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FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
 Last Friday nominations closed for local body elections. I am sure we are all looking forward to exercising our civic duty in voting for the candidate(s) of our choice. I suspect, however, that for many,
local body elections are akin to watching the grass grow. I am ever reminded of
the saying that we "pay our taxes in sorrow and our rates in anger".
That said, there is one brave soul who deserves mention in this editorial. John McGrath
is standing for mayor of Wellington City, and has announced he will make all
Wellington City Council-owned sports grounds and parks smokefree if elected.
In his statement he said, "Smoking should not be seen as fashionable and it has no place on our sports grounds. Upper Hutt sports grounds have been smokefree for over a year and the move has the resounding support of the local residents".
It is good to see a candidate who has the bravery to promote the benefits of smokefree parks and, by extension, smokefree lifestyles. It would be really good if all other candidates, particularly mayoral candidates, were to take a similar stand.
Asking adults not to smoke where children play sends a strong message that smoking
sets a poor example to young people and is not healthy.
It may be that John does not win this race. However, for those of us for whom tobacco control is a passion, he has added a bit of colour to
this year's elections.
Good on you, John. Let's see who else, and not just in Wellington, has the gumption to take a principled stand on such an important community health issue.
In the next Update we will feature reports from the Death and Taxes
Seminar and the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference which happen next week. Keep
an eye out for the progress of the conference as 360 delegates from 17 countries
consider the theme "From Vision to Reality" as we look to the next big tobacco control
challenges in our region.
Have a good fortnight.
Mark Peck
Director
Smokefree Coalition
IN THIS ISSUE:
- An invitation to hear Professor Shu-Hong Zhu
- We want you at the "Death and Taxes" seminar
- Oceania Tobacco Control Conference
- The Quit Group update – July 2007
- Tobacco company Wikipedia edits revealed
- New award for promoting innovative uses of tobacco industry documents
- Cessation training framework draft needs your feedback
- Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids' International Grants: three positions
- Smoking Cessation Courses
- Through the smoke
- Smokefree shorts
- Quotable quotes
AN INVITATION TO HEAR PROFESSOR SHU-HONG ZHU
 A 90 minute seminar on interventions for smoking cessation by Professor Shu-Hong Zhu will be held on Tuesday 11 September at 9am at The Quit Group, Level 12, 57 Willis Street, Wellington. This will be a repeat of his presentation to the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference.
Dr Zhu, Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California in San Diego, is also Director of the California Smokers' Helpline.
His research focuses on interventions for smoking cessation. He is known for his work demonstrating the effectiveness of telephone-based interventions in public health settings.
For catering purposes please RSVP to Barbara Seddon, 04 460 9884, or
barbara.seddon@quit.org.nz by Friday 31 August.
WE WANT YOU AT THE DEATH AND TAXES SEMINAR
 The
"Death and Taxes Future Directions for Tobacco Taxation" seminar is coming up. It has been organised by the Smokefree Coalition and ASH NZ, and will be hosted in Auckland by the New Zealand Medical Association on Monday 3 September.
The theme for the seminar is the crucial role tobacco taxation plays in reducing
tobacco consumption, ultimately leading to a drop in smoking prevalence.
Two reports commissioned by the Smokefree Coalition and ASH NZ will be presented:
Tobacco Taxation in New Zealand, principal author Des O'Dea, and
Dedicated Tobacco Taxes – Experiences and Arguments, principal author George Thomson.
A cross-party panel of MPs has also been invited to participate in a forum on this issue.
Most of today's tobacco control leaders in New Zealand are agreed that a rise in tobacco taxation is crucial to the next phase of bringing the numbers of smokers down, and it is of vital importance that
the day is well-attended.
Please make every effort to be there, especially if you're in Auckland, so that we can put on a real show of force for the media who will be
present. Talk to your director or employer about being given the time to attend,
as it's one of those events when numbers will make a real difference.
It will also be well worth the time for any tobacco control worker. There is much to be learned from the reports that will be presented.
Please r.s.v.p. to director@sfc.org.nz. We look forward to seeing you there!
OCEANIA TOBACCO CONTROL CONFERENCE
 Do you work in tobacco control or have an interest in this area? Then come to the inaugural Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Auckland, 4–7 September 2007.
No matter what part of tobacco control you are involved with – there will be something for you in the programme. Visit the website (www.smokefreeoceania.org.nz) for detailed information about the conference, including the draft programme, abstracts for the keynote presentations, descriptions of the workshops and much more.
THE QUITE GROUP UPDATE – JULY 2007
A total of 3,193 callers were registered with the Quitline in July.
Approximately 25.7 percent of registered callers were Māori (822), 73.4 percent were New Zealand European (2,345) and 7 percent (222) identified themselves as Pacific peoples.
The highest proportion of callers was in the 30-34 age bracket, followed by the 25-29 age group.
Video Diaries featuring Tash Tawhara played on television in July. Quit is running more continuous advertising at lower media weights to ensure we can capture more incoming calls.
TOBACCO COMPANY WIKIPEDIA EDITS REVEALED
Now tobacco control advocates can look up tobacco company edits of Wikipedia entries.
According to a 14 August article in Wired, "Wikipedia Scanner" is a new data-mining service that traces millions of Wikipedia entries to their corporate sources, and for the first time puts comprehensive data behind longstanding suspicions of manipulation.
Investigators can submit their "most shameful spins" – and vote on others' finds – at
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/wikiwatch/.
Though there are almost a thousand Philip Morris edits listed from Philip Morris-associated IP addresses from around the world – 460 from Philip Morris's New York City headquarters alone – there are no tobacco company "shameful spins" referenced... yet.
Users of the Wikipedia Scanner may also submit their own requests for company
IP searches.
Tobacco BBS, 16 August 2007
http://www.tobacco.org/resources/general/wikiscanner.html
NEW AWARD PROMOTING INNOVATIVE USES OF TOBACCO INDUSTRY DOCUMENTS
The Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University, Boston and the University of California's San Francisco Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education are offering a new award to promote innovative uses of tobacco industry documents.
The award will also recognise research, policy, and advocacy contributions that resulted in tangible, positive actions from traditional or innovative uses of tobacco industry documents.
The winner of this year's award will receive US$2,500 and will be honoured during the National Conference on Tobacco or Health in Minneapolis, on 25 October, 2007. Nominations are due 31 August, 2007,
5 pm Pacific Time.
Please submit your nomination online at
www.tobacco.ucsf.edu/documentaward.
For more information, visit the website. You can also email
nathan.sinclair@ucsf.edu or write to: Box 1390, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143.
CESSATION TRAINING FRAMEWORK DRAFT NEEDS YOUR FEEDBACK
The draft Smoking Cessation Training Framework document is now available for comment and feedback. If you would like a copy contact Trish Fraser, Project Manager, National Workforce Training Framework for Smoking Cessation Workers project:
Phone: 03 442 9236
Mobile: 0274 435 241
Email: tfraser@global-public-health.com.
The document is also now available on the NZ TAN listserv.
Feedback is required by 5pm Friday 14 September 2007. If you are working in smoking cessation or have an interest in 'having a say' please access the document from the NZ TAN listserv or contact Trish and she will email the document to you.
If you are not a member of the NZ TAN listserv and would like to join contact: Janine Paynter, ASH
jpaynter@ash.org.nz; Ph: 09 520 3074.
CAMPAIGN FOR TOBACCO FREE KIDS' INTERNATIONAL GRANTS: THREE POSITIONS
The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids' International Grants Program is
recruiting a number of new positions for its Washington, DC office:
SMOKING CESSATION COURSES
The following smoking cessation courses are available free to all health professionals. They 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 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 will be scheduled, with details to follow.
Please direct all registrations or queries to Jenny Ansley, NHF Cessation Training Coordinator, 03 366 2112, or
jennya@nhf.org.nz.
Napier (Denise)
Stage 1 – Wed 31 October
Stage 2 – Thurs 1 November
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Northland, Kaitaia (Denise)
Stage 1 - Tues 6 November
Stage 2 - Wed 7 November
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Gisborne (Mark)
Stage 1 - Wed 7 November
Stage 2 – Thurs 8 November
Stage 3 – Tues 6 November
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Wellington (Mark)
Stage 1 – Mon 12 November
Stage 2 – Tues 13 November
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Hamilton (Denise)
Stage 1 - Wed 14 November
Stage 2 – Thurs 15 November
Stage 3 – Tues 13 November
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Palmerston North (Denise)
Stage 1 – Thurs 22 November
Stage 2 – Friday 23 November
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Christchurch (Mark)
Stage 1 – Thurs 22 November
Stage 2 – Friday 23 November
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Dunedin (Mark)
Stage 1 – Thurs 29 November
Stage 2 – Fri 30 November
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Auckland (Denise)
Stage 1 – 27 November
Stage 2 – 28 November
Stage 3 – 29 November
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THROUGH THE SMOKE
This is an advertisement, reportedly from Wellington's The Dominion,
29 July 1914.
Tobacco advertising has become slightly more sophisticated since then...
The text reads: "All Blacks all smoke Old Judge cigarettes. At
half time, every time. They know they are the cigarettes that suit the
strenuous life. Kick for Old Judge.
SMOKEFREE SHORTS
 Where
possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to read the
story in full.
New Zealand
Frontline health professionals have key role in cutting smoking rates – O'Connor
On Tuesday 28 August, Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor launched the latest version of the New Zealand Smoking Cessation Guidelines. The guidelines provide advice for health care workers in their day-to-day contacts with people who smoke, including those from priority population groups, such as Māori, Pacific peoples, pregnant women and people who use mental health and addiction services.
Beehive website, 28 August 2007
Smokefree Coalition applauds smokefree campaign plank
The Smokefree Coalition is saying "Good on you," to Wellington mayoral candidate John McGrath's announcement that he will make all Wellington City Council-owned sports grounds and parks smokefree if elected mayor.
Director Mark Peck says, "Not smoking where children play is a wonderful opportunity to present good role-modelling, and to send the message to young people that smoking is not healthy, and not a normal part of being a grown-up."
Smokefree Coalition media release, 23 August 2007
Steady progress on cancer strategy
"There are several reasons for this good progress – New Zealand's long-standing tobacco control programme, the recent push on the Healthy Eating, Healthy Action Strategy and the long-standing existence of the National Screening Unit," said Council Chair Dame Catherine Tizard.
Scoop, 23 August 2007
International
Pub landlord first to face jail after flaunting anti-smoking laws
 Defiant Hamish Howitt is to become the first pub landlord in England to be prosecuted under new anti-smoking legislation, even thought he doesn't smoke. Mr Howitt runs the Happy Scots bar on Rigby Road in Blackpool and will pay the pay the price of his open defiance of the new law forbidding smoking in pubs.
Blackpool Borough Council has announced it will prosecute Mr Howitt for allowing the premises to be used for smoking. A spokeswoman for the authority said, "We feel we have the evidence we need to prosecute in the courts and have told Mr Howitt what we are going to do."
Daily Mail, 25 August 2007
Prisoners' rights group fumes over smokefree jails plan
A prisoners' rights group is fuming over Quebec plans to ban smoking by jail inmates, either in their cells or outside, starting next February. "We do not understand why, because everyone in Quebec can smoke outside, and we don't know why the prisoners can't do that," said the president of Quebec's Prisoners' Rights Committee, Jean-Claude Bernheim.
CBC, 15 August 2007
Youth target tobacco "power walls"
Armed with more than 1,000 signatures and handfuls of brochures, German youth have been going store to store over the past month to get tobacco retailers to take down their tobacco power wall displays. Power walls are the displays of cigarette packages and other tobacco products usually found behind the counters at convenience stores, gas stations and some grocery stores.
New Hamburg Independent, 15 August 2007
Smokers drag down a workplace, study says
According to a 2000 Gallup poll, 95 percent of Americans, smokers and non-smokers, believe companies should either ban smoking totally in the workplace or restrict it to separately ventilated areas. A new study shows smokers have poorer-than-average work performance and productivity.
They also tend to call in sick more.
CNN, 1 August 2007
Stones escape fine for lighting up
 Bosses of the O2 Arena were cautioned but escaped a fine after two members of the Rolling Stones defied England's new anti-smoking law and lit up on stage. Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood smoked on stage during their concert at the new arena and newspapers reported that stewards scrambled to stop onlookers from following suit, even threatening to evict those who lit up.
In a statement, a Greenwich Council spokesman said: "We have reminded the O2 of their obligation to enforce smoking legislation.
We are satisfied with the assurances they have provided that this will not recur."
CNN, 22 August 2007
Cigarette sales drop nearly 7 percent in United Kingdom
In the wake of the smoking ban introduced in England in July, cigarette sales dropped nearly 7 percent. Smokers bought 6.9 percent fewer cigarettes in the four weeks to July 28 than in the same period last year, according to figures from the consumer research group AC Nielsen. Sales were down 1.2 percent in June, ahead of the ban.
The Guardian, 21 August 2007
Canada aims to cut smoking to 12 percent of population
Canada says it aims to bring the number of smokers down from 19 percent of the population to 12 percent by 2011, through tougher smoking bans and by clamping down on cigarette smuggling. "Reaching a 12 percent smoking rate is a very ambitious goal, but it is by no means unrealistic," said Health Minister Tony Clement.
Agence France Presse, 21 August 2007
Australian state to ban smoking in cars
The Tasmanian Health Minister, Lara Giddings, has introduced legislation to ban smoking in vehicles in which there are children under 18. Ms Giddings says it is an important step to protect children.
Radio Australia, 22 August 2007
Most smokers light up in front of children, Australian research shows
Many smokers don't realise smoking places their children at higher risk of death and serious illness, including sudden infant death syndrome, bronchitis, pneumonia, wheezing, middle ear infections, respiratory problems, asthma, meningococcal disease and childhood cancers.
Quit yesterday urged Victorians to make their homes and cars smokefree ahead of an awareness campaign on the dangers of second-hand smoke. "By creating a smokefree home parents are making a priceless investment in the good health of their kids," Quit
Acting Director Suzie Stillman said.
Herald Sun, 13 August 2007
New South Wales government to ban flavoured cigarettes
 The sale of cigarettes flavoured with confectionery and fruit will be banned in New South Wales amid fears they encourage teenagers to smoke. The state government has also called on the federal government to address the issue through import bans on the cigarettes.
New South Wales Assistant Health Minister Verity Firth said the state government was looking at the legislative timetable and would ban the cigarettes "as soon as practicable."
They are brightly-coloured and they taste like fruit and confectionery and, as we all know, smoking is still the major cause of cancer-related death in New South Wales."
The Age, 13 August 2007
Michigan beach smoking ban said to be working
Despite hot and smoking temperatures at Ottawa County's Tunnel Park, there was no one hot and smoking, nor at five other Ottawa County
beaches, where there have been smoking bans since 1 August.
"Smokers are few so far," said Parks Supervisor Bob Reichel, who oversees five of the six beaches, including Tunnel Park. "At this point we're letting people know about the smoking ban.
If county staff catch someone puffing, they will ask them to snuff it."
The Grand Rapids Press, 12 August 2007
Swede banned from smoking in her own garden
A Swedish woman has been banned by court order from smoking in large parts of her own garden following a complaint from a neighbour. "I will submit to the court's ruling but I am livid," the woman, who has not been named, told the daily paper
Sydsvenskan. "It's absolutely insane."
The neighbour, a lawyer, filed the complaint with the court in Vaxjo in southern Sweden saying he was obliged to wear a mask in his garden when
the woman lit up.
Yahoo News, 23 August 2007
Does the desire to consume alcohol and tobacco come from our genetic makeup?
Alcohol and smoking can be harmful, if not deadly. While the desire for these substances can be due to environmental cues, genomic factors also play an important role. The etiology of these desires is multifactorial and a result of complex interactions with the environment.
Adoption and twin studies have shown that the use of these substances is likely to be inherited. Such studies have provided evidence that one's sex can influence the genetic factors for alcohol and tobacco use.
Eurekalert, 10 August 2007
Teens ignore smoking health warnings
 Nictotine-addicted teens are gambling with their lives by smoking, despite millions of dollars spent on anti-tobacco campaigns. During one morning's rush hour, the
Herald Sun saw dozens of teens in school uniform smoking at Flinders St Station (Melbourne).
Students as young as 13 said they were aware of the dangers of smoking. One 15-year-old boy said he needed a fag before school to "Wake me up in the morning." A 17-year-old schoolgirl, who said she had been smoking for nine years, said, "If you smoke, you smoke.
You're not going to change your mind just because someone tells you not to."
Several teens said their parents were aware they smoked.
Herald Sun, 22 August 2007
Report: More girls smoking in US, worldwide
Government anti-tobacco campaigns should target girls and women because surveys show teenage girls are now smoking almost as much as boys in many nations.
A report released at the 12th World Conference on Tobacco found that the gender gap in tobacco consumption among youths is closing. The report said there were no significant differences between cigarette smoking rates of 13 to 15 year olds in more than half of the 150 countries surveyed. The results of the survey, the first of its kind, were similar for other tobacco products.
Fox, 14 August 2007
Drop in number of children smoking in Ireland
The number of children and teenagers who smoke has dropped by over a quarter since 1998, a recent Irish survey has revealed. The
Health Behaviour in School aged Children Survey 2006 (HBSC) shows the significant decrease in the number of 10 to 17 year olds who say they smoke.
Irish Times, 22 August 2007
Use of tobacco in Islam
Since its discovery, the epidemic of smoking has spread all over the world. In our times, one seldom finds a house not afflicted by it. As early as the 17th Century, European countries realised the dangers of smoking and fought against it. Laws were designed prohibiting smoking and punishing violators.
Smoking was introduced to Muslim countries by Europeans. Its spread among the Muslims was similar to that in the West. The unfortunate fact, however is, that in Muslim countries, no similar measures were exerted to protect the people from it.
Yemen Times, 13 August 2007
Quitting on impulse may be a smoker's best bet
Smokers are often told the best way to nix their habit is to have a game plan, including a quit day and a quit strategy. But could that advice be counterproductive?
In a recent study putting that question to the test, smokers who quit spontaneously – without advance planning – had a greater chance of succeeding than those who planned ahead. The results, published in the
British Medical Journal, seem to flout traditional smoking-cessation guidance.
WashingtonPost.com, 12 August 2007
Does smoking have a future or is it history?
 Australia's most prominent and long-standing tobacco control researcher has written a major new "no prisoners" book.
Professor Simon Chapman's new book, Public Health Advocacy and Tobacco Control: Making Smoking History, may potentially upset players in both the tobacco industry and the health sector.
Professor Chapman first lays out a blistering critique of both ineffective and unethical strategies. Berating the World Health Organization for its 2005 policy of not employing workers who smoked, and openly questioning if the move to ban outdoor smoking had backfired by undermining public trust, the author is scathing in his assessment of media censorship. He is contemptuous about attempts to censor smoking out of movies, likening it to something more fitting of a North Korean-style state control.
HuliQ.com, 20 August 2007
Malaysian paper apologises for picture of Jesus holding cigarette
A newspaper catering to Malaysia's ethnic Indians published a front-page apology after causing an outrage by printing an image of Jesus Christ holding a cigarette.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi slammed the picture as hurtful and an insult to Christians, and called on people not to play with religion.
International Herald Tribune, 23 August 2007
Tobacco firm started front group
RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co created a front group in the mid-1990s to oppose tobacco regulation and kept its involvement in the group secret to gain greater influence with lawmakers, according to an article published this year by the
American Journal of Public Health.
"The Creation of Industry Front Groups: The Tobacco Industry and 'Get
Government Off Our Back,'" an article by Dorie E. Apollonio and Lisa A. Bero, contends that R.J. Reynolds created the Get Government Off Our Back coalition in 1994 to fight federal regulation of tobacco.
Kalamazoo Gazette, 21 August 2007
Smokers responsible for most of the litter in New South Wales
The NSW Litter Report 2006 surveyed 100 sites across the state, from riverbanks to construction sites, and found cigarette litter at every one of them.
Butts and empty cigarette packets accounted for 59 percent of all litter, an increase since the last report two years ago.
Herald Sun, 19 August 2007
Pitt study finds inequality in tobacco advertising
Compared with Caucasians, African-Americans are exposed to more pro-tobacco advertising, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in this month's Public Health Reports.
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the
United States, causing more than 440,000 deaths annually and costing more than
US$150 billion in direct and indirect costs each year; African-Americans
currently bear the greatest burden of this morbidity and mortality.
Eurekalert, 20 August 2007
QUOTABLE QUOTES
"Boo-hoo. You can't subject kids to 43 carcinogens and 250 poisonous chemicals and claim privacy. Get over it. The right to privacy doesn't extend so far as to poisoning kids."
James Gennaro, Queens, New York City, Council Member
New York Sun, 15 August 2007
"I'm sure his (actor, Bruce Willis's) chain smoking through the likes of Die Hard and The Last Boy Scout played a big part in getting me hooked on cigarettes for a decade..."
Nelson Leader, 16 August 2007
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