From Action on Smoking and Health <[email protected]>
Subject ASH Daily News for 22 June 2021
Date June 22, 2021 11:57 AM
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** 22 June 2021
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** UK
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** East of England: Breckland council agrees to go smokefree (#1)
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** Study: A million workers are still exposed to secondhand smoke (#2)
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** Wales: Campaigners call for a smoking ban in beer gardens (#3)
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** International
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** New Zealand: Big Tobacco behind dairy owners Parliament postcard protest (#4)
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** US Opinion: As tobacco continues to kill, we must focus on our susceptible Black community (#5)
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** UK
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**
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** A Norfolk council is set to go smokefree, with restrictions on vaping also being considered. Breckland District Council said it wanted to cement its position as “trailblazers” with a new smokefree policy discussed at yesterday’s (21 June 2021) cabinet meeting.

The proposal would see smoking banned at the council’s Elizabeth House office in Dereham, including in the car park and outdoor areas, while staff are offered support to quit. The council expects a series of benefits from the proposal, including a healthier workforce, reduced absences, increased productivity and breaking down the barrier between smokers and non-smokers. However, a plan to include vaping in the banned activity drew concern from tobacco control campaigners, who said that e-cigarettes are a useful tool for quitting.

Ian Sherwood, a cabinet member for people, seemed to acknowledge their concerns, telling cabinet colleagues they would “consider if they need to make any changes” following the draft publication of guidance from the national institute for health and care excellence (NICE).

The health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has welcomed the plans. Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, said: “Breckland council is to be congratulated for committing to deliver a smokefree environment for all staff, elected members and visitors to its premises, and for ensuring that smokers affected by the policy will get the support and encouragement they need to help them quit.

“ASH understands that the council will consider if it needs to make changes to its policy on vaping and e-cigarettes after the new NICE guidance on smoking cessation is published at the end of this week. That’s the right decision as NICE has had the benefit of reviewing the growing evidence that e-cigarettes are effective in helping smokers quit.”

Ms Arnott said around 200 people die from smoking every day in England, and quitting is the most important change a smoker can make.

Sam Chapman-Allen, the council leader, said the policy had been raised by council staff, with around 89% supporting the move in consultation. The cabinet unanimously agreed on the proposal.

Source: Eastern Daily Press, 21 June 2021
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** A recent study has estimated that around one million UK workers are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke while they work.

The researchers used the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) 2020 codes, developed by the UK Office of National Statistics, to develop the job exposure matrix (JEM). These 412 four-digit codes include all classes of occupation in the UK.

Findings from the study reveal that more than a million people in the UK are likely exposed to secondhand smoke at work. Of those, the most severely affected included home care workers – nurses, carers and other professionals who provide help at home for those who need it most.

The JEM developed in this work shows that, despite the UK’s comprehensive smokefree public places laws, many workers may still be occupationally exposed to secondhand smoke.

Source: The Independent, 22 June 2021

See also: Oxford Academic - Occupational Exposure to Second-Hand Tobacco Smoke: Development of a Job Exposure Matrix ([link removed])
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** ASH Wales is calling for Welsh Government to protect children’s health by banning smoking in Welsh beer gardens. It wants legislation that came into force in March banning smoking in the grounds of schools, hospitals and playgrounds to be extended to the outdoor seating areas of pubs, bars and restaurants.

Children’s Commissioner, Sally Holland, has backed the proposal. She said extending the regulations to areas where families gather, such as beer gardens, would further de-normalise smoking in the eyes of children, making them less likely to take up the habit themselves and protecting them from the harms of secondhand smoke.

Currently, in Wales, youth smoking prevalence remains stubbornly high with around 6,000 children take up smoking every year and 8% of 15 to 16-year-olds smoking regularly – a figure that has not changed since 2013. According to ASH Wales’ YouGov survey, 63% of adults in Wales favour the proposal.

Suzanne Cass, CEO of ASH Wales, said: “Welsh Government has shown a really strong commitment to tackling smoking prevalence in Wales by becoming the first UK nation to ban smoking in school and hospital grounds and in children’s playgrounds. We believe it should now listen to the people of Wales and extend that ban to outdoor seating areas such as beer gardens where young people and families with children gather. This is particularly important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic when many more people choose to sit outdoors when possible and smokers and non-smokers find themselves sitting alongside each other.

“It is really important to do all we can to ensure children are not exposed to the sight of adults smoking in everyday settings. 81% of adults in Wales were under 18 when they tried their first cigarette. By de-normalising smoking we hope to prevent many more from being caught in the grip of this deadly addiction.”

Suzzanne went on to say that any further legislation to create smoke free spaces in Wales must be supported by robust smoking cessation support to ensure smokers can access the help they need to quit. ASH Wales is calling for increased funding to provide targeted smoking cessation support in areas of Wales where smoking prevalence is highest and for smoking cessation support to be offered to all smokers admitted to hospitals in Wales.

Source: Wales 247, 22 June 2021
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** International
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** Postcards from dairy owners protesting against restrictions on tobacco sales appear to have been supplied by British American Tobacco (BAT).

According to Act deputy leader Brook Van Velden, the postcards – “thousands of them”- were delivered to her this morning on Parliament’s forecourt.

They follow the release of the Government’s proposals for Smokefree Aotearoa (New Zealand) 2025, which includes limiting tobacco sales to a limited number of specific stores and setting a minimum price for tobacco. About 5000 people a year die from smoking in New Zealand.

Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said it was disappointing to see Big Tobacco companies trying to get dairy owners to do their “dirty” work for them. A former dairy owner also noted that the tobacco company only cared about itself - not the dairy owners.

Source: NZ Herald, 22 June 2021
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** Keadan Bradley, a member of the Youth Advisory Council for Marin Healthy Youth Partnerships, shares her opinions about the exploitation of Black Americans by the tobacco industry.

She describes how Big Tobacco uses various deceptive tactics to target adolescents in Black communities and low-income people. The industry has done this in several ways, including hiring celebrities and successful, well-educated Black leaders to use and advertise cigarettes, the most prevalent of which is menthol. Another sneaky tactic they employed was handing out free cigarettes to anyone and everyone they could at Congressional Black Caucus Foundation events and within Black communities.

Bradley points out that the tobacco industry has traditionally found ways to sell its products successfully to the Black community, particularly in disadvantaged areas. They employ phrases and keywords like “stress reliever” and “take a deep breath.” She highlights that Black smokers suffer disproportionately high levels of harm from smoking, and there need to be changes made to protect “our Black American communities from the targeting by tobacco corporations.”

Bradley advocates for total “flavour bans that include menthol, 100% smoke-free policies in multi-unit housing and reduced advertising space on businesses promoting these and other dangerous products.” She calls on “the need to keep all of our communities, historically and newly targeted, safe from the effects of tobacco.”

Source: Marin Independent Journal, 17 June 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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