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** 19 January 2021
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** UK
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** Johnson to discuss looser regulations with executives (#1)
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** International
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** Italy: Ban on smoking in public places comes into force in Milan (#3)
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** US: Quitting smoking before 40 could dramatically lessen chances of an early heart-related death, new study finds (#4)
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** Germany: Germany sees higher tobacco tax profits in 2020 (#5)
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** UK
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed how the country can loosen its regulatory environment with 30 business chiefs on Monday as the government seeks to rekindle an economy hobbled by the pandemic.

The Build Back Better Council brings together executives from companies including BlackRock Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Tesco Plc and HSBC Holdings Plc and will meet quarterly, according to a statement from Johnson’s office. It’s a chance for corporate leaders to provide a commercial perspective on policy and highlight obstacles and solutions to economic recovery, it said.

The council “will provide an important forum for frank feedback on our recovery plans and will help ensure the steps we are taking are the right ones,” Johnson said in the statement.

The government is stepping up its interaction with business as it looks to spur investment by loosening rules in the wake of Brexit. Earlier this month, Johnson told business chiefs he wants their ideas on how the government can cut red tape. He’s put Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak in charge of a new Better Regulation Committee in order to “push the boundaries, boost creative thinking and inject pace at the centre of government.”

The chancellor has also been put in charge of a separate but related initiative to accelerate the machinery of government dubbed Project Speed. Sunak also joined Monday’s call of the business council, as did Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Trade Secretary Liz Truss.
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** Source: Bloomberg, 18 January 2021

See also: BBC Radio 4 Today - Vince Cable Interview ([link removed])

Note: Vince Cable was Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills during the Coalition Government responsible for its five year deregulation agenda between 2010 and 2015. He talks to the Today programme about the costs of getting rid of regulation and asks do we really want to remove the tobacco advertising ban, road safety regulations, or fire regulations particularly after Grenfell? His assessment is that “If there’s any low hanging fruit it’s been eaten, or gone rotten on the branch.” His view is that the current process whereby regulations are subject to a regulatory impact assessment (RIA) is sufficient.
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** International
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A ban on smoking outdoors has come into force on Tuesday in a range of public places in Milan. The ban prohibits smoking within a 10m (30ft) distance of other people at bus and tram stops as well as in the city's parks and green spaces, sports and recreational grounds, children's play areas, stadiums and cemeteries.

According to municipal councillor Marco Granelli, the ban is necessary to improve air quality and to combat climate change. Levels of the dangerous fine particle PM10, which poses a significant health risk, are well over the European limit in the city. Cigarette smoke accounts for 8% of these particles.

Milan is the first Italian city to introduce such an extensive ban. The city plans further regulations to come into effect in phases over the next three decades, targeting other factors like car emissions and heating fuels.

Source: BBC News, 19 January 2021
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People who quit smoking cigarettes before age 40 may lessen their chances of premature death from cardiovascular disease by 90 percent, according to a report in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The report, based on tracking of 390,929 adults for about 17 year, found that overall smokers were three times more likely than nonsmokers to die of heart disease or stroke. The earlier a person quit smoking, the more their risk of premature death declined, whilst those who had started smoking before age 15 were at highest risk.

Source: The Washington Post, 18 January 2021
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See also: JAHA Report - Childhood Smoking, Adult Cessation, and Cardiovascular Mortality: Prospective Study of 390 000 US Adults ([link removed])
Read Article ([link removed])


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Revenue recouped by the German government from tobacco taxes rose 5% in 2020 to reach a total of EUR 28.8 billion, according to statistics from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) released this week.

Destatis found that the increase was largely due to the increased consumption of tobacco during the COVID-19 pandemic. The quantity of fine-cut rolling tobacco consumed increased by 10.6%whilst the sale value of pipe tobacco rose by 44.3%.

Destatis warned that the increase did not necessarily mean that people were smoking more. "The overall increase in sales of tobacco products points to changed consumption habits, but also to the special trading conditions in 2020," Destatis explained. Because borders to neighbouring countries have been temporarily closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, cheaper cigarettes from abroad have been less widely available. Consumers have had to find alternatives, leading many to turn to fine-cut tobacco in order to roll their own cigarettes.

Nonetheless, the sale of taxed cigarettes still declined by 1.1%in 2020. Compared to 1991, cigarette sales have almost halved from 146.5 billion cigarettes to 73.8 billion in 2020.

Source: Tobacco Journal, 19 January 2021
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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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