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** 19 February 2021
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** UK
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** UK government borrowing hits highest January level since records began (#1)
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** International
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** South Africa: Cigarette lockdown ban changed smoking behaviours (#2)
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** Isle of Man: Smoking ban at health service premises to come into force (#3)
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** US: West Hollywood bans sale of most flavoured tobacco and nicotine products (#4)
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** US: Comparing air quality between smoking and non-smoking public housing in New York City (#5)
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** Link of the Week
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** No Smoking Day 2021: Evidence, actions and resources for local councils (#6)
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** UK
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**
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** Data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that UK government borrowing hit £8.8 billion last month, the highest January figure since records began in 1993. The figure reflects the high cost of pandemic support measures, as the government spent £19.7bn more than last year on measures such as furlough.
It was the first time in 10 years that more has been borrowed in January than collected through tax and other income, as January is usually a key revenue-raising month as taxpayers submit their self-assessment returns. Tax income fell by less than £1bn.
Government borrowing for this financial year has now reached £270.6bn, which is £222bn more than a year ago. The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has estimated that borrowing could reach £393.5bn by the end of the financial year in March 2021, which would be the highest amount in any year since the Second World War.
The increase in borrowing has led to a steep increase in the national debt, which now stands at £2.11 trillion. The UK's overall debt has now reached 97.6% of gross domestic product (GDP) - a level not seen since the early 1960s.
The borrowing figure was however less than expected, due in part to a £2.1 billion year-over-year decline in interest payments and an end to contributions to the EU’s budget, according to Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
Tombs predicted that borrowing would remain at close to 10% of GDP in the upcoming Budget on March 3rd, and that the chancellor would not set out future tax rises for 2022 and beyond if the OBR maintains its positive view on the amount of long-term damage done by the recent downturn.
Source: BBC News, 19 February 2021
See also: Office for National Statistics - Public sector finances, UK: January 2021 ([link removed])
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** International
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** A new study shows that the South African Government’s temporary ban on the sale of tobacco products during the COVID-19 lockdown reduced the average daily number of cigarettes smoked from 7.9 cigarettes in 2017 to 6.5 cigarettes during the ban, and that 15% of smokers stopped smoking.
However, these trends changed course after the Government was forced to reverse the ban following a constitutional challenge made by the tobacco industry. Half of smokers who stopped during the ban indicated that they started again post-ban, and the average number of cigarettes consumed post-ban rose to 8.8.
The researchers concluded that the decrease in the quantity of cigarettes smoked during the 20 weeks of the sales ban is likely to have prevented about 2,300 future premature tobacco-related deaths.
Source: The Times South Africa, 18 February 2021
See also: NIDS-CRAM Study - Market impact of the COVID-19 national cigarette sales ban in South Africa ([link removed])
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Read Article ([link removed])
**
Staff and the public will be banned from smoking at all health service premises on the Isle of Man from April 1st 2021. The policy comes into force on the first day that Manx Care, the arm’s-length body that will run the health service, takes over operations.
In the first stage of the rollout, smoking will no longer be permitted on any hospital site, including GP practices which will not allow smoking on their grounds. The next stage of the rollout will begin on October 1st, as all other premises operated by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Manx Care will become smokefree, with a small number of exceptions. The third phase will see remaining residential premises become completely smokefree on April 1st 2022, including nursing and care homes and supported living premises.
The DHSC and Manx Care are currently making all who work in, visit, or receive treatment or care at their facilities, aware of the changes. Promotional leaflets, posters and social media are being used to highlight the health benefits to individuals and the wider community of going smokefree, and the role both organisations play.
Source: Isle of Man Today, 19 February 2021
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** The West Hollywood City Council has voted unanimously to ban the sale of flavoured tobacco and nicotine products in West Hollywood. The ban covers the sale of flavoured cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, pipe tobacco, and flavoured e-cigarette liquids, including menthol. The council has also banned the use of tobacco coupons, meaning that customers cannot get discounts on regular tobacco products.
A similar statewide initiative, passed last year and set to go into effect on January 1st, was postponed after the tobacco industry submitted enough signatures to trigger a referendum on the item in the 2022 election. Tobacco companies had launched an advertising campaign alleging that banning menthol cigarettes while allowing more expensive tobacco products such as shisha unfairly targeted communities of colour.
If California succeeds in passing a state-wide ban on flavoured tobacco products, it would follow Massachusetts as the only state to do so. At least 99 California districts — including Los Angeles County — have already banned the sale of flavoured tobacco products, according to Breathe Southern California, a non-profit organisation that praised West Hollywood for the measure.
West Hollywood are also considering other measures such as banning vaping, tobacco and cannabis smoking in common areas of multifamily homes, and any tobacco smoking in new housing units.
Source: LA Times, 18 February 2021
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A recently published study has examined the differences in indoor air quality between smoking and non-smoking public housing buildings in New York City following the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) nationwide ban on smoking inside or close to public housing facilities in August 2018. The study found no difference in air nicotine or levels of particulate matter between the two housing types, suggesting that additional support and enforcement policies may be necessary.
Source: Vaping Post, 18 February 2021
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** Link of the Week
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**
No Smoking Day, which takes place on Wednesday 10th March 2021, is an important opportunity to engage smokers in local communities, encouraging them to quit and to access local stop smoking support.
This webinar, held in advance of No Smoking Day, will cover:
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* Key evidence and messaging relating to this year's theme, "Quitting smoking doesn't have to be stressful"
* The range of resources specifically developed to help councils engage smokers locally this No Smoking Day and how to use them
You can sign up for the webinar here. ([link removed])
Have you been forwarded this email? Subscribe to ASH Daily News here. ([link removed])
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.
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