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** UK
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** Duty-free purchases of cigarettes and alcohol to return under no-deal Brexit (#1)
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** Army bans smoking at Harrogate training college (#2)
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** Illegal tobacco seized from shops in Chorley, Leyland and Preston (#3)

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** International
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** Thailand first country in Asia to roll out plain cigarette packaging (#4)
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** US: Sixth person dies of vaping-related lung illness (#5)
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** US: Mounds View raises tobacco sales age to 21 (#6)
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** UK
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** Duty-free purchases of cigarettes and alcohol to return under no-deal Brexit (#1)

The government will reintroduce duty-free purchases of cigarettes and alcohol with immediate effect if Britain leaves the EU without a deal on 31 October chancellor, Sajid Javid, has announced. This means people shopping in UK airports, ports and international train stations when travelling to the EU will no longer have to pay UK excise duties on alcohol and tobacco, making prices cheaper. Duty-free shopping is already permitted for travellers going to non-EU countries.

The return to duty-free shopping would only apply if Britain leaves the EU without a deal. The Treasury said a consultation would also be launched soon on its long-term duty-free policy.

Source: The Guardian, 10 September 2019

See also:

The Independent, UK will sweeten travel to and from EU with duty-free alcohol and tobacco after no-deal Brexit ([link removed])

Evening Standard, Brexit news latest: Duty-free purchases of cigarettes and alcohol to return under no deal plans ([link removed])

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** Army bans smoking at Harrogate training college (#2)

Smoking and vaping are to be banned at the UK's only Army training centre for teenage recruits. Hundreds of junior recruits aged 16 – 17 pass through the Army Foundation College (AFC) in Harrogate each year.

Its commanding officer Lt Col Richard Hall said it was "unacceptable" that "most recruits don't smoke on arrival, yet most do by graduation". New recruits will be barred from smoking next week, with a complete ban on smoking and vaping on site by 2020.

Source: BBC, 10 September 2019
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**

Illegal tobacco, along with cash and imitation guns, has been seized in a joint operation between Lancashire County Council Trading Standards and Lancashire Police. Nearly 2,500 packs of illicit cigarettes were discovered as officers carried out a series of inspections at shops in Chorley, Leyland and Preston. The seized tobacco products are estimated to be worth at least £13,000 in under-the-counter sales.

Source: Lancashire Post, 10 September 2019
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** International
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**

Thailand has introduced plain, standardised, cigarette packaging, making it the first country in Asia to introduce the policy as an effective way to reduce the appeal of tobacco. In 2012 Australia became the first country to require tobacco products to be sold without colourful brand logos. Since then a host of mostly European countries have followed suit, including France, Hungary and the UK. Thailand agreed last year to introduce the policy and has given businesses until December 8 to phase out stocks before facing fines of up to 40,000 baht (£1,058).

Source: Yahoo! News, 10 September 2019
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**

A Kansas resident was the sixth person to die in the United States of a respiratory illness related to vaping, state officials said on Tuesday.

US public health officials are investigating 450 cases of vaping-related lung illness across 33 states and one US territory. The nationwide investigation led by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration has not linked the illnesses to any specific e-cigarette product.

The American Vaping Association (AVA) linked the deaths to cannabis products being bought illegally: “We agree with the FDA … stop vaping illegal THC oils immediately,” said a spokesman from the AVA. However, they maintained that for adult smokers and ex-smokers using “store-brought nicotine products” it is much less harmful to vape than smoke.

Source: Reuters, 10 September 2019

Editorial note:

Linda Bauld, Professor of Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, said: “It seems highly unlikely that widely available nicotine containing vaping products, particularly of the type regulated in Europe, are causing these cases. Authorities who are reacting to these cases by advising no one to vape are by default sending the message to people who have quit smoking through vaping that they should return to tobacco. This is misleading, and potentially irresponsible. Authorities in the USA should be prioritising confirming the causes and addressing this illicit market, not pushing people back to smoking which we know carries multiple risks to health.”
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**

Mounds View is the 43rd city in Minnesota to raise the tobacco sales age to 21. The City Council approved changes to Ordinance 961, which formerly had prohibited the sale of tobacco products to minors (under age 18) and had included a penalty for users. The ordinance will go into effect in 30 days.

Source: Twin Cities Pioneer Press, 10 September 2019
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For more information call 020 7404 0242, email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or visit www.ash.org.uk

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.


** 11 September 2019
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