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The ASH team would like to wish you all a merry Christmas and holiday season! This will be the final ASH Daily News of the year, and we will return on the 6 January. Thank you for being part of our network. Happy Holidays!
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Funding concerns for stop smoking services threaten progress
A recent survey by ASH and Cancer Research UK reveals significant strides in smoking cessation efforts, with all local authorities now commissioning a stop smoking service for the first time. Bolstered by a £70 million annual investment, councils have expanded programmes targeting high-need communities. However, uncertainty over long-term funding, including the local public health grant and national initiatives, poses risks to these achievements. Jim Pattison, Policy and Public Affairs Officer at ASH, emphasised the need for stable funding, advocating for a levy on tobacco companies to secure sustainable support. Cancer Research UK echoed the call for a robust strategy to ensure progress towards a smokefree UK.
Source: Dental Nursing, 19 December 2024
See also: ASH - Local authority stop smoking services and wider tobacco control in England, 2024
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Sainsbury’s and Deliveroo face scrutiny over tobacco sales oversight
A technical error allowed Sainsbury’s to sell tobacco and vaping products through Deliveroo without triggering age verification checks. This lapse, lasting two weeks, resulted from incorrect product tagging in Sainsbury’s catalogue data, bypassing Deliveroo’s usual protocols. While Sainsbury’s and Deliveroo assured that Think25 ID stickers were used to prompt couriers to verify age, drivers were not notified about the issue, raising concerns about their liability. The GMB union advised riders to remain vigilant, while Deliveroo and Sainsbury’s apologised and confirmed the problem has been resolved.
Source: The Grocer, 18 December 2024
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Festive vape flavours linked to rising child hospitalisations
Health leaders have criticised the sale of festive vape flavours like mince pie and candy cane, pointing to a worrying surge in child hospitalisations related to vaping injuries. The NHS reports increase in admissions over five years, with more than 170 children treated for conditions like breathlessness and potential lung damage. NHS England flagged inadequate age verification checks by some online retailers, urging stricter oversight to curb youth access.
Caroline Cerny, Deputy Chief Executive at ASH, highlighted the unacceptable branding of vape products appealing to children. She emphasised that while vaping can aid adult smokers in quitting, they are not risk free and therefore shouldn’t be used by non-smokers, warranting stringent regulations. The Tobacco and Vapes Bill includes measures like plain packaging, advertising bans, and a licensing system to reduce the appeal of vaping to minors. Additional reforms will outlaw disposable vapes by mid-2025 under environmental legislation.
Source: Daily Mail, 20 December 2024
See also: ASH – Myth Buster
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Vaping devices linked to prison fire surge in West Yorkshire
Vaping devices are increasingly being used to ignite deliberate fires in West Yorkshire prisons, according to a fire authority meeting. These incidents, often tied to drug debts or efforts by inmates to change cells, contributed to a 23% rise in non-residential fires in Leeds since April.
Source: BBC News, 19 December 2024
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Committee appointments:
The members of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill Commons General Committee have been announced, they can be found by following the link below.
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Press release: Survey shows funding uncertainty threatens progress on smoking
The latest ASH and Cancer Research UK annual survey of local authorities, which found a record expansion in local authority-run stop smoking services following major investment. For the first time since the transfer of public health to local government a decade ago, all surveyed local authorities commissioned a stop smoking service, which provides essential support to those who want to quit.
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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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