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The government must not bow to industry pressure on smoking and vaping
Writing in the New Statesman, director of public health for Sheffield, Greg Fell comments on the recent government consultation on the smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, and reactions to the proposed changes.
He notes that since the government published its response to its recent consultation, the headlines have focused on the proposed ban on disposable vapes. However, despite concerns over youth vaping, and the impact to the environment, Fell writes that he is more concerned with ensuring the age of sale legislation is passed.
This is so important, writes Fell, because smoking kills 64,000 people in the UK every year and causes ill-health and diseases including stillbirths, lung disease, heart disease, stroke, dementia, as well as being responsible for a quarter of cancer deaths in the UK. Beyond this, smoking costs the UK roughly £20.5bn per year through health and social care services, premature death, and reduced productivity and employment.
Fell also points out that smoking is an addiction, with 80% of smokers having taken it up before they turned 20, most of whom wish that they had never started. This legislation, writes Fell, will help to prevent young people from ever starting to smoke in the first place. The evidence in favour of this is “overwhelming”.
Meanwhile, Fell states that vaping is a more complicated issue. Undoubtedly the government needs to act, however Fell speaks of the importance of striking a good balance with the vaping regulations so that the success of vaping as a quitting tool is not undermined.
For Fell, what is important is that we “recognise the opportunity the legislation proposal is giving us: a unique chance to change the nation’s health by preventing thousands of deaths and cases of disease.”
Such historic legislation will not pass without significant pressure from the tobacco industry on MPs to vote against the legislation. Fell writes that we must not forget that their “business relies on encouraging children to buy an addictive product so that they continue to make a profit – regardless of the consequences.”
To challenge industry lobbying, Fell writes that we must keep the facts at the forefront of the conversation so that when MPs are called to vote, they have all of the facts needed to make an informed decision, which understands the risks smoking poses to their constituents.
Source: New Statesman, 7 February 2024
See also: Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping consultation: government response and Tobacco Industry Interference with Endgame Policies
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National agency ‘decimated’ in DHSC restructure
Ministers have “effectively dismantled” England’s national public health unit less than three years after creating it, sparking criticism from a former Tory health minister and sector leaders.
The Department of Health and Social Care has made big staff reductions at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities as part of an internal restructuring, including the loss of several senior and experienced officials, according to multiple sources.
But sources said OHID’s teams had also been significantly cut. DHSC has not confirmed the number of reductions, but several people said reductions were as high as 40-50 per cent, with several key director roles lost. Among the expert staff leaving is John Newton, the long-serving public health expert who was director of health improvement, and previously led Public Health England’s well-regarded data team. Others leaving include Rosanna O’Connor, director for addictions and inclusion; and alcohol lead Clive Henn.
Current health minister Lord Nick Markham confirmed in an answer to former Labour health minister Lord Philip Hunt this week: “As part of an internal restructure in the department, OHID teams have been integrated into the groups of three director generals, under the clinical and professional leadership of the deputy chief medical officer [Jeanelle de Gruchy].”
Lord Hunt told HSJ OHID had “effectively been dismantled and certainly decimated”.
He added: “I am very concerned at the break up of OHID apparently caused by the government’s paranoid fear of nanny state. A big reduction in staff and dispersal of those remaining across the department means professional expert posts are being lost, which seriously puts at risk the Government’s capacity to tackle gross health inequalities.”
And Lord James Bethell, Conservative health minister from 2020-21, said: “At a time when we should be doubling down on health prevention, it seems counterintuitive to be reducing and fragmenting the expertise and influence of our central public health function.
“These are people, skills, networks and knowledge that cannot be easily replaced.”
Former Wigan public health director Kate Ardern, now an adviser to several agencies and reviews, said she was worried about the “diminution of long-term expert advice” and about OHID – which was already less independent than PHE – being further divided across the department.
It appeared to show that researchers’ warning of “a risk of OHID disappearing into Whitehall and becoming invisible” was coming to pass, she said.
She said England needed “a public health agency that is very visible, very trusted, independent and expert led”, which the restructure was further undermining. “It is being billed as an internal restructure, and there has been no formal public announcement and a lack of consultation both internally in Whitehall and with external partners.”
Professor Ardern added: “The significant loss of national public health capability and capacity could significantly impact on the ability of an incoming public health minister to implement and deliver an ambitious set of priorities and programmes for change.”
King’s Fund senior fellow David Buck added: “We are very concerned about the reorganisation of OHID at a particularly important time for health policy. With widening health inequalities, life expectancy declining, the implications of a cost-of-living crisis and a record-high 2.8 million people out of the workforce due to ill health, this is an ill-judged moment to fragment an organisation that was created to drive wider government policy on health.
“Expertise at a national level on population health risks being diluted and less impactful. Not only does this hinder current efforts to drive policies that prevent ill health and disparities, it will also limit the ability of future governments being able to act swiftly and in a coordinated, coherent way across government for health improvement.”
Source: HSJ, 8 February 2024
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Global Alliance for Tobacco Control – COP 10 Daily Bulletin Day 4
The Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) is publishing a daily bulletin for each day of the tenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) taking place in Panama. Below are some highlights from yesterday:
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Documentary details big tobacco’s colonial roots, current exploitation in Africa.
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Exploring the industry’s business practices in Africa and featuring expert input from academics, advocates and industry insiders as well as tobacco farmers, the film reveals economic exploitation and inequity, safety issues, child labour concerns and health fears.
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Implementation Review Mechanisms (IRMs) act as a peer review process to assist member states in effectively implementing international conventions. The establishment of a proper IRM for the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) has been a long-standing priority for civil society. While the WHO FCTC is legally binding, the reality is that mechanisms to ensure governments are complying with their treaty obligations are limited.
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Implementing article 17: reducing tobacco supply through tobacco-free farms: the - case of Kenya
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A 2016 study by the International Institute for Legislative Affairs (IILA), titled Economics of Tobacco Farming in Kenya, showed tobacco farming is largely unprofitable for farmers and nearly half of them (49.23 percent) were ready to switch from tobacco to another crop. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, about 20 percent of residents here, who are mostly tobacco farmers, are poor. Many are also suffering from illnesses caused by exposure to chemicals used on tobacco farms.
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They were helped to transition through a programme known as the Tobacco Free Farms, a joint initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Kenyan government. After making the switch to farming Migori beans, former tobacco farmer Robi sought to make a change. She trained hundreds of farmers on making the switch from growing tobacco to high-protein beans, which they call Nyota (Star) in Swahili. For her work, Robi was recognized on World No Tobacco Day 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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