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New research from the University of Bath reveals Brexit offers the UK opportunities to strengthen its world-leading tobacco control measures, by creating greater flexibility to respond to industry action and market developments.
The UK is currently bound by EU rules but will enjoy greater freedom to adopt types of tobacco tax that are more effective at lifting the price of cheap tobacco products, as well as more direct pricing policies such as minimum prices or the imposition of price caps. Higher prices are one of the most effective tobacco control measures. Furthermore, with 96% of UK tobacco products originating from the EU in recent years, a no-deal Brexit is likely to raise cigarette and tobacco prices. HM Treasury has committed to apply new UK import tariffs on tobacco from the 1 January next year which, if passed on to consumers, would increase the average price of a typical 20-pack of cigarettes by around 30 pence and a 30g pouch of roll-your-own tobacco by £1.77.
Dr Rob Branston, the lead author of the study, said: “Since higher prices are one of the most effective tobacco control measures, this might be a rare positive from having to trade with the EU on WTO terms. Brexit offers the chance to improve public health in the UK, but equally poses a threat to public health if rules are relaxed.”
The benefits of Brexit related flexibility will not extend to Northern Ireland, which will be considered to be part of the EU customs union, following EU rules, and where imports to and from the EU will be tariff-free. Northern Ireland will also retain the current photo health warning labels on tobacco packaging, whereas the remainder of the UK will switch to using Australian imagery.
An additional potential benefit of Brexit for tobacco control is an end to the import of cheap EU duty-paid tobacco and reduced smuggling due to tougher border checks. The cigarette allowance for travellers from the EU will fall from 800 cigarettes currently, or 1kg of roll-your-own tobacco, to a duty-free allowance of 200 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco.
Co-author Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking on Health (ASH) said: “With 14.1% of the UK population smoking as of 2019, tackling tobacco use must remain a public health priority if the government aims to make our country “smokefree” in the next decade are to become a reality. With the COVID-19 pandemic occupying most current health-related attention, it could easily be overlooked that smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the UK, and causes more deaths each and every year than the pandemic has to date.”
Source: Medical Xpress, 2 December 2020
See also: International Journal of Drug Policy - What does Brexit mean for UK tobacco control?
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City officials in San Francisco have banned all tobacco smoking inside apartment buildings – including private residences and condominiums citing concerns about secondhand smoke.
The Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 on Tuesday to approve the ordinance making San Francisco the largest city in the country to ban tobacco smoking inside apartments. The new measure also bans vaping.
The original proposal sought to ban residents from smoking marijuana in their apartments. However, supervisors voted to exclude marijuana after cannabis activists said the law would take away their only legal place to smoke. It is illegal under state law to smoke cannabis in public places.
The Department of Public Health will be responsible for enforcing the new law. Under the ordinance, the department must first try to educate violators and help smokers quit. Repeat offenders could be fined $1,000 a day but cannot be evicted for a smoking violation.
The ordinance must pass a second vote of the board next week, and the mayor must sign it. Once that happens, the new law would go into effect 30 days later.
Source: Daily Mail, 3 December 2020
See also: S.F bans tobacco smoking inside apartment buildings, allows cannabis smoking
The US Sun: BURNING ISSUE San Francisco bans tobacco smoking and vaping in all apartment buildings… but using pot is ALLOWED
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New reports from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) show the number of adults who smoke cigarettes in Georgia has declined from 31 to 28.2% in the last four years. The NCDC also reports that the number of smokers among 16-year old adolescents decreased from 18 to 12 %.
The NCDC’S survey - Public Support for Banning Smoking in Taxis (2020) - shows that 86 % of the population is in favour of banning tobacco consumption in taxis.
The NCDC interviewed 3,092 sixteen-year-old school students in 2019 in 279 public and private schools throughout the country, of which 12% said they had smoked a cigarette within the last 30 days. The survey shows that the number of boys who smoke cigarettes is more than twice as high (17%) than the number of girls (7%).
Source: Agenda.ge, 3 December 2020
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PQ1: Electronic Cigarettes: Coronavirus
Asked by Olivia Blake Labour, Sheffield, Hallam
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of indoor vaping on the transmission of COVID-19.
Answered by Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care
No specific assessment has been made. Being in close proximity to anyone with COVID-19 infection would carry a risk of passing on that infection regardless of whether they are smoking or vaping. Public Health England has published COVID-19 advice for smokers and vapers which is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-advice-for-smokers-and-vapers/covid-19-advice-for-smokers-and-vapers
Source: Hansard, 1 December 2020
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-11-23/119432
PQ2: Tobacco: Smuggling
Asked by Lord Naseby
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the imposition of the UK Global Tariff on the import of finished tobacco products from 1 January 2021 on forecast levels of smuggling of (1) tobacco products, and (2) counterfeit tobacco products, into the UK.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel, Minister of State, Department for International Trade
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) remains committed to promoting compliance and tackling avoidance and evasion. Guidance on how manufacturers and importers of tobacco products can avoid the facilitation of smuggling is available on
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-notice-477-tobacco-products-duty-control-of-supply-chains
Additionally, to ensure compliance with new customs procedures and controls at the border after transition period ends, on 12 July 2020, the Government announced an investment package of £705m.
Additionally, to ensure compliance with new customs procedures and controls at the border after transition period ends, the Government announced on 12 July 2020 an investment package of £705m for enhanced infrastructure, staffing and IT.
We will publish more analysis on the UK Global Tariff in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) alongside the legislation, as is standard practice.
Source: Hansard, 1 December 2020
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-11-19/hl10532
PQ3: Tobacco sales
Asked by Paul Holmes Conservative, Eastleigh
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, for what reason Public Health England has suspended its investigation into the selling of cigarette products which contain menthol flavourings; and for what reason those products have not been removed from the market.
Answered by Jo Churchill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care
The investigation is currently going through the process in accordance with the European Union Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/779. The Government has made a commitment to comply with the EU’s Tobacco Products Directive until the end of the transition period. We await the outcome of this and will then assess if there are further steps for the UK to take regarding this matter.
This Government is committed to addressing the harms from smoking and has set an ambition to make England Smokefree by 2030 with plans to achieve this to be set out next year.
Source: Hansard, 2 December 2020
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-09-29/97046
PQ4: Tobacco: UK Trade with EU
Asked by Lord Naseby
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the impact of the imposition of the UK Global Tariff on imports of tobacco products from the EU from 1 January 2021, in the event that a free trade agreement includes Rules of Origin requirements which require more than 10 per cent originating leaf.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel, Minister of State, Department for International Trade
The UK Government intends to achieve a Free Trade Agreement with the EU by the end of December 2020. The UK Global Tariff (UKGT) is tailored to the UK economy and balances the interests of UK consumers and producers. In designing the UKGT, we assessed all available evidence submitted during the public consultation in depth and considered a range of factors, such as the five principles set out in the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018.
More analysis will be published in the Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) alongside the legislation, as is standard practice.
Source: Hansard, 2 December 2020
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-11-19/hl10531
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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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