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Hundreds of thousands of people who smoke cannabis describe themselves as non-smokers, a study has revealed. Experts fear the findings mean cannabis users may not appreciate that smoking the drug carries many of the same health risks as smoking tobacco.
The study, published in the journal Addiction, and based on a survey of almost 13,000 British adults, estimates that 380,000 people who describe themselves as non-smokers are smoking cannabis with or without tobacco at least weekly. A further 830,000 tobacco smokers also smoke cannabis at least weekly, suggesting that there may be around 1.2 million weekly cannabis smokers in Britain, a figure borne out by previous studies.
The study found that younger people disproportionately used cannabis. Seven out of 10 of people who had taken the drug in the past year were under 39 years old. It also identified that people who said that they used cannabis and tobacco together were more likely to report mental health problems than those who used either product on their own.
Hazel Cheeseman, director of policy at ASH, says: “Government generally sees cannabis and tobacco as separate issues, but plainly their use is deeply interwoven. There is an opportunity to address this in the Government’s planned Addiction Strategy. This strategy must include measures to tackle the overlapping use of cannabis and tobacco and the resulting harm to health.”
Source: The Guardian, 19 December 2020
See also: Addiction - Cannabis use and co‐use in tobacco smokers and non‐smokers: prevalence and associations with mental health in a cross‐sectional, nationally representative sample of adults in Great Britain, 2020
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British American Tobacco (BAT) and Imperial Brands profited from child labour, exploitation, and dangerous conditions on tobacco farms in Malawi, according to a legal claim launched after a Guardian investigation.
The British firms, which reported combined earnings of £12.5 billion last year, should compensate 7,020 children and adults who work in their supply chain, according to documents filed at the high court by the law firm Leigh Day. The claim alleges “widespread use of unlawful child labour, unlawful forced labour and the systematic exposure of vulnerable and impoverished adults and children to extremely hazardous working conditions with minimal protection against industrial accidents, injuries and diseases.”
The claim was triggered by a 2018 Guardian investigation, which found that tobacco farmers were exposed to nicotine poisoning, toxic pesticides, and harsh weather conditions during labour-intensive shifts in areas where up to 63% of children were engaged in child labour. The leaves harvested on those Malawian farms end up in cigarettes around the world, including the US, which last year suspended imports from the southern African country over child labour allegations.
Beneficiaries of BAT and Imperial’s profits include UK local authority retirement schemes, which held £1.7 billion of tobacco investments on behalf of healthcare providers and schools as of 2018, according to Guardian analysis.
Leigh Day is expected to file more details of its claim in January before setting the monetary value later. The case could have significant implications for companies with supply chains in parts of the world where poor working conditions and child labour are common.
Source: The Guardian, 18 December 2020
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Southend Borough Council has produced a powerful video with spoken word artist Megan Cannon and James Chapman of Paisley Productions which ASH has been given permission to adapt and distribute to other local authorities to use.
The film tells the stories of some of those who made their quitting journey in this turbulent year and calls on others to “put it down, put it out.” Local partners are free to use this on non-broadcast platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and can also get the full Communications Toolkit from [email protected].
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ASH runs a series of webinars to provide local and national professionals working in tobacco control with up-to-date information and resources on key topic areas.
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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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