From Action on Smoking and Health <[email protected]>
Subject ASH Daily News for 15 April 2021
Date April 15, 2021 1:26 PM
  Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
  Links have been removed from this email. Learn more in the FAQ.
View this email in your browser ([link removed])


** 15 April 2021
------------------------------------------------------------


** UK
------------------------------------------------------------


** Stress of COVID-19 sees rise in UK smoking numbers, according to study (#1)
------------------------------------------------------------


** Northern Ireland: Report highlights huge health inequalities across NI (#2)
------------------------------------------------------------


** International
------------------------------------------------------------


** Investigation reveals PMI's attempts to use FSFW to get WHO on side (#3)
------------------------------------------------------------


** New Zealand: ASH New Zealand welcomes the Smokefree 2025 plan but calls for immediate action (#4)
------------------------------------------------------------


** UK
------------------------------------------------------------


**
------------------------------------------------------------


**
A new survey has suggested that more than half of smokers ''stress-smoked’’ during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 30% of smokers smoking more regularly since its start. The poll also found that 10% of all cigarette users in the UK have started smoking again after quitting due to the strain of COVID-19.

The survey, conducted by global market research group Mintel with 1,935 adults aged over 18 in October 2020,
found that young people in particular had increased their smoking, with 39% of smokers aged 18-34 saying they are now smoking more regularly. However, the research did find that a further 7 in 10, or 69% of respondents, said that their respiratory health is more important to them now than before the COVID-19 outbreak.

It also found that e-cigarette sales continue to grow, increasing by an estimated 7% in 2020 to reach £214 million. However, sales of products designed to help smokers quit such as nicotine replacement therapies declined in value by 3% in 2020 amidst the pandemic to an estimated £144.1 million.

Hazel Cheeseman, Director of Policy at ASH, said that ''the pandemic has been a wakeup call for many of us about our health. A million smokers were galvanised to quit during the first lockdown, but as this research shows, some will have relapsed and those who didn’t stop may now be smoking more. Every smoker should know help is out there to stop and, that although quitting can be stressful to start with, after only a few weeks ex-smokers experience improved wellbeing as much or greater than if they were taking anti-depressants."

Source: ITV, 15 April 2021

See also: ASH and UCL survey - A million people have stopped smoking since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Britain ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed])


**
------------------------------------------------------------


** An annual report into health inequalities in Northern Ireland has highlighted huge inequalities between Northern Ireland’s most and least deprived areas. The report found that the rate of respiratory mortality among under 75s in the most deprived areas is 3.5 times the rate found in the least deprived areas.

It also found that drug related mortality rates are 5 times higher and alcohol specific mortality rates 4 times higher in Northern Ireland’s most deprived areas compared to its least deprived areas. There has been no notable change in the deprivation gap for life expectancy between Northern Ireland’s most and least deprived regions, remaining seven years for men and 4.8 years for women.

At health trust and local government district level, similar to the regional picture, deprivation-related inequality was found to be most prominent in indicators relating to alcohol and drugs, self-harm, smoking during pregnancy, and teenage births.

Source: ITV, 14 April 2021

See also: Northern Ireland Department of Health - Health Inequalities Statistics ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed])


** International
------------------------------------------------------------


**
------------------------------------------------------------


**
An investigation conducted by Le Monde and The Investigative Desk has alleged that the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW), funded by Philip Morris International (PMI), ‘’serves the firm’s interests above all’’. The investigation, based on internal documents, tax forms, a court case, and analyses by researchers from the universities of Bath and California, alleges that the FSFW is designed to ‘’force open the doors’’ between the tobacco industry and Public Health.

The investigation focuses on the FSFW’s advocacy of ‘reduced risk products’ as PMI’s attempt to get the WHO on side and willing to circumvent the WHO Framework Convention prohibiting cooperation between Governments and the tobacco industry. The investigation alleges that FSFW’s activities around harm reduction are tied to the interests of PMI and purposefully opaque, and reveals internal documents showing that PMI has planned to "divide and conquer" the anti-smoking movement "by exploiting the differences of opinion", particularly amongst researchers.

It cites complaints from Lourdes Liz, FSFW’s former director of digital and social media, in 2001 which accused FSFW of "taking orders from Philip Morris and Altria". Liz calls FSFW a ‘’front organization for the tobacco industry’’ promoting a message ‘’that is harmful to public health’’ and testifies that FSFW founder Derek Yach met with Altria (the parent company of Philip Morris USA) representatives in Summer 2018 and wanted to include Altria language in FSFW’s communication.

The investigation finds that the FSFW’s attempts to get the WHO to reconsider its position on the WHO Framework have failed. FSFW and PMI have made several public overtures to encourage the WHO to reconsider its position on the Framework Convention, but these have been rejected. There are signs that PMI is now admitting defeat, with PMI drastically reducing its funding of the FSFW in September 2020 for reasons not made public.

Source: Le Monde, 14 April 2021

See also: Tobacco Tactics - Foundation for a Smoke-Free World ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([link removed])


**
------------------------------------------------------------


** ASH New Zealand has welcomed the New Zealand Government’s draft Smokefree Plan of Action released on 15th April 2021 and congratulated Minister Verrall on her leadership. However, the organisation also acknowledged the scale of the challenge ahead, as with only 4 years left to achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal where less than 5% of adults smoke cigarettes, New Zealand is not on track for this goal except for the wealthiest fifth of the population.

ASH New Zealand director Deborah Hart has called for the Government to help Māori, Pacific and poor people to quit in order to reduce inequality and meet the Smokefree 2025 goal. She says that the Government’s upcoming budget should fully fund mass media campaigns to encourage more smokers to quit, community-led initiatives such as Vape to Save, and programme’s which aim to increase the use of less harmful and cheaper alternatives to cigarettes.

ASH New Zealand says that the overall focus in the Plan of Action on reducing affordability, accessibility and attractiveness of cigarette smoking is important. The proposal to remove filters from cigarettes, for example, will deliver both health and environmental benefits, the organisation said.

Source: Scoop, 15 April 2021

See also: New Zealand Ministry of Health - Proposals for a Smokefree Aoteaorao 2025 Action Plan ([link removed].)
------------------------------------------------------------
Read Article ([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.

============================================================
Our mailing address is:
Action on Smoking and Health
Unit 2.9, The Foundry
17 Oval Way
London
SE11 5RR

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
Screenshot of the email generated on import

Message Analysis