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| Issue 126 | 30 September 2009 |
Having trouble viewing this newsletter? Try the online version. Introducing the new DirectorThe Board of the Smokefree Coalition is pleased to welcome new Director Prudence Stone. Prudence was Central Regional Manager for the Sustainable Business Network and also has considerable business experience. She has a PhD in Sociology. Prudence is energetically getting up to speed on the issues relating to tobacco control and, as the mother of two children, is passionate about contributing to this important issue. Jane Patterson, Co-Deputy Chair, From the Director
I was welcomed into my new office by Te Reo Marama's Director Shane Kawenata Bradbrook who told me work on the inquiry is already well under way, creating what will become another long term national debate, spurring our vision forward. I watched the Paul Holmes interview of Māori Party MP Hone Harawira, and then Holmes' follow-up Q+A with Steve Maharey, Raymond Miller and Richard Prebble. At this very preliminary stage it already seems clear the confusions that will be played out via the media are the same old: banning production, marketing and retail is far, far different from banning smoking and product consumption, duh; and an inquiry into the political economy of tobacco industry is far, far different from banning anything at all! Gearing ourselves continually for these follow up discussions as smokefree advocates, we must always take stock of lessons the Coalition has learnt, not only surrounding the health facts of tobacco consumption, but surrounding our tactics for healthy discussion. Looking back to the work done to pass the Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill in 2003, the first lesson may seem the hardest: the longer the national debate the better. But we must remember national debate and public discourse are essential components of the cultural change we crusade for. The challenge is to relish the arguments and criticisms that come before us, rather than bear them like a cross. The second lesson, then, is not to respond to confusion caused by the media. The facts, when it comes to reviewing politics and ethics surrounding the tobacco industry in New Zealand, are not going to change and are already on our side. We have to stay calm and focused upon these facts, with faith that throughout the long term the inquiry will take, while media attention sways this way and that way, the due course will follow those facts and not falter. Where vehement or scathing responses are fired from the likes of Richard Prebble on Holmes' Q+A, saying our ambitions for Aotearoa are patronising examples of nanny-statism or merely unrealistic, or that smoking is a choice (tell that to my son – he's been told he's a dick at school for not wanting to try it); these are not situations where we should fire up our ammunition and start fighting – wrong attitude. These are opportunities for us to set enlightened examples: of calm resolve that numbers holding this ridiculous stance in Aotearoa are falling away; of deep satisfaction that when those voices holding this stance get louder, it is because our own arguments – backed by documented research – are already ringing in their ears; and most importantly, of indifference to the hearsay sway of opinions holding forth in last week's Q+A, in the cafe today, or online next week or next month. At the end of a long inquiry the facts will impress our nation's policy, not anyone's opinion. Opinions mean very little before, during and long after a culture has changed. The Bill in 2003 proved that beyond a doubt. Let's be seen to relish those discussions continually before us as New Zealand's advocates for change, and here's to healthy discussion for a healthier New Zealand. I'm thrilled to be joining in! Take care, Prudence Stone, Director, IN THIS ISSUE:
Māori Affairs Select Committee to hold inquiry into tobacco industry practices
"For too long the tobacco industry has hidden in the shadows counting the money it makes off of its customers' addiction. This industry has had a particularly devastating impact on the Māori community," said Shane Kawenata Bradbrook, Director of Te Reo Marama. "I am proud that the Māori Affairs Select Committee, on behalf of Māori, is taking the issue of tobacco addiction directly to those people responsible for its daily carnage. "Whilst proponents will argue that tobacco use is a personal choice, and that users know the dangers, the reality is this industry has a track record of lies and deception that needs to be challenged in a public forum. The Tobacco Industry is about addiction for profit with minimal regard or responsibility for the 5000 deaths of New Zealanders, of which over 400 are Māori, each year. "I would challenge anyone to provide a reason not to hold this industry accountable for its role in killing so many New Zealanders. It has a thin veneer of corporate respectability that allows it to still operate with no regard for our communities. "A Select Committee inquiry will be an opportunity to question the relevance of this industry that has managed to operate with impunity for decades despite the overwhelming evidence that finds no benefit in its use. "There is not one discernible positive attribute that can be said about this product or the industry. It is not normal business practice to market and produce something that kills its customers in such high numbers. If tobacco was introduced today it would never make it onto the market. "A decade ago the tobacco debate centred on smokefree environments. It is now shifting to the actual relevance of the tobacco industry in the 21st Century. "There was a time when society condoned slavery and the use of child labour in the mines of England. But societies evolve; they grow and develop. The tobacco industry should be consigned to the history books just like slavery has been." Te Reo Marama media release, 23 September 2009 Additional media coverage:
Researchers' response to the Māori Select Committee inquiry on tobaccoby Heather Gifford and George Thomson Researchers in the Daring to Dream project at the University of Otago, Wellington, and Whakauae Research, Whanganui, are delighted with the opportunity to present information and ideas to the tobacco inquiry of the Māori Affairs Select Committee. One option we have researched is to remove the tobacco manufacturers from New Zealand, and have tobacco supplied through a non-profit agency. This would enable the removal of brand marketing, and enable requirements that retailers focus on helping smokers quit. The project has been researching cutting edge options for rapid smoking reduction, including a 'sinking lid' to reduce tobacco volume quotas for tobacco companies, penalties for tobacco companies if smoking prevalence reduction does not reach targets, and levelling the legal playing field to enable easier litigation against the tobacco industry. A further option is to ensure that government does not have an incentive to let smoking levels be maintained, by using all tobacco tax revenue to help smokers quit. One aspect of the inquiry that has great potential is the ability to question the tobacco companies. Similar parliamentary inquiries in Ireland and the United Kingdom were very successful in revealing information about tobacco company activity and illuminating company stances. It is essential that the Select Committee is well-informed and prepared with questions for the industry. Court cases around the world, including that brought by the United States Justice Department during 2002-2006, have revealed that tobacco companies (including some operating in New Zealand) have knowingly deceived the public and governments about cigarette design, smoking harm and addiction, and in their marketing. They have systematically destroyed documents, and have continually attempted to distort the public record. Tobacco companies accused of flouting regulations
A study of purchased and discarded cigarette packs showed the regulations were not being "appropriately followed", Otago University Marketing Professor Janet Hoek said. Graphic warnings became mandatory in August 2008 and tobacco companies are required to evenly distribute various images over all cigarette packs. Dr Hoek said the most offensive graphics were printed less frequently than other "less disturbing" images. "These (more offensive) images included graphics of smokers' external body parts, such as a diseased mouth or eye, or gangrenous toes," she said. "This is of concern as it undercuts the law and public health policy, which aims to reduce the serious health impact of smoking." About 5000 New Zealanders die of smoking related illnesses each year. The most common image featured on both purchased and discarded packs was a body with a toe-tag. "Tobacco companies have made it clear they dislike the new regulations on graphic health warnings, and these findings suggest they may be trying to minimise the impact of the new law." Dr Hoek said tobacco companies should be required to submit the warnings' print run information. Otago Daily Times, 29 September 2009 Click here for Radio New Zealand's story (Checkpoint with Mary Wilson) on graphic warnings research. Recent New Zealand medical Journal articlesThe following articles were published in the New Zealand Medical Journal on 25 September 2009. Below each article is a link to the article in full. The articles will be available from the Smokefree Coalition site at these links until the end of October 2009. Unequal risks, unmet needs: The tobacco burden for Pacific peoples in New Zealand Tolotea Lanumata and George Thomson A review of the available published literature and documentary material relevant to smoking by Pacific peoples in New Zealand Results: Over 30 percent of Pacific adults in New Zealand reported being smokers in the 2006 census, compared to 21 percent of the whole adult population. Smoking by Pacific women increased from 23 percent in 1996 to 27 percent in the 2006 census. Other survey data indicates some fall in the prevalence of daily smoking from 35 percent in 2002/3 to 26 percent in 2006/7. The prevalence of smoking by Pacific year 10 students declined sharply during 1999-2007, from 29 percent to 16 percent. Smoking inside the homes of Pacific students has declined during 2001-7, from 35 percent to 26 percent. We found little government attention to smoking by Pacific peoples, and no specific central government plan for Pacific tobacco control. Conclusions: The threat to health from smoking and second-hand smoke exposure is higher for Pacific peoples and contributes to health inequalities in New Zealand. There is a need for tobacco control interventions specific to Pacific peoples, with some policy shortcomings needing to be urgently addressed. A central government plan for Pacific tobacco control is required. Some progress has occurred, particularly in the decrease of smoking by Pacific youth, and the increase in smokefree Pacific homes. Click here for the full article. Smokefree outdoor areas without the smoke police: The New Zealand local authority experience Brent Hyslop and George Thomson An investigation into the extent, nature and effectiveness of smokefree outdoor area (SFOA) policies in New Zealand, and incentives and motivations for, and barriers to creating these SFOA Results: Twenty three of 73 local authorities have 'educative' (non-enforceable) SFOA policies for at least one playground. There has been an increasing trend of SFOA policy adoption since the first 'educative' policy in 2005. Motivations for policy adoption include child wellbeing, community leadership, and environmental and fire concerns. Barriers have included arguments about 'freedoms', over-regulation, park attendance, enforcement, media comment, and some local authority lack of focus on health. There appears to be increasing support nationally for at least SFOA for children's areas, including 66 percent support from smokers for smokefree playgrounds. There is some evidence of SFOA policy effectiveness, but considerable need for further evaluation of the policies. Conclusions: Councils have moved to create SFOA, in the absence of substantial central government efforts. It is likely that the adoption of SFOA will continue, and there is potential for an expansion of the policies to wider settings. Click here for the full article. Smokefree cars in New Zealand: Rapid research among stakeholders on attitudes and future directions Dylan Tapp and George Thomson A rapid appraisal of the attitudes of New Zealand decision makers and tobacco control stakeholders on enacting a smokefree cars law Results: In official statements, and amongst the interview sample, there was general opposition to giving smokefree car legislation a current high priority. Reasons given for opposition to such a law included the suboptimal use of advocacy capital compared with other initiatives (e.g. tobacco display bans), the perceived success of relevant health marketing campaigns, and concerns over the current political will to enact legislation that targets smokers' freedoms. Conclusions: More information on the extent of current child exposure to tobacco smoke in New Zealand cars, and on the reach and effectiveness of the New Zealand smokefree cars media campaign would help advocates and policymakers. Wider dissemination to policymakers of New Zealand public and smoker support for banning smoking in cars, and of the progress overseas on smokefree car laws, appears to be essential. Click here for the full article. Through the smoke
Doctors in the 17th Century were worried about the dangers of young people smoking, a recently unearthed letter has revealed. The letter, written in 1606 by Dr Eleazar Duncon and recently found by staff at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE), said tobacco was "hurtful" to the nation's youth. The letter, which was published at the time by Dr Duncon's employer, concluded that tobacco "is so hurtful and dangerous to youth that it might have the pernicious nature expressed in the name, and that it were as well known by the name of youths-bane as by the name of tobacco". Professor Sir Neil Douglas, the president of the RCPE, said it gave a fascinating insight into historical concerns about smoking and young people. Click here for the full BBC News story. SMOKEFREE SHORTS
New ZealandHumble Harawira
He is also humbled by all the political parties having backed his bill calling for a Māori Affairs Select Committee inquiry into tobacco and the "pusher" industry behind it. Submissions will be taken until January, and the inquiry's outcome is expected next year. Mr Harawira hopes the inquiry will result in, among other things, heavier taxation, a total ban on displaying tobacco and greater support for those trying to quit. Northern Advocate, 25 September 2009 Health Ministry supports tobacco display ban The Ministry of Health has confirmed its support for a ban on tobacco displays as part of a range of measures required to ensure smoking rates continue to decline in New Zealand, Labour Associate Health spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway said. "Ministry of Health officials today told the Māori Affairs Select Committee that they support banning tobacco displays and that their advice to the Government is to proceed with enacting a ban," Iain Lees-Galloway said. Scoop, 23 September 2009 MP wants country puffing on smokeless cigarette Māori Affairs Select Committee Chairman Tau Henare wants electronic cigarettes to be freely available to help those addicted to nicotine. Mr Henare said the product allowed him to go a whole day without smoking a traditional cigarette. NZPA, 23 September 2009 ASH NZ calls for tobacco licensing Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has called for tobacco retailers to be licensed after confirmation four retailers in Queenstown and Central Otago face prosecution and fines of up to $2000 each after allegedly selling tobacco to a minor. The Otago Daily Times recently reported the retailers were caught during a Public Health South campaign targeting 20 dairies, petrol stations and "superettes" in Queenstown, Arrowtown, Alexandra and Roxburgh in August. Otago Daily Times, 18 September 2009 InternationalTobacco ban law backed by Scottish MPs
The Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Bill would also ban cigarette vending machines and introduce a registration scheme for retailers. Scottish ministers said the move was needed to tackle Scotland's smoking-related health problems. But the Tories voted against the bill, saying there was no proven link between tobacco displays and youth smoking. BBC News, 24 September 2009 In Canada cigarettes have gone into hiding At first glance, it looks like cigarettes have disappeared from Canadian stores. There are no advertisements or signs for cigarettes in retail outlets in most of the nation's provinces. And the behind-the-counter racks of various cigarette brands, so familiar in the United States, are nowhere to be seen. While cigarettes are still sold, they have largely disappeared from view – an effort by the nation's provincial governments to discourage smoking among young people and help adults quit. Courier-Journal, 16 September 2009 Smokers should be praised not banned Throughout Whitehall and the metropolitan councils of Britain, a gleam of delight must have illuminated even the most professionally joyless of eyes as they read a report from New York yesterday. The city's health commissioner, Thomas Farley, wishes to outlaw smoking outdoors, in the parks and on the beaches, and it is safe to assume that the idea is now being greedily considered (if it wasn't already) over here. The Independent, 17 September 2009 Smokefree planet
That's the message from New York City, where the mayor and health commissioner have just released a policy agenda called "Take Care New York 2012." Page 10 of the document says the city's health department "will work with the city's Department of Parks and Recreation and other entities to expand smokefree spaces to include city parks and public beaches." The city council speaker is very interested in the idea, but her help might not be necessary if the parks department can implement the ban as a regulation. Let's step back and recall how we got here. When tobacco fighters began to outlaw smoking in elevators, buses, restaurants, bars, and public buildings, their stated rationale was to protect non-smokers trapped inside. Slate, 15 September 2009 Banning snaps of smokers is a real drag There is no logic behind censoring pictures of famous people smoking, writes Mark Lawson. A quiz question: what is the link between former French president Jacques Chirac, the composer Rachmaninov and the British journalist Lynn Barber? The answer is that attempts have been made to ban photographs of them on the grounds that they were shown smoking. The Age, 20 September 2009 Tobacco mints a lot like candy? The "mints" in your child's pocket might give much more than a sugar high, the US Federal Drug Administration is warning. They might provide a jolt of nicotine. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co is test-marketing tobacco-infused mints in Columbus and two other markets. The company says the mints are for adults who want an alternative to cigarettes, but critics warn that the so-called "dissolvable tobacco" products will appeal to youngsters. The Columbus Dispatch, 25 September 2009 Pfizer's campaign to drug as many smokers as possible
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is in the middle of a major campaign to convince Australian smokers that they should not try to quit without taking anti-smoking medication. The company sells over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and prescription drug varenicline (brand name Champix). A Pfizer brochure "What makes you think you can quit this time?" and website stress that "only 3-5 percent of people who try to outsmart cigarettes without treatment succeed", that "a serious quit attempt needs a plan" and that most smokers "require help from a health-care professional". Crikey, 18 September 2009 Big drop in heart attacks after smoking bans, studies say The ban on smoking in public places, such as bars and restaurants, has been one of the greatest public health debates of the early 21st century. Now, two large studies suggest that communities that pass laws to curb second-hand smoke get a big payoff – a drop in heart attacks. Overall, American, Canadian, and European cities that have implemented smoking bans had an average of 17 percent fewer heart attacks in the first year, compared with communities who had not taken such measures. CNN, 22 September 2009 The myth of the smoking ban 'miracle' 'Heart attacks plummet after smoking ban,' declared The Sunday Times earlier this month, as it reported that England's smoking ban has 'caused a fall in heart attack rates of about 10 percent'. A few days later, The Scotsman upped the ante, informing its readers 'Smoking ban slashes heart attacks by up to a third across world'. Tales of heart attacks being 'slashed' by smoking bans have appeared with such regularity in recent years that it is easy to forget that there is a conspicuous lack of reliable evidence to support them. It is almost as if the sheer number of column inches is a substitute for proof. Spiked, 24 September 2009 QUOTABLE QUOTES"The number of cigarettes one smokes, is inversely proportionate to their IQ. Need I say more?" Comment on Crain's New York Business website, 16 September 2009 "What really offends here, as always with the persecution of the smoker, is the mingling of didactic bombast and rank ingratitude. There is no more selfless and heroic breed of civilian than smokers, who contribute many billions more to the economy than they take in healthcare, and save untold billions more by declining to claim the state pension due to early death." Matthew Norman, "Smokers should be praised not banned",
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I am honoured and excited to take Directorship of the Smokefree Coalition, and look forward to meeting the members and implementing the grand vision of a tobacco free nation by 2020. How timely that on my first day at work, the inbox is abuzz with the Māori Affairs
Select Committee agreement to hold an inquiry into the impact of tobacco industry on Māori?
The announcement on 23 September that the Māori Affairs Select Committee will put the Tobacco Industry under the spotlight, as never before, is a watershed moment for public health advocates in this country.
Tobacco companies are undermining the law and public health policy by not following graphic warning regulations, a researcher says.
Where
possible, links are provided below the stories. Please click these to read
the story in full.
Northland
politician Hone Harawira says he is humbled by people telling him that the
example he set when he gave up smoking changed lives for the better.
New laws to end the display of tobacco in shops in Scotland have passed their first parliamentary hurdle.
Hey, you! Stop smoking in my atmosphere!
by Simon Chapman, Professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney