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** 11 June 2024
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** UK
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** Labour will ban under-16s from buying energy drinks such as Prime and Monster (#3)
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** Reducing alcohol harm while protecting hospitality is possible (#7)
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** International
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** Australia-first anti-vaping campaign uses threat of social harm, not cancer, to get its message across (#2)
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** Bangladesh: (#5) BAT violating tobacco control law (#5)
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** FDA, Justice Department crack down on sale of illegal e-cigarettes by forming new task force (#4)
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** UK
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** Labour will ban under-16s from buying energy drinks such as Prime and Monster

Labour will ban the sale of energy drinks to children aged under 16, the Mirror can reveal.

Keir Starmer is promising the clampdown because of the impact on kids’ health - as well as concentration in classrooms.

The drinks can be packed with high levels of caffeine as well as lots of sugar. Dentists say they are fuelling a tooth decay crisis among children. And teachers have warned about the role they play in poor pupil behaviour and how they present a barrier to learning.

On a visit to the North East of England on Tuesday, Mr Starmer will unveil an action plan for child health, which will include an extra 100,000 urgent dental appointments for kids in a bid to clear backlogs in England. A national supervised toothbrushing programme for three to five-year-olds will be introduced, while junk food adverts will be banned on TV before 9pm.

Mr Starmer told the Mirror: “There is no more important indicator of the state of a country than the wellbeing of its children. As a dad of two teenagers, I have a daily reminder of how important that is.”

The Labour leader said young people are “feeling the impact of 14 years of Conservative chaos and decline” as they are “no longer chasing their dreams, but a dentist appointment”. He added: “The sale of dangerously high caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16 is not justifiable or acceptable and we’ll stop it. I will always take the tough decisions necessary to keep our children healthy.

“No more dither and delay, the time has come for change with Labour. Our Child Health Action Plan will cut waiting times, tackle the cost of living crisis and transform health outcomes for children in this country, so every child has a healthy, happy start to life. That's the change the country will get with Labour, because that's the change they deserve."

Studies have shown that excessive consumption by children is linked to headaches, sleeping problems, irritation and tiredness. According to evidence, kids regularly having the drinks can lead to poor performance and bad behaviour at school.

The Government ran a consultation on ending the sale of energy drinks to children in 2018. Despite 93% of respondents supporting a ban, ministers have failed to take action.

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Rishi Sunak is too weak to stand up to his party and protect children’s health. The Tories have stood idly by as children go to school wired on the equivalent of three shots of espresso from these toxic drinks. It stops them sleeping, damages their mental health, how on earth do we expect children to learn with that in their system?

“It’s time for change. Labour will end the sale of dangerously high caffeine energy drinks, provide 100,000 extra child dentistry appointments and mental health support in every school.”

Source: The Mirror, 10 June 2024
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** Reducing alcohol harm while protecting hospitality is possible

A potential 'sweetspot' to reduce alcohol harms while protecting the hospitality industry is possible, according to new research.

A paper published by the University of Stirling looked at potential policy options which would likely offer benefits for public services and health, without negative impacts on the hospitality sector.

Many countries have seen an increase in deaths and hospital admissions, as well as other alcohol harms, since the Covid-19 pandemic. That has been coupled with hospitality businesses such as bars and restaurants struggling post-lockdown.

The researches from the University of Stirling's Institute for Social Marketing and Health (ISMH) reviewed evidence from international studies and legislation in the UK and abroad.

Highlighting evidence from Scotland and elsewhere, experts noted that higher shop prices had had little or no impact on bar or restaurant trade.

Regulating online sales of alcohol, such as by restricting the quantity, delivery speed, price promotions and free delivery offers for large orders, and ensuring alcohol is not available online at lower prices than in physical stores, was also assessed as having good potential as a ‘sweet spot’ policy.

Professor Niamh Fitzgerald, who led the study, said: “During Covid-19, bars and restaurants were closed and restricted whilst sales of alcohol from shops increased. Alongside this, changes in alcohol consumption patterns led to increased health harms and alcohol-related deaths with health consequences. Post-Covid, governments face lobbying to support such businesses, but many health services remain under pressure.

“In setting alcohol policy going forward, there are inevitable trade-offs to be made and therefore ‘sweet spot’ policy options, which can protect public health and health services whilst minimising harm to hospitality businesses, may be important to consider.

“Our findings suggest that the recent Scottish Parliament decision to increase the minimum price on alcohol is a good example of a sweet spot policy. Given our assessment, other nations – such as England and Northern Ireland – can be confident that minimum unit pricing would not negatively affect pubs and restaurants.”

Source: The Herald, 10 June 2024

See also: Niamh Fitzgerald a, Rachel O'Donnell b, Isabelle Uny b, Jack G. Martin b, Megan Cook b, Kathryn Graham c, Tim Stockwell d, Karen Hughes e, Claire Wilkinson f, Elizabeth McGill g, Peter G. Miller h, Jo Reynolds i, Zara Quigg j, Colin Angus k. “Reducing alcohol harms whilst minimising impact on hospitality businesses: ‘Sweetspot’ policy options ([link removed]) ”. International Journal of Drug Policy. June 2024
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** International
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** Australia-first anti-vaping campaign uses threat of social harm, not cancer, to get its message across

A teenager hiding in a school bathroom stall, a man wheezing as he sits in the gym, a woman stressing as she tips out her handbag.

The nation's first anti-vaping campaign isn't the distressing, graphic images of people dying in hospital beds or failed organs on an operating table.

Instead, it asks young people who may have begun socially but find themselves soon hitting the vape routinely: "Why are we still doing this?"

The government's latest $63.4 million anti-smoking campaign is the first to also target vaping, and specifically try to curb a return to rising smoking rates among younger people.

Almost one in 10 people aged 14 to 17 currently vape, a five-fold increase since 2019, and rates for 18 to 24 years have quadrupled in that same time to 21 per cent — the first generation in 25 years to buck the trend of declining nicotine use.

Targeting younger people, the campaign will be the first by the government to use TikTok, building on its earlier recruitment of several influencers to its cause.

In focus group research by the health department, it found more traditional campaigns on health harms were more easily deflected because people viewed vaping as a supposedly "healthier" alternative than smoking, even if they had not smoked before.

At the start of this year, the federal government banned the import of single-use disposable vapes.

Further legislation to ban the import and sale of any vapes outside of pharmacies is currently before parliament, and due to be voted on in at the end of this month, with a planned start date of July 1.

If that bill passes, people will require a prescription to vape, and will only be able to buy regulated products from pharmacies.

Source: abc news, 9 June 2024

See also: Cancer Council Victoria - Current vaping and current smoking in the Australian population aged 14+ years: February 2018-March 2023 ([link removed])
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** Bangladesh: BAT violating tobacco control law

British American Tobacco Company (BAT) has been promoting sales of cigarette, a controlled product, in upscale restaurants and hotels in big cities in a clear violation of tobacco control laws, The Daily Star has found.

The largest tobacco company in Bangladesh has also been secretly partnering with luxury hotels and restaurants in major cities like Dhaka, Chattogram and Cox's Bazar, supplying them with cigarettes and promotional materials.

The findings by this newspaper are consistent with a study report by an NGO, Voice Bangladesh, published last year.

Based on a survey of 102 restaurants in Dhaka, Chattogram and Cox's Bazar, the study found BAT invested in these restaurants to sell its products and display its promotional materials.

The study also found all these restaurants received one-time cash benefits from BAT for displaying their promotional materials. The payment, made by cheque or transfer intended to cover rent or utility bill, ranged from Tk 120,000 to Tk 5,400,000.

Separate smoking zones in hotels and multi-room restaurants are legal, but Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, 2005 (amended in 2013), prohibits advertising tobacco products in any manner, including through leaflets, posters, billboards and signboards. The Act also bans offering free samples or low-cost proposals to entice buyers.

Violation of the rules carries three months' jail sentence or Tk 1 lakh in fine or both for first-time offenders. Repeat offenders will face twice as much the punishment for breaking the rules each subsequent occasion.

Despite the restrictions and provisions for punishment, BAT has managed to infiltrate many popular restaurants and hotels in different parts of the country.

Source: The Daily Star, 11 June 2024
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** FDA, Justice Department crack down on sale of illegal e-cigarettes by forming new task force

Federal health officials are partnering with the US Department of Justice to fight the illegal sale and distribution of e-cigarettes.

The US Food and Drug Administration and Justice Department announced Monday that they are creating a task force to target the issue. The task force will include people from the US Marshals Service, US Postal Inspection Service, the Federal Trade Commission and other agencies to identify and target illegal sales and distribution of e-cigarettes.

“Unauthorized e-cigarettes and vaping products continue to jeopardize the health of Americans – particularly children and adolescents – across the country,” Benjamin Mizer, the acting associate attorney general with the Justice Department, said in a news release Monday.

“This interagency Task Force is dedicated to protecting Americans by combatting the unlawful sale and distribution of these products,” Mizer said. “And the establishment of this Task Force makes clear that vigorous enforcement of the tobacco laws is a government-wide priority.”

While the FDA has authorized the sale of 23 specific tobacco-flavored e-cigarette products and devices to date, several unauthorized e-cigarettes have emerged illegally on the market, some of which appeal to minors.

More than 1 in 10 young adults in the United States regularly use e-cigarettes, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey found that about 2.1 million youth reported currently using e-cigarettes.

The new federal task force will hone in on several issues, “including investigating and prosecuting new criminal, civil, seizure and forfeiture actions,” according to the news release, and violations “can result in felony convictions and significant criminal fines and civil monetary penalties,” as well as the seizures of unauthorized products.

“Enforcement against illegal e-cigarettes is a multi-pronged issue that necessitates a multi-pronged response,” Dr. Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in the news release. “This ‘All Government’ approach – including the creation of this new Task Force - will bring the collective resources and experience of the federal government to bear on this pressing public health issue.”

Source: CNN, 11 June 2024

See also: FDA - The 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey ([link removed])
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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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