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Opinion: We need to look beyond economics on smoking, drinking and obesity
Writing in the New Statesman, interim Director at the Social Market Foundation, Aveek Bhattacharya writes about the negative impact that ill health resulting from smoking, obesity and alcohol has on the UK economy and the misconceptions around taxation of these industries.
Bhattacharya starts by discussing the Autumn Statement, highlighting the Chancellor’s intention to increase the “supply side” of the economy and “increase our productive capacity by encouraging more investment” as well as raising employment. However, Bhattacharya points out that the Chancellor did not address the impact of ill health on the UK’s “economic potential”. He cites the recent report from ASH, the OHA and AHA: “Holding us back: tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink” which found that smoking, alcohol and obesity costs the economy £31bn per year.
Bhattacharya acknowledges government’s plans to “create a smoke-free generation” by raising the age for sale of cigarettes and an increase on taxes on hand-rolling tobacco. However, he points out that the Chancellor went on to announce a freeze on alcohol duty in an effort to bolster pubs and the scotch whisky industry. Lower alcohol taxes have been shown to result in more premature deaths, “disproportionately of men in their forties and fifties, who are in their economic prime.” This results in lost economic productivity.
Continuing, Bhattacharya states that: “This tension between supporting industries peddling unhealthy commodities and tackling their harms bedevils public health policy” and highlights previous attempts at regulation which have been labelled “anti-business”. However, he points out that interventions such as taxation, limits on advertising and promotions have minimal commercial impact. He uses the sugar tax as an example which didn’t “stop people buying soft drinks, but just encouraged producers to switch to lower sugar formulas.” He goes on to say that minimum alcohol pricing in Scotland resulted in people drinking less and spending more on expensive alcohol, not detrimentally effecting the alcohol industry.
Bhattacharya concludes by stating that “being sick means that people are less likely to be in work, more likely to have days off if they do have a job, and more likely to have impaired job performance when they make it in.” Due to this, if the Chancellor wishes to improve the productivity of the UK then tackling the issues that cause low productivity should be at the top of his list.
Source: The New Statesman, 8 January 2024
See also: ASH - Holding us back: tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink
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Torbay Council to provide vapes to help smokers quit
In a push to reduce smoking, more than £50,000 has been allocated by Torbay Council for vapes.
Government funding of £57,000 has been earmarked for the Bay as part of the Swap to Stop scheme to encourage smokers to switch from cigarettes to vapes to improve their health.
Vapes provide another option for people who find it difficult to quit. Vapes contain nicotine, but do not contain the carbon monoxide or tar found in cigarettes. So, whilst vapes are not risk free to non-smokers, they are safer for smokers than cigarettes. Vapes are not recommended for use in non-smokers and it is illegal to sell these to anyone under 18 years.
Cllr Hayley Tranter, Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, Public Health and Inequalities, said: “We welcome this funding into the Bay to help us with our efforts to encourage people to quit smoking.
“If you’ve smoked for a long time and need help giving up, vaping can be a useful tool.
“This funding will help dozens of people on that journey and will be especially beneficial for more vulnerable people in our community who already have complex health and social problems and need that extra support.”
Source: Torbay Today, 8 January 2024
See also: NHS - Vaping to quit smoking
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US Supreme Court rejects challenge to California flavoured tobacco ban
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's challenge to a voter-approved measure in California that banned flavoured tobacco products in the most-populous U.S. state.
The justices rejected an appeal by R.J. Reynolds, a unit of British American Tobacco (BATS.L), and other plaintiffs of a lower court's ruling holding that California's law did not conflict with a federal statute regulating tobacco products.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat who defended the law in court, in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, called the Supreme Court's decision "excellent news."
"We look forward to continuing to fight to prevent addiction and protect the health of our people," Bonta said.
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in 2020 signed into law a ban on all flavoured tobacco products - including menthol cigarettes and cotton candy-flavoured vaping products - in response to concerns about a rise in e-cigarette and tobacco use by teenagers.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2020 banned all flavours except tobacco and menthol in Juul and other cartridge-based e-cigarettes. In 2022, the FDA sought to ban sales of all Juul e-cigarettes, though it later put the order on hold.
Beyond vaping, the FDA in April 2022 proposed banning menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars. Those rules have yet to be finalized and have been the subject of lobbying by tobacco groups.
A day after the California vote, R.J. Reynolds along with a group representing tobacco retailers, the Neighbourhood Market Association, and a vape shop, filed a lawsuit arguing the federal Tobacco Control Act, which the FDA enforces, pre-empts state and local laws that bar flavoured tobacco product sales.
But a federal judge ruled those arguments were foreclosed by an earlier decision by the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholding a similar ban in Los Angeles County.
R.J. Reynolds had previously unsuccessfully asked the U.S. Supreme Court to prevent the California law from taking effect while it pursued its appeals. The justices rejected that request in December 2022.
Source: Reuters, 8 January 2024
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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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