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| Issue 79 | 21 November 2007 |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
Evaluation is an important tool in the delivery of our services and we really do value your feedback. Remember, too, that you don't have to leave your name if you don't want to. It's not too late, so please head on over to http://www.sfc.org.nz/webfeedback.html to give us your thoughts. To those of you who have responded – thank you. There look to be some very useful suggestions in the mix. Now on to the "brickbats" section of the today's editorial. In July 2006 the Smokefree Coalition lodged a complaint with the Commerce Commission about 'light' and 'mild' descriptors, and one tobacco industry player's website denials of the dangers of second-hand smoke. We were formally advised by the Commerce Commission that they would investigate the 'light' and 'mild' issue but not the website matter. Sixteen months later and we are still awaiting a response from the regulator about what action (if any) they propose to take to remedy the situation we complained about. It doesn't appear to me that this stuff is at all rocket science. Several other jurisdictions have dealt with 'lights' and 'milds' and the FCTC has some pretty strong protocols about the use of such descriptors. Even more galling, being a proud Kiwi, is that our Australian cousins dealt with this matter years ago! I have been advised by the Commerce Commission that we can expect a decision in the first or second quarter next year. Well, by then the new health warnings will be in and there will be new packaging. I bet you a pound to a pinch that there will be some new descriptors on the packets. Let's guess! Smooth? Finesse? Classic? It may be that some of these are already in stores. Check it out next time you are in a dairy or convenience store to see if anything new is going on with the tobacco products. Now, I know the regulator has a job to do and must consult and research before making a determination which might have consequences for the industry, but I don't accept that the delay we are experiencing is warranted in this case. There are certain constants here. A cigarette is a cigarette and evidence is that each cigarette does you harm. A tobacco company is a tobacco company no matter where that tobacco company plies its trade. The FCTC obligations are the FCTC obligations and, as a nation which has ratified the FCTC, what is it about our obligations that is hard to understand? I feel the steely hand of industry deception at work behind the scenes here. This industry is skilled at using every delaying tactic at its disposal to keep smokers gasping on their 'less dangerous' cancer sticks for as long as they can. Come one Commerce Commission. This is a no brainer! And even if it appears not to be, I think we all deserve a more timely result. Have a good fortnight. Mark Peck Director IN THIS ISSUE:
ONE PUFF DOES NOT A SMOKER MAKE
There is a famous quote that says that there are "lies, damn lies and statistics". Personally I disagree. Used well, statistics are a vital part of understanding the world we live in. But statistics are also open to abuse and misuse and this can often be dangerous. Survey results released in the New Zealand Herald declared a reversal of a 30-year decline in smoking rates for New Zealand and that young people are rebelling by smoking more. This appears to be a worrying step backwards for the health of our nation. The claim, made on the back of a survey published by Massey University, says the number of 15 to 45-year-olds who have smoked at least once in the previous year has leapt from 31.1 percent in 2003 to 36 percent in 2006. That means that even if you had just one puff of a cigarette in the last 12 months you count as a smoker. Does this mean that if I went to the gym once this year, I'm an athlete? So, the bad news is that if you took so much as one drag on a cigarette after one too many chardonnays at a party last year, you are now a smoker. But don't despair yet. With statistics there is always the good news. The headline claims that young people are rebelling by smoking more (well at least one puff a year), but the survey looks at 15 to 45-year-olds. Does that mean that 45 is the new "young"? Fabulous news; buying a sports car is no longer a mid-life crisis, just youthful exuberance. Making claims that young people are smoking more, based on the results of the Massey survey, is irresponsible. The conclusions being made from the survey are simply not true. The New Zealand Census has shown a consistent decline in smoking rates to 21 percent in 2006 from 23 percent in 2003. This surveys the entire population and measures daily smoking. To put that into perspective, the Massey study spoke to only 1500 people and asked if they had smoked in the last year. Action on Smoking and Health New Zealand carries out an annual survey of 30,000 Year 10 students. In 2006, 14.2 percent of Year 10 teenagers said they were smokers, down from 28.6 percent in 1999. The number of youth smokers has more than halved. Teenagers who have never smoked increased from 31.6 percent in 1999 to 53.8 per cent in 2006. This means more than half of all Year 10 students have never had even one puff of a cigarette. That was also supported by the Massey survey which showed a decline in the numbers who had ever tried smoking from 59.6 percent in 2003 to 57.6 percent in 2006. According to the most recent New Zealand Tobacco Use Survey; 72 percent of smokers aged 15 to 19 said they would not smoke if they had their lives over again. This picture of regret about smoking is far from the alleged youth rebellion. This is a great success story and among the most impressive achievements in the world when it comes to youth smoking. Young people are rebelling, not against tobacco health alerts, but against tobacco itself. New Zealand is a world leader when it comes to tackling the death and disease caused by smoking. We were one of the first countries in the world to go smokefree. We have fantastic support services such as Quitline and Aukati Kai Paipa for smokers who want to stop. We banned tobacco advertising, and picture warnings are about to go on to cigarette packs. Being smokefree is part of the New Zealand identity and people are deservedly proud of this. We have a wealth of evidence and data that looks specifically at smoking in New Zealand and shows an encouraging picture of support for smokefree legislation, declining youth smoking, and a will for stronger measures to support smokers who want to stop. We should be using this data properly, not using surveys that tell us very little. The grim picture that we are in the midst of a youth rebellion against smokefree messages is a nonsense. The claim is even more bizarre when we consider the evidence from the Census and the ASH Year 10 Survey, both of which show marked declines in smoking rates. The commitment to reducing smoking in New Zealand is working. The decline in smoking rates is slow, and given that it is still killing 4,500 people every year, it's clear we still need to do a lot more. ASH has looked at the data, read the evidence and based on this we'll continue to fight the tobacco epidemic with the ultimate goal to rid New Zealand of smoking in the next 10 years. New Zealand Herald, 8 November 2007 PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR SMOKEFREE PARKS
The students carried out a survey to evaluate the effectiveness and public support for the smokefree policy adopted by the Upper Hutt City Council in 2006 for all parks and reserves. The study was part of the students' programme in public health and was commissioned by the Cancer Society and the Upper Hutt City Council. Upper Hutt was one of the first councils in New Zealand to adopt this policy, with only one other council in Taranaki having a smokefree parks policy at the time. Internationally there have been efforts to make outdoor areas such as parks, playgrounds, sporting fields, beaches etc smokefree. "There's growing interest in smokefree parks to prevent the negative role modelling effects of visible smoking for children, as well as preventing environmental effects such as littering," says Dr Richard Edwards from the Department of Public Health at the University of Otago, Wellington. "This is why the students chose the three largest and most visited parks with playgrounds in Upper Hutt, and looked at the public response to the new smokefree policy." The students found a generally positive response, with 62 percent aware of the policy and 83 percent of park users believing smokefree parks are a good idea, including 73 percent of smokers. The most common reasons park users gave for agreeing with the policy are that parks are for children, it reduces negative role modelling, and it reduces litter. For the minority who disagreed with the policy, the main reasons were that smoking outdoors is acceptable, smokers have the right to autonomy, and the policy won't work or can't be enforced. Seventy-three percent of smokers also agreed with smokefree parks. Of those who knew about the policy only 17 percent still smoked in the parks compared with 32 percent of those who did not know about the smokefree parks policy. "This study shows that the public is behind the Upper Hutt City Council's promotion of smokefree parks," says Belinda Hughes from the Cancer Society. "It's important that as a community we act not only to protect children from second-hand smoke, but also from the role modelling of smoking. Efforts by the Upper Hutt City Council and others recognise this and provide national leadership which we encourage other councils to follow." The students also observed park users and collected cigarette butts over one week to estimate the extent of smoking in the parks. This showed there was still a considerable amount of smoking in one of the three parks. They conclude that compliance could be improved by further public education and better signage. They also recommend that future research should examine attitudes to the smokefree policy and smoking behaviour before and after it is implemented. University of Otago media release, 16 November 2007 INVITATION TO BECOME PART OF NZ TANAbout NZ TAN Who can join? How to join Please include names and email addresses of two referees, preferably tobacco control stakeholders, who can verify your email address and your occupation. Using NZ TAN is simple; once you have contacted Janine Paynter at the above email and are placed on the network you will automatically receive emails from other NZ TAN members. To post to the network you put nztan@globalink.org in the TO: line and send your message. NEW WEBSITE TO HELP TOBACCO CONTROL WITH LABELLING REGULATIONS
A new website, the Tobacco Labelling Resource Centre, has resources to help guide the development of effective labelling practices in each of the three areas covered under Article 11 of the World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC):
The evidence base for packaging and labelling policies is rapidly evolving. Although an increasing number of studies have been published in scientific journals, much of the evidence has been collected on behalf of governments as part of the regulatory process. The site serves as a guide to virtually all the evidence collected on tobacco labelling policies. Article 11 sets minimum and recommended standards for health warnings on packages. A comprehensive review of evidence regarding the effectiveness of text and pictorial warnings labels is provided. Article 11 also includes general guidelines prohibiting misleading and deceptive information on packages. To date, several countries have banned the use of descriptors such as 'light', 'mild', and 'low tar'. Much of the evidence to date focuses upon these descriptors. However, potentially misleading information can also include other descriptors, as well as the use of colour and other graphical elements. Evidence on 'plain packaging', brand descriptors, and other design elements, can be found on the site. Labelling and disclosure of tobacco products have presented a unique challenge to regulators. Cigarette smoke contains approximately 4,000 chemicals, including over 60 carcinogens and toxins such as polonium 210, benzene, and arsenic. Although there is general agreement that cigarette packages should include some information on these chemicals, regulators continue to struggle with how best to communicate this information in a feasible and meaningful way to consumers. Leading scientific agencies have called for the removal of tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide emissions from packages. Several jurisdictions have recently replaced these numbers with more descriptive information. The website is also an opportunity for regulators and the tobacco control community to exchange information and evidence. It includes fact sheets and other labelling documents. Click here for the the Tobacco Labelling Resource Centre website. TRAINING DAYS OFFER SKILLS IN TOBACCO CONTROLTwo consecutive training days are being offered in February 2008 in Wellington. While each day is independent of the other, they have been arranged so that those who are travelling can minimise costs. Introduction to tobacco control and sector orientation This day will explore some of fundamentals of tobacco control and introduce attendees to agencies working in the sector. It is designed to supplement the Beginners Guide to Tobacco Control.
Reducing smoking around children This seminar/workshop will cover some of the ways to implement smokefree policies for areas with children.
AUCKLAND REGIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SEEKS SMOKEFREE FACILITATORReference 14412 In this role you will support the development of smokefree networks and programmes at all levels throughout the region. Your responsibilities will include facilitation of regional and local meetings, supporting project development and ensuring co-ordinated approaches to smokefree work. You will be a key touch point for information and networking across the region. Regular travel throughout Auckland and Northland will be required. A relevant tertiary qualification and previous experience in health, facilitation, communications and/or community development will be highly regarded. For a detailed job description email Preetika Karan at preetikak@adhb.govt.nz. Applications close 26 November. THROUGH THE SMOKE
The blog Dark Roasted Blend features a regular showcase of imagery from recent print, urban, and viral advertisements, chosen for originality and lasting impression. The two images above feature in its October 2007 instalment. Full scale versions of the images are available at the website here. Be warned however, that this site celebrates creativity, and some of the other images on the page can be a little freaky. SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandTobacco promo to help hospice The pleasure of smoking "absolutely pure" and "harmless" Napier-made cigarettes was promoted in a 1917 book that has just been reprinted to raise money for Cranford Hospice in Hastings. Presbyterian Support Services and Hawke's Bay regional councillor Ewan McGregor have underwritten the fundraiser, with all profits to go to the hospice. But ironically for a hospice fundraiser, the book includes a glowing promotion of Hawke's Bay's tobacco and cigarette industry as it was in 1917. The Dominion Post, 14 November 2007 Bush Fairy Dairy the next to quit selling cigarettes
ASH NZ has applauded the move saying it shows communities are becoming
less tolerant of smoking, and that it's the start of a trend that could
ultimately spell the end of the cigarette Scoop, 13 November 2007 Asian smokers may be targeted next A culturally specific quit-smoking programme may be in the pipeline for Asian east Aucklanders. The Counties Manukau District Health Board is already running a pilot scheme that focuses on reducing smoking rates in Māori and Pacific Islanders. If that's successful, the programme may be branched out to other ethnic groups with high rates of smoking, including Asian people. Howick and Pakuranga Times, 5 November 2007 InternationalDespite huffing and puffing, state smoking ban has changed habits The 2004 state-wide (Massachusetts, US) smoking ban went into effect amid claims that it would create as many problems as it solved. For one thing, it was feared that outdoor smokers would produce a cloudy miasma, a toxic gauntlet at the entrances to restaurants, offices and bars. Indeed, for a while that was a problem. Nancy Delaney of the Peabody Licensing Board recalls walking past hardy bands of smokers congregating outside all sorts of buildings in every kind of weather. Salem News, 13 November 2007 Why quitting smoking is so difficult
In addition, researchers have identified a potential neural network that regulates the body's craving response and have demonstrated how smoking may affect decision-making. Science Daily, 8 November 2007 Woolies 'promoting cigarettes to kids' Woolworths supermarkets have been accused of promoting tobacco products to children. At the company's annual general meeting, the head of the lobby group Action on Smoking and Health Australia, told executives about a survey which found tobacco displays in Woolworths supermarkets were highly visible to children from both inside and outside the shops. Chief Executive Anne Jones said the placing of the products was contrary to the company's claims it was a socially responsible store. Yahoo News (Australia), 16 November 2007 Senators to study 'light' cigarettes The United States' largest tobacco company knew as early as the 1970s that smokers of light cigarettes took larger puffs that delivered greater amounts of tar, according to a newly released memo. The 1975 Philip Morris USA correspondence was released by the Senate Commerce Committee in advance of a hearing examining the rating system that allows tobacco companies to market cigarettes as 'regular', 'light' or 'ultra-light'. Washington Post, 12 November 2007 Nicotine by-product found in smokers' babies Babies of smokers have levels of the nicotine by-product cotinine in their urine that are five times higher than babies of non-smokers, researchers report. Cotinine may harm the heart and blood vessels by boosting both blood pressure and pulse, Dr Mike Wailoo, of the University of Leicester, United Kingdom, who was involved in the research, told Reuters Health. Reuters, 13 November 2007 Cigarette displays may be banned
The House of Assembly has passed the legislation which would ban smoking in cars carrying children. It would also reduce the allowable size of point-of-sale displays for tobacco products in shops from four square metres to one. ABC News, 15 November 2007 Tobacco is the most identified cause of cancer: WHO Studies indicate that by the year 2025, the overall increase in tobacco-related cancer deaths is expected to be 220 percent when compared to those caused by other diseases. Tobacco is the most important identified cause of cancer and is responsible for 40 to 50 percent of cancers in men and 20 percent of cancers in women. India Infoline News, 7 November 2007 Tobacco's harvest of evils to humans, economy Although it is acknowledged that tobacco consumption will not disappear overnight nor is it likely to diminish rapidly, yet its impact on public health and the economy, is incalculable. It is in that context that a recent World Bank report backs tobacco control. AllAfrica.Com, 5 November 2007 Tobacco deaths a Third world plague
Judith Longstaff Mackay, a senior policy adviser to the World Health Organization, said cigarette markets were shrinking in advanced economies, but growing in developing states. "There's about three million TB [tuberculosis] deaths a year, and five million deaths a year from tobacco," said Ms Mackay. "By 2030, that will be closer to 10 million, they'll be doubling... and the major burden is on developing countries." Smoking is a major cause of cancer of the lung, throat and bladder. Despite proof of the health risks, Ms Mackay said more people were lighting up worldwide, with 1.64 billion smokers expected by 2030, up from 1.3 billion today. Herald on Sunday, 11 November 2007 Smokers go for broke while quitters save Qutting smoking might be hard but it keeps people from going broke, a study of almost 2000 Australians has found. The study, by the Cancer Council Victoria's Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, has for the first time measured the financial consequences of quitting smoking. It found that those who quit were 42 percent less likely to experience financial stress than those who kept smoking. Sydney Morning Herald, 14 November 2007 Nicotine vaccine helps some quit smoking A vaccine aimed at helping people quit smoking by blunting the effects of nicotine doubled the number who could quit smoking but overall success remained small, US researchers say. Nabi Biopharmaceuticals say 16 percent of volunteers vaccinated with the highest dose were able to quit smoking for 12 months, compared with six percent of those who got a placebo shot. Fourteen percent who got a lower dose stopped smoking for at least a year, compared with six percent on the placebo, and those who were unable to quit smoked fewer cigarettes. Sydney Morning Herald, 8 November 2007 Nicotine addiction slashed in test of new cigarette smoking strategy Scientists are reporting the first successful strategy to reduce smokers' nicotine dependence while allowing them to continue smoking. The study provides strong support for proposals now being considered in the US Congress to authorise FDA regulation of cigarette smoking, according to the research team. The key to the clinical trial's success was providing smokers with cigarettes of gradually decreasing nicotine content over a number of weeks. Science Daily (US), 14 November 2007 Teens who smoke pot but not tobacco function well
What's more, the study found that teens who smoke pot were more likely to have a good relationship with their friends than teens who smoked neither tobacco nor pot. The study's authors note that although teens who smoke both marijuana and tobacco seem to have more psychosocial problems, those who smoke marijuana only should be monitored closely too. "The situation of those adolescents who use cannabis but who declare not using tobacco should not be trivialised," the authors conclude. CTV.ca News (Canada), 5 November 2007 Medication plus counselling may help teens kick the smoking habit The medication bupropion plus counselling appears to help adolescents quit cigarette smoking in the short term, according to a new report. Almost one quarter of US high school students currently smoke cigarettes, and many teen smokers want to quit, but studies estimate that only about four percent of those who try are successful each year. Science Daily, 6 November 2007 QUOTABLE QUOTES"When smokers try quitting with NRT they do not use enough of it or use it for as long as directed on the products label. Study after study shows that, when used correctly, these products double a smoker's chances of quitting versus cold turkey. The reality is that most smokers need some type of support when quitting smoking." Bill Slivka, President Smoking Control, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare "It's about being socially responsible and that's what we say to people." Owner Sheryl Stankovich on VIP Dairy's decision to stop selling cigarettes ""[The tobacco companies] marketed and sold their lethal product with zeal, with deception, with a single-minded focus on their financial success and without regard for the human tragedy or social costs that success exacted." United States District Judge Gladys Kessler, |
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Gee, the response to the
by Ben Youdan, Director of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) New Zealand
A recent study by medical students at the University of Otago, Wellington has shown there is considerable public support for smokefree parks, particularly where there are children's playgrounds.
Where
possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to read the
story in full.
Peria's Bush Fairy Dairy is joining Kaitaia's VIP Dairy in stopping selling cigarettes and tobacco. The Bush Fairy Dairy won't replace its current dwindling stock, and customers' reactions have ranged from disappointment to hope that the move will assist them in quitting. Others had resigned themselves to feeding their addiction from further a-field.
New findings clarify the brain mechanisms that explain many aspects of dependency on nicotine, the addictive substance in tobacco. Among them: individual differences in brain chemistry can have a profound effect on a person's susceptibility to addiction, and smoking may predispose adolescents to mental disorders in adolescence and adulthood.
Australia's
Tasmanian Health Minister, Lara Giddings, will consider further tightening new anti-smoking legislation before it goes before the Legislative Council.
Tobacco-related
deaths are expected to double to 10 million a year by 2030, with most fatalities
in developing countries, says a senior World Lung Foundation official.
Teens who smoke pot but not cigarettes appear to be more likely to get good grades, play sports and live with both parents than those who also use tobacco, finds a surprising new study from Switzerland.