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| Issue 100 | 1 October 2008 | |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
I had an inkling that the Commerce Commission decision would be out soon as you will recall from earlier issues. I share the sentiments of my colleagues about its limp-wristed nature given the clear decision two or three years ago by the Australian Commerce and Competition Commission. In that case the tobacco industry was ordered to desist from using the descriptors and were required to pay millions of dollars towards a mass media campaign to educate smokers. That said, things could have been worse. I am mindful that the US Supreme Court recently overturned the "Kessler" class action decision after Kessler took a very hard line against big tobacco over the health effects of 'light' and 'mild' cigarettes and awarded millions to the litigants. To my mind a regulator could have used that decision as an out! I am indebted to George Thomson and Nick Wilson for the guest editorial on this matter. I do however want to make one final point. All the change we have achieved in tobacco control has been through legislation as the result of the work of a dedicated member of parliament prepared to stand up to big tobacco. Future change will be no different: display bans, plain packaging, licensing, descriptors, (you name it). So, let us get the bill drafted and do the rounds after the election to identify our champion. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Have a good fortnight. Mark Peck Director GUEST EDITORIALWhere to with tobacco pack marketing in New Zealand?by George Thomson and Nick Wilson With the election near, a window has now opened for advancing tobacco control. The recent Commerce Commission decision to warn major tobacco companies about their use of the descriptors 'light' and 'mild' gives an opportunity to end tobacco pack marketing in New Zealand. The removal of remaining 'light' and 'mild' descriptors from tobacco packs will do little to stop the deception of smokers. Tobacco companies have long prepared for the continuation of the deception by using other descriptors and by using pack colours. For years they have been ensuring that smokers recognise 'blue', 'fine', 'white', and 'silver' as substitute descriptor names for 'light', 'extra light' and so on. So comprehensive change is necessary, not just warning the tobacco industry after the stable door has long been left open. Tobacco pack marketing makes every smoker carry an advertisement for a brand product. The ad is visible at the point of sale every time smokers pull the pack out to light up and every time they put the pack on a cafe table. The resulting advertising causes increased smoking, increased health care costs and increased poverty for smokers and their whānau. The political parties, currently vying to demonstrate how they will save taxpayer dollars and how they will provide better health services have an opportunity to progress this issue. As cigarette packs are glamorous for young people, parties can demonstrate to parents that they will help reduce the risk of their children starting smoking. Now is the time for the parties to state that they will remove one of the most pernicious types of marketing in New Zealand – that on the tobacco pack. One option for them is to increase the graphic health warning to 100 percent of the front, top, bottom and sides of the pack. This would remove almost all effects of tobacco marketing. Almost no smoker puts their pack down on its front. All the branding left would be the 10 percent of the back of the pack that is currently not a graphic warning. Alternatively, a political party could adopt a policy of plain tobacco packaging. This would mean that a brand name could be used on a pack in a standard type font (shape, size, colour, and location). There would be no brand logos, colours and corporate symbols. Except for the name of the brand variant, tobacco packs would have a uniform, regulated colour, shape, size and texture. Whatever a political party proposes, they can be confident in saying that this form of tobacco control will cost tax-payers nothing. As with the current graphic warnings, it will be the tobacco companies that pay. IN THIS ISSUE:
TOBACCO INDUSTRY WARNED ABOUT USE OF 'LIGHT' AND 'MILD' ON PACKETSThe Commerce Commission has warned tobacco companies that the use of 'light' and 'mild' descriptors on tobacco packaging risks breaching the Fair Trading Act. A complaint to the Commerce Commission was lodged by the Smokefree Coalition, supported by key health groups, in July 2006. Smokefree Coalition Chair Jane Patterson says while it is disappointing tobacco companies British American Tobacco (NZ) Ltd, Imperial Tobacco Co of NZ Ltd and Philip Morris (NZ) Ltd have only received a warning, the decision shows once again the lengths tobacco companies will go to in order to make a profit. "The tobacco industry has a long history of lying. In this latest example they are misleading smokers by suggesting 'light' and 'mild' cigarettes have health benefits over regular or higher yield tobacco products. "As the Commerce Commission decision points out, 'light' and 'mild' tobacco is likely to be just as deadly as regular tobacco." Jane Patterson says smoking causes many serious diseases, and 'light' or 'mild' products are no exception. "Since at least the early 1990s, tobacco companies have known that smokers are likely to compensate for smoking 'light' cigarettes by inhaling more deeply, holding smoke in the lungs for longer, covering manufactured cigarette ventilation holes with the fingers or mouth, or smoking more frequently." The Smokefree Coalition is calling for misleading descriptors, such as 'light' and 'mild' to be removed from tobacco packaging immediately. Smokefree Coalition media release, 24 September 2008 See also: Commerce Commission media release, 24 September 2008 BECKY FREEMAN ON 'THE DECISION'
Surely some sort of fine must be issued for the years of outright deception of thousands of smokers who died because of reassurances that 'light' and 'mild' cigarettes were safer. Laws governing trade practices are all very well and good, but when even the most obvious cases of corporate malpractice are dismissed with a light warning, they're not worth the paper they're written on. Perhaps the Commerce Commission is using cigarette rolling papers to print their judgements, because this one went up in smoke. Becky Freeman Letter to The New Zealand Herald 24 September 2008 SELECT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS RETAIL DISPLAY BANThe Health Select Committee has recently published a recommendation to ban tobacco retail displays. The Committee considered petitions by Dalton Kelly and 20,000 others and by Craig Foss. The first petition requested that Parliament ban tobacco and cigarette displays in retail outlets. The second requested that the House note the signatures collected by the Hawke's Bay Smokefree Youth Ambassadors in support of a complete ban on the visual display of tobacco products. The Committee's conclusion was that tobacco display units should not be located in retail outlets where they are visible. The report says some members did not agree with the New Zealand Association of Convenience Stores "that there would be a significant loss of revenue if they were required to place these units elsewhere in their shops". By majority the Select Committee recommended the Government introduce legislation to require tobacco and cigarette displays in retail outlets to be out of sight. Members from the New Zealand National Party held to a minority view, however, and noted that without a retail display ban, smoking rates in New Zealand have still decreased significantly. In addition National noted that recent bans of retail displays in Thailand and Canada have not yet shown positive results in smoking rates. In National's opinion there is a need for more international evidence that banning tobacco displays would bring about a significant decrease in smoking in order to present a compelling and convincing case to the public. ASH welcomed the committee's recommendation to ban tobacco retail displays. Director Ben Youdan said, "We are delighted that the committee is clearly putting the health of our children before the profits of the tobacco cartels. The evidence that these displays are tempting our kids into a life of addiction is overwhelming. This is yet another big step towards ridding New Zealand of tobacco displays for good." The full report can be downloaded here. THE QUIT GROUP TURNS 10!The Quit Group, a charitable trust set up to run quit smoking programmes to reduce the number of New Zealanders who smoke, began its life 10 years ago. It started in one room in the Health Sponsorship Council offices in Wellington and was staffed by a handful of people operating a quitline service on four telephones.
The Cancer Society of New Zealand, Te Hotu Manawa Māori and the Health Sponsorship Council together identified the need for a telephone service to help people quit smoking. The Quit Group now has its own offices in central Wellington with 60 contact centre staff rotated over several shifts operating 45 telephones. It also now offers an online service and a Tx2Quit mobile phone text service. New Zealand was the first country to have a national Quitline (0800 778 778) offering nicotine replacement products. Demand for the Quit Group's services has grown over the years, with a sharp increase in late 2000 when the group began offering Ministry of Health subsidised nicotine patches and gum. The Group dealt with a record number (almost 44,000 people) wanting to quit smoking during the past year. The choice of nicotine replacement products for New Zealanders wanting to quit was expanded this month with the introduction of another Ministry of Health subsidised product – nicotine lozenges. These are proving very popular.
"We know people find it difficult to quit the first time. It can take some people several attempts to quit smoking," says Executive Director Helen Glasgow. "The Quit Group is there to support people quitting, no matter how many past attempts they have made. We don't judge people who return to smoking and seek help again for their addiction. We aim to support more smokers to make more quit attempts." THROUGH THE SMOKECigarette cards and tobacciana
Providing collectibles is a great way of getting repeat sales and continued exposure for your brand, especially if you can make those collectibles appealing to young and developing minds. A handful of interesting cigarette card images are featured on the opening page, but links to lots more are listed down the right-hand side. The topics are certainly varied. A 1930s series on first aid tips could have had some benefits, but is that a potato they are using to stop a nose bleed? Other topics seem quite bizarre like 'Uses for a lemon' and 'Did you know the sun makes us brown?' SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandDunedin dairy's smokefree stand wins reward
The Dainty Dairy owner received the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand Responsible Business Award at a presentation at her Stuart Street premises. Mrs Hall has occasionally defended her decision not to stock tobacco products, explaining to angry customers it would be irresponsible to reinforce smoking as acceptable in an area occupied by several schools. Otago Daily Times, 24 September 2008 Smokefree campaign discourages youth smoking A youth-targeted smokefree campaign is discouraging young people from smoking according to new data released by Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor. The Health Sponsorship Council's 'Smoking Not Our Future' campaign promotes anti-smoking and positive quitting messages via celebrity testimonials and aims to challenge attitudes towards smoking among young people aged 12 to 24 years. Scoop, 29 September 2008 No smoking signs planned The Waitakere City Council is planning to put a smokefree parks policy in place to discourage smokers from lighting up around playgrounds, skating areas, sports fields and outdoor event venues. Councillor Linda Cooper says the move is designed to promote the city as a healthy place. "We can't ban smoking and we don't want to be draconian," she says. "But we are asking people to think about those around them." Western Leader, 16 September 2008 Littering fines kick butt
At least one offender has been offered a compromise – the opportunity to speak to the students at a west Auckland primary school about the error of her ways and the city's ongoing problem with littering. Council spokesman Robert Menzies says the young woman was spotted throwing a cigarette butt out of the window of her mother's car on Hobsonville Rd earlier this month. Western Leader, 29 September 2008 Smokefree walk in the park The strong smell of tobacco still tickles her nose, reminding Leanne McDonald of a different time, a time when she risked her life and that of her children for a puff on a cigarette. It's the filth of the habit that made me quit," says Ms McDonald, who smoked for 17 years and comes from a family of heavy smokers. Soon, the only smell to attack Ms McDonald's nose in Manukau's parks will be the fresh scent of plants and cut grass. The Cancer Society has lobbied Manukau City Council and Waitakere City Council to introduce a smokefree policy for the region's parks. The Aucklander, 23 September Roll your own cigarettes not a healthy option People who smoke hand-rolled cigarettes believing they do less harm than tailor-mades may be deluding themselves, the Ministry of Health warns. It has released research that compared the smoke generated by several brands of loose-leaf tobacco with that from New Zealand's top-selling tailor-made cigarette, Holiday Red. Tests found roll-your-owns generated a third more tar than the Holiday cigarette, and several also had higher nicotine levels. Self-made cigarettes lack the chemicals in tailor-mades that keep the tobacco burning, hence the perception they are less harmful. The Press, 22 September 2008 Paul Holmes puffed up a storm at Eden Park
The culprit leading the fagging cause was none other than NewstalkZB stalwart Paul Holmes who puffed up on the balcony of the private box and unintentionally created quite the brouhaha. Unintentionally, because Holmesy swears he didn't know the stadium was smokefree. To be fair to him, I don't recall seeing any signs, but in these PC days, I guess you just presume any public place is an ash-free arena. NZ Herald, 22 September 2008 Prosecutions to follow TV underage tobacco sales The Director-General of Health has confirmed that the Ministry is preparing prosecutions against retailers who were recently shown on TV selling cigarettes to people under the age of 18, including one selling a single cigarette. Stephen McKernan says, "Where retailers are caught breaking the law, we will prosecute. We have had around 20 prosecutions so far this year and another 20 are underway." Ministry of Health media release, 19 September 2008 Smoking ban raises study fears Canterbury University's no-smoking policy will discourage students from studying on campus, the student president says. Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Town said the university was set to become smokefree by 1 January next year, but there was still some debate about the site of an outdoor, designated smoking area. The Press, 24 September 2008 InternationalWHO warns against use of electronic cigarettes
First made in China and sold mainly over the internet in countries including Brazil, Britain, Canada and Israel, they have grown in popularity despite a lack of regulatory approval, it said. A typical electronic cigarette is made of metal tube with a chamber which holds liquid nicotine in a rechargeable cartridge. Users puff on it but do not light it, leading some to use it to evade smoking bans in public places, according to the WHO. However, they inhale a fine mist of nicotine into their lungs, "plus potentially many other toxic compounds which we are not sure of," said Douglas Bettcher, Acting Director of the WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative. Reuters UK, 19 September 2008 Australian teachers reject smoking bans in school A proposal to ban smoking on Victorian school grounds would limit the potential fundraising activities of schools, the education union says. The Victorian government is considering a reform package as part of a new tobacco control strategy that would ban smoking, including by staff and parents, on school grounds, in addition to existing laws against smoking inside school buildings. The Age, 17 September 2008 Stars paid millions to endorse tobacco Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, Bob Hope, Henry Fonda and other stars of Hollywood's "Golden Age" were paid millions of dollars in today's money for promoting cigarettes, a new study has revealed. Once-secret tobacco industry documents show that American Tobacco, Reynolds, Liggett & Myers and other majors of the time paid lavish sums to A-list stars to endorse cigarette brands in newspaper advertisements, the study said. They praised brands for taste or smoothness, for providing relaxation on a movie set or - as in the case of John Wayne, who eventually died of cancer – helping the actor's voice. The Australian, 26 September 2008 Exercise helps women quit smoking as effectively as nicotine patches
One in five women in Britain smoke, including 17 percent of mothers-to-be, despite warnings over the damage to their own health and to that of their unborn children. Experts warn that the majority of those who try to give up cigarettes without some form of help are addicted again within a year. Studies have found that one of the most successful ways to kick the addiction is to use some form of nicotine replacement, to help smokers beat their cravings. But the new study suggests that encouraging women to exercise could be as effective. The Telegraph (UK), 23 September 2008 German doctors propose classifying tobacco addiction as ailment To help Germany's millions of smokers quit their addiction, the country's Federal Medical Society is proposing to reclassify tobacco addiction as an ailment. According to German physicians, the idea behind the reclassification is to add pressure on nicotine addicts by placing a sick label to spur them to seek medical assistance. AHN.com, 17 September 2008 Smokers apt to make other hazy choices, research finds A defining feature of smoking addiction is that smokers pursue it even when it's clear they are foregoing other benefits, such as good health. Now, brain scans suggest that this dodgy decision-making may extend into other areas of their lives. The Orlando Sentinel (US), 23 September 2008 Cigarettes to have reduced fire risk Cigarettes for sale in Australia will be subject to stringent new regulations to reduce the fire risk from smouldering butts. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has announced a new mandatory standard which will require cigarettes to be tested for combustibility. News.com, 22 September 2008 Tobacco firms in pack design work
Gallaher-owned Benson & Hedges is rolling out five limited-edition packs of its Gold range of cigarettes. Imperial Tobacco has refreshed the identity of its Golden Virginia and Windsor Blue brands and is launching special pack designs for Richmond King Size. It recently introduced price-marked packs. BrandRepublic (UK), 16 September 2008 Lazy smokers take heart in booze findings Drinking can be good for your heart – but you have to be a lazy smoker with an aversion to fruit and vegetables to reap the full benefits. Britain's leading researcher on the link between health and behaviour, Australian expatriate Michael Marmot, has found smokers with the worst diets and poorest exercise habits could consume as many as 14 standard drinks a week and still lower their risk of having a heart attack, stroke or other form of cardiovascular disease. WAtoday, 16 September 2008 Should researchers take tobacco money? Are universities ever right to accept money from the tobacco industry for research or is it always tainted somehow? The issue has been around for decades but a recent spat in America has given it a new airing. In June The New York Times published an account of a contract between Philip Morris USA, America's largest tobacco company, and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The agreement was highly unusual in giving the tobacco company not only the right to bar publication or discussion of the research but also assigned to itself all patent and intellectual property rights flowing from the research. University World News, 14 September 2008 Smoking bans forcing gamblers to walk away At one point during her evening on Harrah's casino barge anchored at Joliet, Illinois, Tensi Beavers needed a cigarette. But Illinois had recently banned smoking in casinos. So Ms Beavers did something that is making gambling executives choke on their smokefree casino air: she walked away from her game. The Herald News (US), 19 September 2008 'Smoking police' hit London's streets to shock people into quitting
'Smoking police' will target people at betting shops, bus stops and shopping centres to shock them into giving up cigarettes. They will be asked to breathe into a monitor to show how much carbon monoxide is in their bodies, and could then be signed up to local stop-smoking services and given access to counsellors. Pro-smoking group Forest described the campaign as a humiliating infringement of civil liberties. Ealing Primary Care Trust, which is funding the £75,000 (NZ$202,000) scheme, said it could help 2,400 people to give up. Mail on Sunday, 20 September 2008 Mob kills man for smoking A man was lynched by an irate mob in a bar in Eastern Uganda after refusing to stop smoking despite repeated requests from fellow drunken patrons. The incident was the first deadly attack targeting a smoker since a 2004 ban on smoking in public places was imposed in the East African nation. IOL, 19 September 2008 'Liquid cigarette' achieves 71 percent quit rate Earlier this year 52 smokers embarked on an FDA-approved clinical study of a new smoke-cessation device called Smoke-Break. After 12 weeks, 71 percent of the study participants, many of whom have smoked for decades, had broken their smoking habit. Smoke-Break is a clear tube that contains a cherry-flavoured gel along with 1.5 milligrams of nicotine. Users consume the liquid by lifting the tube to their mouths, much like they would draw on a cigarette, which has been credited for much of their success in being able to quit smoking. PR Web, 26 September 2008 Do 'light' cigarettes deliver less nicotine to the brain than regular cigarettes? For decades now, cigarette makers have marketed so-called light cigarettes – which contain less nicotine than regular smokes – with the implication that they are less harmful to smokers' health. A new UCLA study shows, however, that they deliver nearly as much nicotine to the brain. Reporting in the current online edition of the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, UCLA psychiatry professor Dr. Arthur L. Brody and colleagues found that low-nicotine cigarettes act similarly to regular cigarettes, occupying a significant percentage of the brain's nicotine receptors. EurekAlert, 26 September 2008 MILESTONESLook who has had a birthday recently... The Tobacco Control Update. It's our 100th issue! QUOTABLE QUOTES"Actually, I have to say on the issue of smoking, the social meddling argument falls over. The politicians actually did know what was best for us. Do you remember when you used to be able to smoke on planes? If you were an asthmatic crawling around on the floor – tough. "Television interviewers and their subjects would be dragging away. Teachers would be allowed to light up – in the classroom – and doctors would be lost in a haze of smoke across large wooden desks as they lectured on the perils of tobacco. I think you could smoke in court, libraries and hospitals. "We've come so far these things seem laughable now. But still, we don't like being told what to do." Peter O'Neill, "Brace for the influx of pie-munching politicians" "This is not an anti-smoker measure. It is an anti-tobacco industry measure designed to further marginalise the tobacco industry." Smokefree Coalition Director Mark Peck on smokefree parks,
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What a week to be in Brisbane visiting! While I really enjoyed family
time and 30 degree temperatures, everything was happening in New Zealand.
It seems the Commerce Commission has completely lost any sense of its supposed purpose – to prevent misleading and deceptive conduct by
traders. When the three big tobacco companies can get away with decades of falsely convincing smokers that 'light' and 'mild' cigarettes are safer,
what is even the point in filing a complaint to this 'light' and 'mild' body?
Television advertising has played an important role in prompting people to quit over the past decade. A new
Video Diaries television advertising campaign following a smoker's second attempt at quitting began in early September. Joe Tawhara and his wife Tash featured in a 2006/07 series attempting to quit. Tash was successful in quitting but Joe took up smoking again. This latest series follows Joe as he makes another attempt.
Where
possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to read the
story in full.
Dunedin dairy owner Moreen Hall's decision to put community wellbeing ahead of income was recognised yesterday when she became the inaugural recipient of a national health award.
A tough new littering bylaw continues to nab smokers who throw away their butts in Waitakere city. But not everybody can afford the $400 fine.
While the Wellington Lions swept through Eden Park, causing a flaying far worse than anything Ike or Gustav lashed out, a few of us were taking comfort in one of the stadium's corporate boxes sharing a few laughs and a few bevvies – and a few ciggies.
The World Health Organization
(WHO) is warning against using electronic cigarettes, saying there was no
evidence to prove they were safe or help smokers stop.
Working out just once a week helped one in four smokers to give up the addiction, researchers looking at the effect of exercise on pregnant women found. 
Tobacco brands are putting packaging design at the heart of their marketing strategies as the government continues to clamp down on the promotion of their products.
Smokers will be stopped in the street and asked to take a carbon monoxide test in London's most hard-hitting anti-smoking campaign.