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** 21 September 2023
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** UK
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** Ex-smokers see positive changes within two weeks of quitting (#1)
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** Smoking ban proposed for Runnymede council owned properties (#2)
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** Wales: Vapes: What does the new guidance mean for you? (#3)
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** Speaker lambasts Sunak for announcing net zero changes during Commons recess (#4)
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** International
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** Philip Morris considers stake sale as inhaler plans go up in smoke (#5)
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** UK
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** Ex-smokers see positive changes within two weeks of quitting

A new study has revealed that 95% of ex-smokers see positive changes in as little as two weeks after quitting.

The research comes in time for the national Stoptober campaign that encourages smokers to quit for the month of October. This year’s campaign will focus healthily on the lifestyle improvements of quitting, and NHS GP, Dr Dawn Harper, highlighted ‘’a range of benefits from easier breathing to reduced coughing to better tasting food’’.
According to the new study, 45% of ex-smokers noticed an increase in energy, while 42% saw an improvement in their breathing.

There are financial gains for those who quit too. The average smoker spends around £2,000 a year on the habit, however 34% of the ex-smokers that partook in the survey noted a saving in money. ‘When people quit smoking, the benefits are huge - they are healthier, wealthier and pressure on the NHS eases,’ said Health Minister, Neil O’Brien.

Smoking remains the biggest cause of preventable illness and death in England, with the cost to the NHS of treating diseases caused by smoking sitting at around £1.9 billion a year. Now in its 12th year, The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’ (OHID) national Stoptober campaign encourages smokers to quit for the month of October. The campaign is based on evidence that smokers are five times more likely to quit for good if they make it to 28 days smoke-free.

Source: Independent Nurse, 20 September 2023

See Also:Data announced by OHID on the benefits of smoking ([link removed])
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** Smoking ban proposed for Runnymede council owned properties

Residents living in homes owned by a Surrey council could be banned from smoking on their balconies.

It comes following a survey in which a majority of respondents said smoking should not be allowed on balconies.

The council said the proposed ban was due to the "anti-social impact of smoking" as well as limiting cigarette litter falling from balconies.

Out of 174 residents, 40 responded to the local authority survey - 83% of whom were non-smokers.

Council papers stated smoking caused a "nuisance" when cigarette smoke was "blown from one balcony to another".

All who said smoking should not be allowed on a balcony identified themselves as a non-smoker, the council said.

The local authority said it expected enforcement to be relatively straightforward with the majority of tenants adopting the new rules "following clear communication" on "how balconies should be used".

Source: BBC News, 20 September 2023

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** Wales: Vapes: What does the new guidance mean for you?

Public Health Wales (PHW) has published new guidance to help schools tackle youth vaping following reports from head teachers and ‘’significant new challenges’’ surrounding the use of vapes among young people.

PHW said while switching to vapes significantly benefits smokers, there is no benefit for non-smokers, particularly children and young people.

It added that vaping puts young people at risk of nicotine addiction which can affect their education, behaviour and other aspects of their lives.

PHW said there are some key actions schools can take, including understanding the patterns of vaping behaviour.

It added that schools could address any buying or selling of vapes between learners. But it said schools should also support the young to stop, which could include discussing the cost of vaping and the reasons they do it. For example, if students said it was to manage stress, they could be supported in finding other solutions.

The guidance said information about vaping should be delivered as part of broader substance misuse education. Smoking and vaping should not be presented as equally harmful because that is not supported by evidence, it said. The new curriculum offers new opportunities to discuss the issue, including in relation to adolescent brain development and why teenagers make certain decisions. The advertising, marketing and environmental impacts of vapes could also be discussed - including looking at how long it takes for the metal in the vapes to decompose.

Source: BBC News, 20 September 2023
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** See Also: ASH resources on youth vaping ([link removed])
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** Speaker lambasts Sunak for announcing net zero changes during Commons recess

The Speaker of the House of Commons has reacted furiously to Rishi Sunak choosing to announce his new green policy in a press conference rather than addressing MPs.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle criticised the way the “major policy shift” was being unveiled while the Commons is in recess for party conferences, robbing the lower chamber of the chance to scrutinise the changes.

The speech had been planned for later this week, but appeared to have been brought forward by Downing Street after the net zero plans were leaked to the BBC on Tuesday night.

A spokeswoman for the Speaker’s Office said: “If he had the power, the Speaker would recall the House immediately – and he is writing to the Prime Minister today to express that view in the strongest of terms. This is a major policy shift, and it should have been announced when the House was sitting. Members with very different views on this issue have expressed their disquiet on the way this has been handled, especially as the Commons rose early last night, so there was plenty of time for this statement to be made’’.

‘’Instead, the unelected House of Lords will have the opportunity to scrutinise this change in direction this afternoon when it hears the Government’s response to a private notice question on this issue. This is not the way to do business. Ministers are answerable to MPs – we do not have a presidential system here. The House of Commons is where laws are made, national debates are had – and where statements should be made.”

Source: The Independent, 20 September 2023

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** International
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** Philip Morris considers stake sale as inhaler plans go up in smoke

The maker of Marlboro cigarettes is considering selling a stake in the respiratory drugs company it contentiously bought two years ago as its transformation away from tobacco falters.

The £1 billion acquisition of Vectura in 2021 triggered a backlash from the public health sector as the company, based in Wiltshire, develops inhalers and medicines, including for smoking-related conditions. A coalition of public health bodies, clinicians and charities wrote to Vectura’s shareholders and directors to warn that it could “hamper [the company’s] ability to continue operating as a viable, research-oriented business”.

One source said yesterday: “We told you so. [Philip Morris] were so arrogant, they didn’t listen at the time on how difficult this is. Having a tobacco company as your parent puts so many more hurdles in place. They have taken a great company and destroyed value’’.

After disappointing clinical trial results and various delays, Philip Morris said it no longer expected to reach more than $1 billion of net revenues for the wellness and healthcare business by 2025 — a key target at the time of the Vectura deal — and would reduce investment next year.

Rae Maile, a tobacco analyst at Panmure Gordon, the City broker, said the tobacco industry had been “seeking various routes of diversification since the 1950s — food, beer, financial services, retailing and perfume — but the results of such efforts have been mixed at best”. He added: “In the meantime it is still smokers who generate the cashflow used for all the new plans.”

Philip Morris told investors at its half-year results it would be “exploring potential partnerships to enhance” its contract development and manufacturing business to grow Vectura.

Source: The Times, 21 September 2023

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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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