Glasgow says the two television commercials graphically show the effect of mouth cancer and amputation caused by smoking and will be quite hard for viewers to watch. She says the television commercials will be an adaptation of an Australian campaign, which doubled calls to quitlines in some parts of Australia. "Evidence collected by The Quit Group reveals strong images showing the diseases caused by smoking are the most effective way of encouraging smokers to quit. Many smokers experience fear and disgust which motivates them to make a change." The Quit Group has also welcomed the Government's decision to put some additional budget into the free-phone national Quitline, 0800 778 778, to help ensure smokers wanting to quit can get help. Helen Glasgow says it's important that people who are affected by the graphic warnings on cigarette packets and want to quit can access support, advice and low-cost nicotine patches and gum from anywhere in the country. To view the Australian commercials visit: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/cancer_inst/campaigns/healthwarnings2006.html. Quit Group media release, 24 May 2007 CAMPAIGN TO 'BAN CIGARETTE DISPLAYS' – JOIN THE UPDATE LISTSERV
Join the Ban Cigarette Displays listserv and receive emailed updates on the issue. You can apply to join the list at: http://groups.google.co.nz/group/bancigarettedisplays. Other information on the issue is available on the campaign website at: www.bancigarettedisplays.org.nz/. WORLD SMOKEFREE DAY ROUNDUPWorld Smokefree was a hit all around the country again this year, with a number of organisations managing to achieve good media coverage of views and events. A short summary is included below with links to more information online. Teen smokers wouldn't smoke if given second chanceThe Ministry of Health marked World Smokefree Day with a media release about research revealing three quarters of 15 to 19-year-old smokers would not start smoking if they had the choice again. Dr Ashley Bloomfield, Chief Advisor Public Health said, "Our research shows about 85 percent of these young smokers believe they won't be smokers in their 20s. Unfortunately, the evidence suggests many will continue to smoke for many more years, some for the rest of their lives. Smoking tobacco is incredibly addictive and this finding sends a clear message to any young person thinking of taking up smoking – don't, or you will regret it." Scoop, 31 May 2007 Canterbury Whānau CelebrationThe CDHB's Hauora Matauraka Aukati Kaipaipa (Smoking Cessation) held a Whānau Celebration Morning which brought together current and former clients of the Aukati Kaipaipa service, a free smoking cessation programme for Māori women over 18 years and their whānau. Several champions – former Hauora Matauraka clients who have been smokefree for at least a year – spoke and encouraged clients who had not yet become totally smokefree. Scoop, 29 May 2007 Kids more likely to smoke if you doTaranaki District Health Board issued a media release about parents and caregivers as key role models in keeping young people smokefree. They mentioned the 2004 HSC Youth Lifestyle Survey Year 6 Report which showed those youngsters who had a parent who smoked were more likely to think they also would smoke in the near future. Scoop, 28 May 2007 New Quit Coach Directory launchedTo coincide with World Smokefree Day, the Lakes Smoke Free Coalition Group developed a smoking cessation Quit Coach Directory for the Lakes and Bay of Plenty region. Scoop, 31 May 2007 Smokefree Status Celebrations in MangereIn Mangere, the Heart Foundation invited residents to join in celebrations of their town centre's smokefree status. Mangere town centre is an open air shopping complex and is also thought to be the first centre of its type in New Zealand to go smokefree. Scoop, 23 May 2007 Ban petition coverageRadio NZ news ran a story on the petition by ASH, the Heart Foundation and the Cancer Society in support of banning retail displays of tobacco products. You can listen to the story here. BLOOMBERG AWARDS PROGRAM CLARIFICATIONIn the last Update we included information about the Bloomberg Awards Program and how to apply for a grant towards deliver high-impact tobacco control interventions. Dr Tony Reeder has kindly pointed out that New Zealand is not on the list of 'low and middle-income countries' eligible to apply for Bloomberg grants. THROUGH THE SMOKE
At first glance, this may not be the most eye-catching of images, but it is certainly one of interest. It's a portion of a picture from Running the Numbers - An American Self-Portrait, a series of artworks by Chris Jordan examining contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something. In this case, it's 65,000 cigarettes, equal to the number of American teenagers under 18 who become addicted to cigarettes every month. You can see this and other images from the series at http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=?view=XXX_09NNN/. If you scroll down the page a little, you can see some close ups of the individual cigarettes. SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandWhen you go down to the park
The sign reads: This park is a family area, Kaua o kaipaipa. Please do not smoke in our parks. The Wanganui Chronicle, 25 May 2007 $43m extra earmarked for war on smoking An extra $43 million over four years will be dedicated to stubbing out smoking in New Zealand. Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor said the money was tagged in the recent Budget and that tobacco control is a high priority for the Labour government. New Zealand Herald, 27 May 2007 Shops face charges over selling cigarettes to minors Community health officials running a controlled purchase operation targeting tobacco retailers in Christchurch were shocked to find the first two shops visited sold cigarettes to minors. Both shops are now facing prosecution and fines. NZPA, 21 May 2007 Māori Party looks to ban tobacco
Te Tai Tokerau MP Hone Harawira announced the details at one Auckland school where the anti-smoking lesson is being learned. The first draft of Harawira's bill would make it illegal to produce or sell tobacco in New Zealand. TV3 News, 31 May 2007
InternationalWhere the bloody hell are ya smokefree areas? The Northern Territory has been given the Dirty Ashtray Award for its government's poor performance in combating smoking. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Australian Council on Smoking and Health labelled the territory the worst performer for the second year in a row, creating a special Golden Ashtray Award for its consistently low achievement. Sydney Morning Herald, 26 May 2007 Only 100 percent smokefree environments adequately protect The World Health Organization (WHO) has signalled the urgent need for countries to make all indoor public places and workplaces 100 percent smokefree with the release of its new policy recommendations on protection from exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke in advance of World No Tobacco Day. "The evidence is clear, there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke," said the WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan. World Health Organization media release, 29 May 2007 Smoking still the biggie
Killing more than 15,000 people in Australia in 2003, it was responsible for 12 percent of all deaths in Australia that year. Next in line as the worst health risks were high blood pressure, high body mass, physical inactivity and high blood pressure. Waikato Times, 26 May 2007 'Light' cigarettes do as much damage We know that so-called 'light' cigarettes damage a smoker's blood vessels as much as regular cigarettes do, but now a small study has produced new evidence to this effect. Researchers in Turkey found that among healthy young adults, those who smoked showed signs of poorer blood flow to the heart - and it didn't matter if their cigarette of choice was light or regular. Stuff, 25 May 2007 Chinese up in smoke The World Health Organization has urged China to introduce comprehensive laws to reduce the number of smokers, or it could kill 2.2 million Chinese a year by 2020. China is the world's biggest cigarette producer and Chinese are the world's most prolific smokers. A packet of cigarettes can cost as little as NZ11 cents. The Dominion Post, 31 May 2007 Kick smoking with an 'e-cigarette'
Golden Dragon Group's Ruyan cigarettes are battery-powered, cigarette-shaped devices that deliver nicotine to inhalers in a bid to emulate actual smoking, and nicotine is delivered to the lungs within 7 to 10 seconds. Stuff, 12 May 2007
Spanish bars still smoky despite tobacco law Spanish smokers are still puffing away furiously in the nation's bars and restaurants despite a law designed to create smokefree spaces, a recent study shows. A minimal 10 percent of small bars and 15 percent of small restaurants opted to ban smokers from their premises under the law which came into effect last year. New Zealand Herald, 23 May 2007 New European cigarettes will put themselves out Cigarettes that stop burning within two minutes of being put down are to replace conventional brands in an attempt to reduce the number of casualties from fires started by smouldering butts. The European Commission is to ban traditional cigarettes by 2010, forcing smokers to buy 'fire-safe' cigarettes that need constant drags to keep them alight. New Zealand Herald, 29 May 2007 Drivers face smoking ban
The Department of Health said last night that it would seriously consider a ban, which is also being looked at in Germany, Australia and America. The move was backed by anti-smoking campaigners but drew criticism from others as an attack on personal freedom. The Observer, 13 May 2007
Smokers unlucky in love To pick up, you need to butt out – that's the overwhelming view of smokers in a recent survey. The online survey of 500 single Australians found 67 percent of smokers believed stopping would increase their chances of finding a partner. Sixty-one percent of non-smokers said they would dump their partner if the partner took up the puff during their relationship. Otago Daily Times, 31 May 2007 Fashion mags anger some with tobacco ads Not long ago, fax machines and e-mail inboxes at Vogue, the world's premier fashion magazine, were briefly assaulted with thousands of angry letters. Not about the latest gorgeously photographed fashion trends or beauty products in its influential pages, but about a single, colourful ad for Camel No 9 cigarettes. "If you draw income from the advertisement of tobacco," wrote one reader, "you are as guilty as big tobacco companies in selling the health and future of so many of our youth in order to pad your bank accounts." Yahoo News, 30 May 2007 One in five smokers believes it's harmless The Cancer Institute of New South Wales has released a survey showing more than 80 percent of smokers acknowledge that smoking will cause health problems, but 20 per cent still believe that smoking will not harm them at all. ABC News Online, 31 May 2007 Explicit anti-smoking ad rated M
The commercial launched by Quit Victoria shows surgeons from Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital removing fatty deposits in a main artery in a woman's neck. The Melbourne Age, 31 May 2007
Smoking ban fuels pub building binge New South Wales pubs and clubs have spent more than $800 million constructing new outdoor areas for patrons in a bid to sidestep the full indoor smoking ban which comes into effect on July 2. A State Government loophole allows smoking in areas with just 25 percent of the room and 10 percent of the ceiling and wall area open to the outdoors. Sydney Morning Herald, 26 May 2007 QUOTABLE QUOTES"Everyone is born smokefree and as adults we should be doing all we can to make sure young people stay that way." MidCentral Smoking Cessation Co-ordinator Marilyn McKay, Daily Chronicle, 21 May 2007 "Very few people start smoking over the age of 18, so preventing sales to minors saves lives." Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Alistair Humphrey, "This is about having the courage to throw out the murderers and take back our future." Māori Party MP Hone Harawira, on his proposal
to ban smoking in New Zealand by 2010 "A poll on our website last week showed that 46 percent of those who responded believed Marlborough's parks should be made smokefree, while the remainder thought it was a ridiculous idea." Editorial, Marlborough Express,4 June 2007 |
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Control Update, |
This week we're pleased to lead off with a guest
editorial by Health Sponsorship Council CEO Iain Potter. He writes about the
importance of every tobacco control worker attending the Smokefree Oceania
Conference coming up in September, and I would have to say I concur.
Tobacco control is progressing in leaps and bounds in New Zealand at
present. Since the passing of the Smoke-free Environments Amendment Act,
which made all indoor workplaces smokefree in 2005, we've seen massive swings in
public support for smokefree areas. It's pleasing to see, for example, that
many councils and authorities around New Zealand are now implementing
smokefree policies in more and more public places such as parks, sports
fields and stadia. Resistance from the public to these policies has been
universally minimal. 
Early Bird Registration
A shocking new television campaign about the effects of smoking will encourage smokers to quit, according to The Quit Group.
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65,000 cigarettes
Where
possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to access full stories.
New signage put up at Kowhai Park yesterday will remind smokers that they are in a family area, and ask them not to smoke. Santa Ponga (pictured), a member of Auahi Kore Smokefree Whanganui Network, said the District Health Board had an education policy through the Wanganui District Council (WDC) to promote smokefree parks and reserves. The Whanganui Smokefree Network. in consultation with the WDC, approached the Lions Club, which is on the Kowhai Park Committee, to place the signs in the park.
The Māori party has begun promoting a Private Member's Bill that would see every smoker in the country forced to quit.
Worse than obesity, alcohol, high cholesterol, road crashes, illicit drugs or unsafe sex – smoking is still the biggest cause of preventable death in Australia. A new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that of 14 preventable health risks examined, tobacco was the worst cause of disease burden and the single biggest killer.
A Chinese company marketing the world's first 'electronic' cigarette hopes to double sales this year as it expands overseas and as some of China's legions of smokers try to quit.
Britain's senior road safety campaigners are calling for a ban on smoking while driving, in an attempt to cut the number of crashes.
A hard-hitting advertisement warning smokers of the risk of stroke is so graphic it is the first in Australia to be given an M-rating.