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** 30 September 2024
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** UK
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** Events arm of Economist group to stop signing tobacco sponsorship deals (#1)
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** Philip Morris piece in Conservative Home: Where is the plan to support today’s smokers to quit for good? (#2)
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** Minimum price of alcohol in Scotland rises by 30% (#4)
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** UK
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** Events arm of Economist group to stop signing tobacco sponsorship deals

The decision follows a Guardian investigation which revealed that Economist Impact, a division separate from the newspaper that runs events and includes paid-for and sponsored content on its website, was forced to cancel a high-profile cancer conference due to a backlash from speakers and organisations over its ties with big tobacco.

The investigation found that Economist Impact, part of the Economist Group (TEG), has deep ties with Philip Morris International (PMI), Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and British American Tobacco (BAT).

Two future conferences due to take place in London hang in the balance after numerous international health experts and speakers from organisations including the NHS pulled out.

A spokesperson for TEG said: “Healthcare is a strategic priority for Economist Impact as we grow the scale and reach of our business and address the most important issues of the future."

“To continue to realise the full ambition of our work in health, Economist Impact will no longer accept sponsorship or undertake any new work with tobacco companies. This extends a longstanding policy not to accept sponsorship from tobacco companies for Economist Impact’s healthcare related work or events.”

BAT is a top-level platinum sponsor of Economist Impact’s Sustainability Week conference in London next March.

“The Economist newspaper operates independently of Economist Impact,” said the spokesperson. “Neither Economist Impact clients, or the Economist Group board, have any influence over editorial decisions and coverage.”

Source: The Guardian, 27 September 2024
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** Philip Morris piece in Conservative Home: Where is the plan to support today’s smokers to quit for good?

Duncan Cunningham, Director External Affairs UK & Ireland at Philip Morris Limited (PMI) has written a piece in Conservative Home presenting the tobacco manufacturer as a partner in delivering a smokefree future. We are including this in Daily News to show how the tobacco industry is ramping up their media engagement in over party conferences and ahead of the publication of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

The article focuses on the importance of vapes and other “smoke-free products” in reducing smoking prevalence. Cunningham claims that PMI wants to kickstart the conversation about how to support existing smokers to quit, in addition to preventing future generations from taking up smoking, and discloses that the company is sponsoring a panel discussion at Conservative Party Conference.

Cunningham concludes by pitching PMI and other “smoke-free” product manufacturers as partners in creating a smokefree future.

Source: Conservative Home, 27 September 2024

Editorial note: PMI and other tobacco companies have a long track record of presenting themselves as partners in public health in order to gain access to policymakers and undermine health policies. Despite claiming to support proposals to “protect future generations from ever starting to smoke” PMI threatened the previous government with legal action in an attempt to delay the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Read more about PMI’s smokefree strategy here:Tobacco Tactics. Philip Morris International. ([link removed]) Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control requires UK public bodies to protect health policies from the commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry. Guidance for UK officials on implementing Article 5.3 can be found here ([link removed]) .
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** Minimum price of alcohol in Scotland rises by 30%

The minimum unit price (MUP) has not changed since it was set at 50p per unit of alcohol when it was first introduced in May 2018.

It has now increased to 65p per unit, meaning a typical 12.5% bottle of wine cannot be sold for less than £6.09 and a can of lager will be at least £1.30.

MUP is not a tax to generate income for the government. Instead, it aims it to reduce the availability of cheap alcohol in shops by setting a minimum price.

Scotland was the first country in the world to set a minimum price at which alcoholic drinks can be sold when the policy was introduced in May 2018.

The policy was mainly aimed at strong cheap alcohol sold in shops and supermarkets.

A Public Health Scotland study published in June last year found the MUP scheme had helped to reduce alcohol-related health inequalities.

Based on comparisons with England, it estimated there were 13.4% fewer deaths related to alcohol than would have happened without the policy, as well as 4.1% fewer hospital admissions.

However, the number of people in Scotland whose death was caused by alcohol remains at a high level, with the figures for 2023 showing the largest number of deaths in 15 years.

Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) and Alcohol Focus Scotland (AFS) said the minimum unit price had to be updated annually to prevent "cheaper alcohol that causes the most harm" becoming more affordable over time.

Both groups also said the government needed to do more than just MUP if it is to tackle the "public health emergency" of alcohol harms, and criticised it for "dragging its feet" over alcohol marketing reforms.

Alison Douglas, chief executive of AFS, said her charity was calling for an alcohol harm prevention levy on alcohol retailers, which she said the Fraser of Allander Institute estimated could raise as much as £57m a year to invest in alcohol treatment services.

Source: BBC News, 30 September 2024

See also: Public Health Scotland - Evaluating the impact of alcohol minimum unit pricing (MUP) on alcohol-attributable deaths and hospital admissions in Scotland ([link removed]) | AFS - Alcohol Harm Prevention Levy ([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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