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** 29 November 2023
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** UK
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** Two thirds of Brits back Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban, new poll finds (#1)
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** The MP for vaping: Tory Adam Afriyie given award by lobbying industry (#2)
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** International
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** France to ban smoking on beaches as it seeks to avoid 75,000 tobacco-related deaths per year (#4)
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** A quick guide to smoking bans across the world (#5)
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** UK
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** Two thirds of Brits back Rishi Sunak’s smoking ban, new poll finds
The YouGov survey shows 67 per cent of people in England support outlawing the sale of fags to anyone born after 2009.
The policy gets the nod from 74 per cent of Tory voters, while 72 per cent of Labour backers also agree.
A new law formalising the ban is expected to pass through Parliament before a general election next year.
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health, hailed the policy as a cross party win for the health of the country.
She said: “This is not a party-political issue in the UK, successive governments, backed by strong public and parliamentary support, have passed increasingly stringent tobacco regulations aimed at bringing the smoking epidemic to an end.
“The passing of the smokefree generation legislation promised in the King’s Speech, backed by increased investment to help adult smokers quit, can put us in pole position to achieve a smokefree future.”
Tory MP Bob Blackman, whose mother died from lung cancer aged 47, said: “For me this is deeply personal.
“No one wants to see children start smoking which is why support for this policy is so high across the political spectrum.
“As MPs we see the impact smoking has in our communities and many of us have experience in our own lives too.”
Source: The Sun, 28 November 2023
See also: ASH - Two thirds of the public back raising the age of sale to create a smokefree generation ([link removed]) | The Daily Mail - Majority back plans to crack down on smoking ([link removed]) | The Mirror – Radical smoking ban to stop young people ever buying tobacco given fresh boost ([link removed])
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** The MP for vaping: Tory Adam Afriyie given award by lobbying industry
Adam Afriyie won the “most supportive parliamentarian” award at an annual awards ceremony earlier this month held by the UK Vaping and Industry Association (UKVIA).
A Tory MP who failed to declare his family’s shares in a vape firm despite promoting vaping in the House of Commons has won a lobbying award by the vaping industry.
The UKVIA said the award “recognises an individual in Westminster who has spoken up for vaping in the House”, writing on X: “Congratulations to Adam Afriyie!”
The Tory MP still has not declared his wife’s shares in a vape retailer. i revealed in May that Tracy-Jane Afriyie is the third-largest shareholder in Elite Growth, a global vape retailer which sells Moodbar disposable vapes through a vaping brand called Nebulos.
Now i can reveal that Mrs Afriyie has since been listed as a shareholder in the Nebulos vape brand itself, meaning the Tory MP’s family has direct interests in disposable vapes.
Mrs Afriyie was listed as a shareholder of the disposable vape firm in June 2022 and 2023, and the shares are understood to be worth around £12,000. The company advertises its candy-flavoured and nicotine-based Moodbar vapes as smoking cessation tools, with a recent advert claiming customers can “quit smoking with Moodbar”.
Mr Afriyie has not declared his wife’s shares in either Elite Growth nor Nebulos in the official MPs’ register of interests, and has continued to promote the benefits of vaping as a smoking cessation tool since the shares were listed.
MPs are not permitted to carry out paid lobbying that could deliver financial benefit to themselves or clients.
Source: The i, 28 November 2023
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** International
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** France to ban smoking on beaches as it seeks to avoid 75,000 tobacco-related deaths per year
France will ban smoking on all beaches, in public parks, forests and some other public areas as part of a national anti-tobacco plan presented by the health minister on Tuesday.
Tobacco products cause 75,000 avoidable deaths a year in France, Minister of Health and Prevention Aurélien Rousseau said on BFM television. The government will introduce legislation at the start of next year to enlarge the scope of places where fines can be levied for smoking, he said.
"Beaches, parks, around schools -- lots of places had started these experiments and now, it´s true, we´re heading to a general rule to show our determination," he said.
Source: Daily Mail, 28 November 2023
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** A quick guide to smoking bans across the world
Here's what you need to know about global efforts to quit smoking.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to create a "smoke-free generation". Under the UK government's proposed legislation, anyone aged 14 or under will never be able to legally buy cigarettes or any other tobacco product.
This policy was inspired by New Zealand. New Zealand's previous government wanted to have a sweeping crackdown on smoking, passing a similar law to the UK.
Other countries are still hoping to raise "smoke-free generations". Mexico has some of the strictest anti-smoking laws in the world, including smoking bans at beaches, parks and in some cases private homes.
Portugal aims to have a "smoke-free generation" by 2040, and wants to pass a law that would stop bars, cafes and petrol stations from selling tobacco products. Canada is hoping to reduce tobacco use to less than 5% by 2035 and earlier this year, became the first country to rule that health warnings should be printed on individual cigarettes.
Today, over 70 countries have "smoke-free" policies that cover all indoor places. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), over one quarter of the world's population are covered by complete smoking bans in public places, workplaces and public transport.
In South America, citizens of every country are now covered by anti-smoking laws. In 2006, Uruguay became the first country in the region to adopt a "100% smoke-free national policy," says WHO. Measures included a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places and restrictions in some outdoor areas such as near hospitals and schools. In 2020, Paraguay became the last country in the region to pass national laws to create "smoke-free environments" - meaning its citizens can only use tobacco products in specific uncrowded open air spaces.
The European Commission said there was a problem with getting people and authorities to actually follow anti-smoking measures in reality, with laws on paper often being ignored. Greece, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania and Spain have "strong" enforcement, according to Smoke Free Partnership, a group of European NGOs. However Cyprus, Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland and Slovakia are among countries that have limited protections, and even these are sometimes ignored.
In the UK, smoking has been banned in virtually all indoor places since 2007.
Source: BBC News, 27 November 2023
See also: Stopping the start: our new plan to create a smokefree generation ([link removed])
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