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| Issue 75 | 12 September 2007 |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
New Zealand set an extremely high standard to follow for future Oceania conferences. It will be good to see what bids come in for the next one and maybe one delegate's hope that the next conference will be in Palau might be realised. An issue which has come into prominence in recent days as a result of the launching of the tax report and conference proceedings is the vexed question of how to remove the price advantage enjoyed by roll-your-own smokers. Figures showing that nearly 50 percent of tobacco consumption is now in the form of loose tobacco sends a powerful message. The matter needs attention. The price anomaly needs to be rectified with an appropriate tax increase. Failure to deal with this issue will needlessly condemn many thousands of people to continue smoking instead of making a quit attempt.
This study was done in response to comments made by the Hon Dr. John Reid who in June 2004, while he was the UK Secretary of State for Health (the same thing as the New Zealand Minister of Health), claimed that people in lower socio-economic categories "have very few pleasures in life and one of them they regard as smoking." He went on to say, "What enjoyment does a 21-year-old single mother of three living in a council sink estate get? The only enjoyment sometimes they have is to have a cigarette." Despite the extraordinary nature of this statement from a person holding high office, there was no evidence based reply to be made. Existing studies of the relationship between smoking and pleasure focused on smokers' self-reports of their motives for smoking. The quoted study is among the first, if not the first, which provides evidence to debunk the myth John Reid expressed. However, in no way can it be assumed that he is the only person of status who holds such views. One of our challenges is to educate our current crop of decision makers in the folly of this view. We need to do this if we are to encourage them to seriously deal with the necessary policy planks to becoming smokefree within ten years, and ultimately tobacco free. One of these urgently needing a serious rethink is the issue which has sparked this editorial, namely the huge uptake in the use of loose tobacco for roll-your-own cigarettes. I have run out of space. There is much more that could be written about the last week, but quite a lot of this is well covered in the special section of Smokefree Shorts below dedicated to conference coverage in the media. One last thing. I understand that new spam laws require that mailing lists have an opt-out facility. The ability to unsubscribe from the Update has always been included in the small print at the bottom of each one. This is just a reminder. If you don't want to receive the Update anymore, click on that link and we'll happily take you off the list. Have a good fortnight. Mark Peck Director _______________________________ 1 Lang, I. et al, "Was John Reid right? Smoking, class, and pleasure: A population-based cohort study in England", Public Health (2007) 121, 518-524 IN THIS ISSUE:
EXPERTS CALL FOR STRATEGIC TOBACCO TAX HIKESA long-term tax strategy is needed to double the price of tobacco products within 10 years. That was the recommendation of tobacco control experts presenting papers at the "Death and Taxes: Future directions for tobacco taxation" seminar in Auckland on 3 September. Their work was commissioned by the Smokefree Coalition and ASH NZ. The team of public health experts from the Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, say high tobacco tax rates significantly deter smoking and would result in considerable improvements in public health. They say an essential part of the tax increase strategy is the revenue being used to fund quitting programmes and reduce smoking initiation; particularly those aimed at low income, Māori and Pacific populations, where smoking rates are highest. "If the tobacco tax money was used to address the problem of smoking, smokers would be more likely to accept higher prices," says Dr George Thomson. Health Economics Lecturer Des O'Dea says, "Smokers would also be much more likely to quit, and young people would be much less able to afford to start, if the cost of cigarettes and tobacco were higher." They say while smokers in some low-income families will continue to smoke and may have difficulty finding extra money for cigarettes, a substantial number will quit, leading to financial savings as well as the obvious health gains. The seminar was hosted by the New Zealand Medical Association. Chairman Peter Foley says the Government needs to get serious about reducing the 14 deaths each day caused by tobacco use, and agrees tobacco tax revenue should be put back into tobacco control. "Tobacco products have become relatively cheaper over the past seven years. We haven't had a one-off increase in tobacco taxation since 2000. Meanwhile, real wages have gone up, making cigarettes more affordable. "There were quick and dramatic drops in cigarette sales after the price increases of 1991, 1998 and 2000, and a price increase in 2008 would cause a similar drop in smokers' numbers." Smokefree Coalition media release, 3 September 2007 A PDF summary of the team's findings is available online here. PHASE OUT CIGARETTE SALES IN 10 YEARSAotearoa/New Zealand campaign groups are declaring the end game for cigarettes with plans to phase out their sale within ten years. This is the first step in creating a tobacco free Aotearoa/New Zealand. At the recent Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Auckland, campaign groups led by ASH NZ, the Smokefree Coalition and Te Reo Marama announced the ten year countdown to end smoking in New Zealand. Public health policies proposed include:
Ben Youdan, Director of ASH NZ said, "Smoking continues to kill 5,000 people a year in New Zealand, and there is no sign of this abating. After years of slow progress it's time for a more radical approach to dealing to this killer. Health organisations have committed to a ten year countdown towards getting rid of smoked tobacco, and we are calling on politicians to sign up to ending this tragic epidemic." Mark Peck, Director of the Smokefree Coalition said, "New Zealand has banned tobacco advertising, declared indoor places smokefree, and committed tens of millions of dollars towards helping smokers quit. The stage is set for the final curtain. This is about developing a timed phaseout of smoked tobacco in a way that is open and transparent, and supports the two-thirds of New Zealand smokers who want to quit." Shane Bradbrook, Director of Te Reo Marama, (the Māori smokefree coalition) said, "We are putting the tobacco industry on notice. Māori have no history of tobacco use, and we are determined to drive this colonial scourge from Marae." ASH NZ, Smokefree Coalition and Te Reo Marama media release, 5 September 2007 GROUPS WANT AUSTRALIA SMOKEFREE IN 10 YEARSThree influential Australian health organisations – the National Heart Foundation, the Cancer Council and Action on Smoking and Health – say Australia could be smokefree in a decade with full government commitment. The groups believe Australia could emulate a campaign in New Zealand that calls for smoking to be phased out over the next 10 years. It would be possible if federal and state governments increased funding for anti-smoking measures and phased in restrictions slowly. "We support the New Zealanders and we think Australia could achieve that as well," the Heart Foundation's National Tobacco Spokesman, Maurice Swanson, said from the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Auckland. "Subject to an appropriate level of commitment from the Australian Federal Government, it is possible that Australia could be smokefree within 10 years." Just 2 percent of the $7 billion the Federal Government collects in tobacco tax each year – about AU$140 million – would be enough to run a comprehensive anti-smoking strategy, the health groups believe. Sydney Morning Herald, 6 September 2007 THROUGH THE SMOKE
Images highlighting the dangers of smoking will be printed on all tobacco products sold in the UK by the end of 2009, and manufacturers will have to start complying from October next year. Pictured is just one of the images, but you can see a slideshow of others courtesy of the BBC News website, complete with the warning that some may find the images disturbing.
SMOKEFREE SHORTS
Oceania Tobacco Control ConferenceWorld watching New Zealand smokefree efforts, conference told The world is watching campaigners fighting to make New Zealand smokefree, a Canadian tobacco industry fighting lawyer, Rob Cunningham, told the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Auckland. New Zealand had the chance to "lead the way by putting in place world precedent-setting measures," he said. Mr Cunningham recommends increased tobacco taxes, plain packaging, limiting sales and prohibiting the sale of flavoured tobacco products. New Zealand Herald, 5 September 2007 Another drag on a fag and you'll end up looking a hag
Researchers are trying to scare people off cigarettes by showing them computer-generated pictures of how much more old and haggard they might look if they carry on smoking. Using a facial photo, the computer program produces two series of pictures of the person: one as they might look as an ageing smoker, the other as a non-smoker. New Zealand Herald, 6 September 2007 Call to Use Youtube for Quit Campaign Images of smoking are prolific on YouTube, according to an Australian-based researcher, and consideration should be given to using the video sharing website to mount a quit campaign. Becky Freeman, from the University of Sydney, told the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Auckland that tobacco advertising bans have eroded direct promotional opportunities. Tobacco companies, she said, are embracing more covert means of keeping their products in the minds of consumers and potential consumers. Scoop, 6 September 2007 Teen smokers want to quit – Researcher Recent statistics released by the Ministry of Health showed that the rate of smoking among 15- to 19-year-olds in New Zealand was high, at 26.8 percent, compared to the national rate of 23.5 percent. Otago University PhD student Sharon Ponniah told the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Auckland that almost half the smokers in this age group wanted to quit and were thinking about making an attempt. Yahoo News, 7 September 2007 Call to use human rights conventions to limit second-hand smoke harm A world leader in the campaign to force the tobacco industry to take responsibility for smoking-related diseases says international human rights treaties can be used to minimise exposure to second-hand smoke. Richard Daynard, Professor of Law at Boston's Northeastern University, told the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Auckland that various human rights conventions "fill the gaps" in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to which New Zealand is a signatory, and provide a broader platform for action. Scoop, 5 September 2007 Smoking ban reaps rewards
Andrew Waa, one of two researchers presenting a study of Health Sponsorship Council data to the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Auckland, said the reduction in smoking was quite marked. "It pretty much halved and we were quite stoked with that. It's probably more than we would have expected." New Zealand Herald, 7 September 2007
New ZealandDollars make sense to smokers Health Minister Pete Hodgson was all bluster and balderdash when asked if he would increase tobacco taxes, as recommended by public health experts at the Wellington School of Medicine and Massey University. "Tobacco control is a high priority for this Labour-led Government," he burbled. "It is the largest single cause of preventable death in New Zealand." This was hardly a ringing endorsement of the experts' proposal, or an indication Mr Hodgson was inclined to move in that direction. As such, it suggested the Government has only a hazy notion of how to reduce the rate of smoking. Editorial: New Zealand Herald, 3 September 2007 Flat tax regime and cheap RYO smoking holds NZ back Cheap RYO (roll-your-own) cigarette smoking in New Zealand is a likely explanation for the slower decline in smoking in New Zealand. Today, 23 percent of New Zealanders smoke daily, as compared to 17 percent of Australians. Smoking factory-made cigarettes in New Zealand costs $10 daily, but by switching to RYO cigarettes smokers cut their costs to $4 per day, so there was little economic incentive to quit smoking. Smokeless New Zealand e-news, 29 August 2007 Taranaki parks declared smokefree
However, the councils admit they have no way of enforcing the policy because there are no laws preventing people from lighting up in these places. Stuff, 29 August 2007
Antidepressants boom boosted by smokers New Zealand's high rate of antidepressant prescriptions is being boosted by people using the drugs to help them quit smoking. The trend became clear after the release of new smoking cessation guidelines. Health Ministry figures show antidepressant use has nearly doubled in the past decade, with almost two million prescriptions written for the drugs each year. New Zealand Herald, 2 September 2007 Frustration over lack of quit-smoking data The Ministry of Health has come under fire for failing to collate smoking cessation rates, despite saying it would do so 18 months ago. Members of the Tairawhiti District Health Board community and public health advisory committee questioned the Government's commitment to the anti-smoking cause, while one said the people responsible for failing to provide smoking cessation data "should be shot." Gisborne Herald, 4 September 2007 InternationalNicotine in breast milk shortens babies' naptime Nicotine in breast milk disrupts babies' sleep patterns and shortens naps by one third, according to a new study. "Infants spent less time sleeping overall and woke up from naps sooner when their mothers smoked prior to breast-feeding," said lead author Julie A. Mennella, a psychobiologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center. HealthDay, 7 September 2007 Children exposed to parents' smoking may go on to miscarry Women who were exposed to their parents' smoking as children may have a higher likelihood of suffering a miscarriage, new research suggests. In a study of nearly 2,200 non-smoking pregnant women, researchers found that those exposed to their parents' second-hand smoke during childhood were 80 percent more likely to have a miscarriage compared with women whose parents didn't smoke. The Daily Telegraph, 31 August 2007 Report: Taxes Trigger Big Drop in U.S. Smoking Higher state taxes on smoking are producing sharp declines in tobacco consumption in the United States, just as Congress considers a huge federal cigarette tax hike, USA Today reports. ABC News, 9 August 2007 Do cigarette taxes help or hurt poor smokers?
The contentious report comes at a critical time, as Democrats in Congress strive to garner support for expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program by $50 billion over five years. The plan would be funded largely by raising taxes on tobacco products. University of California, Davis, School of Medicine examined smoking among people in various socioeconomic classes over a 20-year period. ABC News, 31 August 2007 Heart attacks tumble after Irish smoking ban Ireland's rate of heart attacks fell by around a tenth in the year following the introduction of the world's first nationwide ban on workplace smoking, boosting the case for more similar bans, doctors say. Edmond Cronin and colleagues at Cork University Hospital said an analysis of people admitted with heart attacks to public hospitals in southwest Ireland showed an 11 percent fall in the year after the ban came into effect in March 2004. Mirror.co.uk, 4 September 2007 Toilet crisis feared as smoking ban is applied to German trains A new smoking ban on trains operated by Germany's main railway company, Deutsche Bahn, may trigger a crisis, with toilets constantly occupied by surreptitious smokers, a passenger lobby has warned. Karl-Peter Naumann, chairman of Pro Bahn, said he was disappointed the company had not built powerfully ventilated "cells" on express trains where smokers could resort when desperate for a puff. EARTHtimes.org, 1 September 2007 Smoking turns on genes – permanently Smoking tobacco is no longer considered sexy, but it may prove a permanent turn on for some genes. Research published in the online open access journal BMC Genomics could help explain why former smokers are still more susceptible to lung cancer than those who have never smoked. Science Daily, 30 August 2007 Gazan smokers fume over rising prices
Smokers in Gaza have another reason for concern. The price of cigarettes has soared in the last few months. Why? Because Hamas decided that cigarette taxes would be an excellent source of income for Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's government. Ynetnews, 3 September 2007 So, What Made Me an Addict? – by Maia Szalavitz Many people think they know what addiction is, but despite non-experts' willingness to opine on its treatment and whether Britney or Lindsay's rehab was tough enough, the term is still a battleground. Is addiction a disease? A moral weakness? As a former cocaine and heroin addict, these questions have long fascinated me. Washington Post, 28 August 2007 Girlfriend of slain musician cites anti-smoking drug Friends of a popular Dallas musician killed early on 3 September are at a loss to explain what caused him to spin out of control, beat up his girlfriend and try to kick in her neighbour's door after a night of heavy drinking. Now they're wondering whether a pill that Carter Albrecht had recently started taking to quit smoking may have sent him over the edge. But there is no hard evidence that the drug causes bouts of rage. Dallas Morning News, 5 September 2007 Smoking may be outlawed in Bahrain Bahrain could follow the example of an Indian city where smoking in public has been completely outlawed. Health officials plan to contact their counterparts in Chandigarh, which banned smoking in public places, including streets, in July, as they prepare new anti-smoking legislation. Gulf Daily News, 9 September 2007 New Bollywood film to promote "No Smoking"
No Smoking!, directed by Anurag Kashyap, narrates the story of a narcissist businessman who refuses to give up smoking but ends up quitting his addiction after a dramatic turn of events that lands him in rehabilitation. "Nobody likes someone getting preachy about their addiction and does not definitely want to see a serious social message through cinema, the medium which is purely meant for entertaining the audience," Kashyap said. Washington Post, 3 September 2007 Social, church activities may protect against adolescent smoking Preventing youth smoking could take a village or a neighbourhood. Church and school activities may help reduce smoking among youth in disadvantaged areas, according to a new survey. The research found young people involved in extracurricular school activities or programs at church were less likely to smoke even though they were exposed to the same neighbourhood risks as the smokers. Science Daily, 2 September 2007 QUOTABLE QUOTES"Yes, as the News says, hundreds will attend/not hundreds of thousands, not millions. This will reprasent [sic] the sum total of the minority group that have spent years and years getting there [sic] people into the government, health departments, schools and wherever so they could to get tax payer funding to force there [sic] beliefs on the rest. A group that has attacked the freedom and human rights of the rest of the country. No different to sports people whom [sic] have done the same and then forced sports on every child at school, all with tax payer funding." Comment on the TV3 News website in response
to a story announcing the "The community desperately needs to do something about tobacco use, and the most proven effective thing is price. To increase price you have to raise taxes, which is seen as being very politically unpopular. You can make it much, much more popular, you can get over 80 percent support in a number of places where higher taxes have occurred, if you use that revenue for solving the problem." Senior Public Health Research Fellow George Thomson,
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I am still recovering from the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference which was held in Auckland last week. It was a wonderful conference with plenty of presentations to choose from. In fact it was impossible to attend everything one wanted to. At the risk of sounding extremely trite, thanks must go to the unsung heroes, Iain Potter, Jennifer Harris, Debbie Moody and Wade Beckman who were the engine room for the success of the event. I know I have probably forgotten other deserving souls, but to all, well done.
Let's not kid ourselves that there is any such thing as a happy smoker. UK research published in January 2007 concludes; "...we found no evidence to support the conclusion that smoking is associated with heightened pleasure or with better quality of life. In fact, there is evidence to support the opposite."1
In pictures: UK smoking warnings
Where
possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to read the
story in full.
Smokers are being given the chance to peek into the future and see how a lifetime of cigarettes can wreak havoc with their looks as they age.
The 2004 ban on smoking at virtually all indoor workplaces, including bars, has reduced smoking by more than expected, a researcher says.
All parks and reserves in Taranaki have now been declared smokefree. New Plymouth and Stratford
District Councils yesterday joined South Taranaki in adopting a smokefree environment policy, making Taranaki the first local government region in the country to do so.
A new US study suggesting that tax hikes on cigarettes may be ineffective in reducing smoking among poor people is drawing fire from tobacco control and public health experts who call the research flawed.
The price of cigarettes in Gaza has doubled since Hamas hiked taxes, and smokers aren't pleased. "If all the smokers vote in the elections, Hamas is going to bite it," one smoker says.
A new Bollywood film from the acclaimed director of Black Friday will subtly deliver a message
about quitting cigarette smoking.