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| Issue 99 | 17 September 2008 |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
Many of you will be aware that the first faltering steps in defining a vision were taken last year. This work was later critiqued by a group of 35 activists, academics and health promoters during a hui at the National Heart Foundation on 21 April this year. What came out of this work was a short, punchy, two-page statement which is both inspirational and aspirational. It sees an Aotearoa/New Zealand where future generations will not become smokers. Its goals are that by 2020:
These simple goals have been the subject of much debate and the work around achieving them is only just beginning. The next step is to develop three core documents to underpin the vision with each document being based around one of the three goals. This is not just a job for the 'pointy heads'. One of the reasons for the road show is to promote understanding of the thinking behind the vision and to recruit the expertise needed to complete the next lot of work. Keep an eye out for a meeting in your area and, if you are able to attend and participate in the discussion, please do. As well as this 'The Vision' will be posted on the Smokefree Coalition website with a feedback form for you to send us your comments. One word of caution. The document is a vision statement. Clearly it cannot include every item on everyone's wish list. You will not find any reference to second-hand smoke and there is no talk about 'R' ratings for films with smoking scenes. These sorts of details will be the responsibility of the groups who will develop the supporting documents. The good news is you will all be invited to have your say on what these documents will eventually look like. Have a good fortnight. Mark Peck Director IN THIS ISSUE:
SMOKING SCHOOL
If you missed the story run by TVNZ's Sunday programme on 14 September, you can still catch it online. The show was a follow-up to the previous week's story on British American Tobacco's (BAT's) marketing tactics in Africa. Part One has excellent coverage of the 'power wall' issue and Big Tobacco's stranglehold on retailers. Part Two looks at why Australia is "streets ahead" of New Zealand in keeping tobacco away from kids, and features interviews with Simon Chapman, Professor in Public Health at the University of Sydney, and an anonymous ex BAT executive. THE QUIT GROUP UPDATE – JULY 2008A total of 3966 clients were registered with the Quit Choices service in July 2008. The Quit Choices service includes Quitline, the web service (NRT online) and Txt2Quit. Twenty-two percent of registered clients were Māori (872), 74.2 percent were New Zealand European (2943) and 6.4 percent identified themselves as Pacific peoples (254). The highest proportion of clients was in the 20-24 age bracket (15.4 percent), followed by the 25-29 age group (13.6 percent). Registered clients are those people who registered via Quitline, the web or Txt2Quit services. Txt2Quit was launched on 17 June 2008.
Numbers of callers registered with Quit by month to July 2008 MATEWAI MCCUDDENAs some of you may know, we have been saddened to learn that a former Quitline Advisor, Matewai McCudden, has passed away. She was a special person who was part of the Quit Group family for eight years. Matewai was one of the first group of Quitline Advisors who were given training in September 1998 and took part in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty pilot campaign and Quitline. Matewai worked with us up until her health deteriorated about two years ago. She was passionate in her work with Quitline callers and was generous, thoughtful and affectionate as a colleague. She features in the "Call the Quitline" poster which has been used for the past ten years. She leaves behind her husband Ted, her five children and 15 mokopuna who will all be devastated at her passing. Helen Glasgow THROUGH THE SMOKEThe Alan Blum collection on Oral Tobacco
The Roswell Park website now features a short video showing some of the items in the Alan Blum Collection. All are related to oral tobacco products and advertising. When you've watched the video you may want to browse the items in the collection one by one – but at 2832 pages, you'd better either set aside a good portion of your day, or make good use of the search function. SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandKapiti parks smokefree Sports grounds and children's parks in Kapiti will soon be smokefree. Kapiti Coast District Council's environment and community development committee has backed the idea and wants to get signs up quickly. "It's worked well in other areas so there's no reason why it can't work here," said committee chairwoman Hilary Wooding. Kapiti News, 10 September 2008 Teaching mum how not to smoke Thirteen-year-old Jordan Kerr has quit smoking – now he's trying to get his mum to kick her addiction, "because I want you to come to my 21st and help me through it". Jordan started smoking at age 11 because he thought it was cool – but now he thinks it's a stupid habit and is helping his mother to quit. He is using tips he learnt at Kapiti College's unique pupil-run programme, which so far this year has helped more than 50 of his schoolmates try to kick their addiction. Dominion Post, 13 September 2008 InternationalSmoking riskier to women's hearts
Women who smoke have heart attacks more than a dozen years earlier than women who don't smoke, Norwegian doctors reported in a study presented to the European Society of Cardiology. For men, the gap is not so dramatic; male smokers have heart attacks about six years earlier than men who don't smoke. "This is not a minor difference," said Dr Silvia Priori, a cardiologist at the Scientific Institute in Pavia, Italy. "Women need to realise they are losing much more than men when they smoke," she said. Lexington Herald-Leader (US), 3 September 2008 Tobacco industry preaching "responsibility" In an interesting development that took place in a nice and cosy hotel located in the famous tourist resort of Nathiagali, a leading tobacco company spent hundreds of thousands of rupees to organise a one-day workshop on responsible journalism. Around 20 journalists were taken to Nathiagali on the expenses of the company to learn the ABC of 'responsible' journalism and the impact that irresponsible reporting can have on people reading or watching their scripts. The International News (Pakistan), 30 August 2008 Why strawberry jam is more regulated than cigarettes
"The establishment of regulation is a political process and occurs slowly. However, with the gradual but prolonged and massive epidemic of tobacco-related diseases, regulation of the industry's products – specifically the constituents of tobacco smoke – has to begin now," says Dr Nigel Gray, member of the World Health Organization's Tobacco Regulation Study Group. ScienceDaily, 3 September 2008 Crossing the line from anti-smoking to anti-smoker Ten years ago, the impressive regime of anti-smoking initiatives now in place would have been incredibly controversial. Conversely, what was controversial 10 years ago is now accepted. Anti-tobacco groups have been remarkably patient and persistent – by taking it one battle at a time and never letting up, they've amassed quite an array of policy achievements. Calgary Herald, 2 September 2008 Smoking bans lead to quitting: report A new study for the Wyoming Department of Health says more people quit smoking in communities that have enacted strong laws against smoking in public places. The study sums up previous findings about smoking and second-hand smoke. One is that smokers who live in communities with strong ordinances against public smoking are 38 percent more likely to quit than smokers in communities without such laws. Associated Press, 4 September 2008 Younger smokers on fast track to behaviour problems later Adolescents who have tried cigarettes by seventh grade (12-13 years old) are much more likely to become regular smokers and have behaviour problems as teens, a new study finds. "We were struck by the degree to which early smoking appeared to indicate that kids were on the fast track toward a troubled adolescence," said Phyllis Ellickson, who led the team of researchers at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California. "We wanted to find out what factors in early and later adolescence might help these high-risk kids avoid negative consequences." Medical News Today, 4 September 2008 Cigarette packs need to have horrific graphics to deter teens: research
The department set out to find out whether increasing the warning size from the current level – 50 percent of the panel's surface – to 75, 90 or 100 per cent of cigarette packages would have a greater effect on smokers. The research found that increasing the size of health warning to cover 75 percent of cigarette packages would only have a "small impact" and over time would unlikely remain more effective than the current coverage of 50 percent. Canada.com, 3 September 2008 Cigarettes' power may not be in nicotine itself, new study suggests There may be a very good reason why coffee and cigarettes often seem to go hand in hand. A Kansas State University psychology professor's research suggests that nicotine's power may be in how it enhances other experiences. And that may explain why smoking is so hard to quit. ScienceDaily, 4 September 2008 Old smoking addiction hurts McCain, professor says John McCain's smoking history and age indicate Sarah Palin would have as high as a 40 percent chance of becoming US president, a university professor says. McCain's smoking history boosts his risk of dying from lung cancer by about 700 percent, and his risk of dying of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is also greater, Banzhaf said. His age increases his odds of becoming disabled from conditions such as a stroke or Alzheimer's disease, which can impair judgment. UPI.com, 3 September 2008 Call to curb tobacco marketing in UK
Cancer Research UK said banning vending machine sales, checkout displays and introducing plain packaging was vital. It has renewed its lobbying after research by Stirling University showed how influential such marketing was. The UK government is considering the measures called for by the charity. In Scotland a bill is already proposed to ban the display of cigarettes in shops, and their sale in packs of 10. BBC News, 5 September 2008 Michigan jail inmates forced to quit tobacco cold turkey While many businesses and other establishments have adopted a smokefree policy, the Delta County Jail adopted not only a smokefree policy but a tobacco-free policy and it's been that way for more than 10 years. That means inmates who smoke have no choice but to kick their addiction when serving their sentences. "One reason for going smokefree was non-smokers sharing cells with smokers were forced to inhale second-hand smoke," said Delta County Sheriff Gary Ballweg. Daily Press, 8 September 2008 Nicotine nasal spray a no-go for teen smokers Nicotine nasal spray won't help teen smokers stop smoking, at least in its current formulation, new research published in Pediatrics suggests. Adolescents who tried the spray complained of burning in their nostrils, a bad smell, and other side effects. This led them to stop using it or to use it too infrequently to be effective, Dr. Mark L Rubenstein and his colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco found. Reuters, 10 September 2008 Lung cancer rates among non-smokers not on the rise
The analysis also revealed that the lung cancer death rate among those who have never smoked is higher among men than women. Both findings stem from an enormous collaborative international effort that draws on information from 13 large studies and 22 cancer registries, and represents upwards of 2 million men and women living in 10 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. HealthDay News, 9 September 2008 Russia to sue British American Tobacco Russia will sue cigarette maker British American Tobacco for spreading misinformation and selling lower grade products than in Europe, state consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said. British American Tobacco, the maker of international brands Dunhill and Lucky Strike, denied the accusation. The company's director of corporate affairs in Russia, Alexander Lyuty, said, "British American Tobacco maintains its activities in Russia are in full accordance with Russian law." National Nine News (Australia), 9 September 2008 Dry cleaners hurt by smoking ban Johnson's Dry Cleaning has blamed last year's ban on smoking in pubs in England for a tumble in profits at its dry cleaning chain. Its dry cleaning business saw profits fall 28 percent to £1.8m in the six months to 30 June as customers' clothes no longer reek of stale smoke after a night out. BBC News, 9 September 2008 MILESTONESLook who has had a birthday recently... The Quit Group is ten years old this month! QUOTABLE QUOTES"The increase in the number of the people using tobacco products sends a loud and clear message to the effect that the tobacco industry is far smarter than those entrusted with its regulation." Shahina Maqboo, "Tobacco industry preaching responsibility" "It's an advertisement. It's targeting, hopefully, new smokers as well... 'Kids, here it is. When you're old enough, we'll be here waiting for you.'" Peter Irving, ex-service station owner, ex-smoker and cancer suffer,
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The Tobacco Control
Update is produced by the Smokefree Coalition If you are
considering using any material from the Tobacco
Control Update, |
Between now and Christmas I will be 'road showing' the latest attempt by tobacco control organisations to define a vision for a tobacco-free Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Is big tobacco targeting our kids? How are New Zealand tobacco companies appealing to the next generation of kiwi smokers? What tactics do they use to sell
cigarettes? What do young kids know about cigarettes and how vulnerable are they? 
The Alan Blum collection on Oral Tobacco was assembled by
the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Dr. Blum
is a professor at the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society at The University of Alabama.
He is a powerful public health advocate as well as collector of historic tobacco-related items. 
Where
possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to read the
story in full.
Women typically get heart disease much later than men, but not if they smoke, researchers say.
While jams and other consumer products are strictly regulated and are required to pass stringent tests before they can be sold, tobacco has no restrictions and manufacturers can, and do, add anything they want into the product.
Graphic health warnings need to cover almost the entire surface of cigarette packages if they are to become more effective in convincing smokers to kick the deadly addiction, new Health Canada research
has found. 
Campaigners and researchers have urged
the (health) minister to take a tough stance on the sale of tobacco, dubbing point-of-sale displays the "silent salesman".
The most comprehensive global snapshot ever taken of lung cancer diagnoses and related death rates among patients who have never smoked has found that, contrary to prior indications, lung cancer risk is not on the rise.