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From Tuesday, 1 September, all Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne, and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) sites in North Cumbria are going smokefree.
David Muir, group director for the North Cumbria locality at CNTW, explained: “Creating a smokefree environment at our sites is more important than ever. Smoking, and breathing in second-hand smoke, puts people at greater risk of a whole host of illnesses. The evidence so far also suggests people who smoke may be at increased risk of severe disease if they get COVID-19. We have a duty of care to provide a safe and healthy environment for people receiving treatment and support from us, their visitors, and our staff. Going Smokefree is an important part of that.”
Expanding on why being smokefree is so important for CNTW as a provider of mental health and disability services, Mr Muir said: “People with mental health problems tend to smoke more than other people, meaning they are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of smoking. Men and women with severe mental illness die 15 to 20 years earlier that the national average and smoking is the biggest single reason for this difference. Being smokefree will help us to reduce this unacceptable inequality.… Stopping smoking not only improves your physical health, but it also boosts your mental health and wellbeing. Studies show that quitting can improve people’s mood and help relieve stress, anxiety and depression.”
In line with advice from Public Health England and the National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training (NCSCT), CNTW’s staff will be able to support people who want to try and quit smoking for good. Throughout the pandemic, CNTW has backed the #QuitforCovid campaign and highlighted the immediate health benefits from quitting.
Source: Cumbria Crack, 24 August 2020
See also: Today is the day
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Nursing in Practice has published a new learning module on supporting smokers to quit for COVID. Smoking Cessation Clinical Consultant for the National Centre for Smoking Cessation, Louise Ross describes why and how nurses in any setting can help patients who smoke to reduce their risk of serious illness and complications from COVID-19.
Key learning points include:
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Understand the evidence around smoking and COVID-19.
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Smoking cessation remains a public health priority, and high-quality smoking cessation advice should form part of public health efforts during this coronavirus pandemic.
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Understand the need to make this a learning moment for patients who smoke, helping them quit for COVID-19.
To learn more about this module, you can access it via the Nursing in Practice website.
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The tobacco industry has used its contacts to influence content of the Netherland’s National Prevention Agreement – a prevention strategy designed to improve public health and focused on smoking, alcohol consumption and healthy weight - according to research by journalists from The Investigative Desk.
The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which the Netherlands is a Party to, states that Parties must act to protect public health policies from the commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry. Based on the FCTC, State Secretary for Public Health Paul Blokhuis excluded both directly interested parties from the negotiations about the National Prevention Agreement. However, the tobacco industry and retailers were able to use their contacts in various Ministries to influence the Agreement.
Findings from the report reveal that one of the ruling parties in the Netherlands, VVD, played a leading role in representing the interest of the tobacco sector. One day before the presentation of the National Prevention Agreement, the VVD persuaded the other coalition parties to water down, delay or entirely scrap several measures.
For example, the confidential first draft of the National Prevention Agreement stated that excise duty would gradually increase to at least 10 euros per pack in 2023. Instead, the Agreement states that a packet of cigarettes will become 1 euro more expensive this year and before the price can be increased further, the effects of this price increase must first be evaluated.
Specialist tobacco shops and about 150 convenience stores have also been exempted from a ban on displaying tobacco products. The draft also stated that all tobacco and nicotine products to require plain packaging, yet cigars and e-cigarettes have now been exempted from that for at least two years.
Source: NL Times, 24 August 2020
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The California Assembly on Monday (24 August) approved a ban on the retail sale of flavoured tobacco products in the state, with supporters saying it is needed to reduce smoking among young people and others attracted by flavours that include fruit and menthol.
Supporters of the legislation criticised a new advertising campaign from tobacco companies that claims the bill discriminates against Black and Latino smokers and claims the measure would criminalise menthol cigarettes, saying that the ads disingenuously portray the industry as an ally of communities of colour.
Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), the chairwoman of the California Legislative Black Caucus, said during the floor debate: “I am insulted that the tobacco industry would make an effort to make us believe that mentholated cigarettes are part of African American culture, and that this is a discriminatory piece of legislation against Black people.”
The bill’s author, state Senator Jerry Hill, said his measure seeks to address an increase in tobacco use by young people by outlawing store sales of flavoured products including cigarettes, many cigars and chewing tobacco.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said there is a reason tobacco product are sold with flavours including menthol, cotton candy and gummy bears. “These flavours are marketed to kids and people of colour to ensure tobacco companies have a clientele on the hook for life,” he added.
If the governor signs the measure, California will become the second state to ban the sale of flavoured tobacco.
Source: Los Angeles Times, 24 August 2020
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Grand Prix a Formula 1 (F1) magazine has supported a campaign to “Tell F1 to stop driving addiction” coordinated by Stop Tobacco Organisations and Products (STOP) to end tobacco sponsorship of F1.
The campaign aimed at Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) President Jean Todt urges him to do away with lingering tobacco advertising which pumps substantial amounts of money into motorsport at the highest level.
The campaign follows STOP’s report ‘Driving addiction: Tobacco advertising and F1’ published earlier this year, and has the strapline: “Why is the tobacco industry so eager to sponsor F1? F1 fans are overwhelmingly young, male, and affluent—Big Tobacco’s ideal customers. With over 6% of the world’s population watching, this is an audience the industry desperately wants to seduce.”
Findings from the report reveal that in 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) called on F1 to ensure that the sport’s activities and participants, including race teams, are not sponsored by tobacco companies. However, in 2020, PMI and BAT remain as sponsors. F1 is one of the last global sports series – along with Moto GP – that still takes tobacco industry money. In 2019, tobacco company spending increased to 9.4% of all team sponsorship by value, the highest share since 2011. Races are broadcast to massive global audiences on TV and online, helping tobacco companies to subvert national bans on advertising their products.
Source: GrandPrix, 24 August 2020
See also: STOP: Formula 1 and Tobacco Advertising: Tell F1 that tobacco has no place in sport
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Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma cannot guarantee that she will not reinstate a ban on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products.
While the ban on sale of tobacco products was lifted for the first time in nearly five months on Tuesday (18 August), the future of tobacco sales remains a key point in an ongoing court case between the government and tobacco companies. The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (FITA) has told the government that if it promises not to impose a tobacco ban in the future, it will withdraw its case.
In a letter sent by the state attorney to FITA, the government said that Dlamini-Zuma could not give an undertaking and agree to this condition as it limits the minister’s powers under the Disaster Management Act. The letter reads: “This is not because they intend to reinstate the temporary prohibition at a later stage, but simply because agreeing to this condition would constitute an impermissible and unlawful fettering of the minister’s discretion conferred upon her in terms of the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002. That said, the minister can, and does, undertake that any future decision regarding the sale of tobacco and tobacco products, if any, would be taken in accordance with the law and the requirements of legality.”
Source: Business Tech, 24 August 2020
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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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