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According to a Guardian audit, 28s MPs – 19 Conservative and the rest Labour – have taken almost £225,000 in wages and freebies from the gambling industry since August 2020. Beneficiaries include the Conservative MPs Caroline Dinenage, a minister within the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which oversees the gambling review, and Aaron Bell MP, who used to work for Bet365.
The gambling sector’s charm offensive comes in the run-up to the publication of a white paper on gambling reform, expected early next year, that could significantly curb the profitability of bookmakers and online casinos. The biggest beneficiary of the gambling industry’s largesse over the past year was Philip Davies, the Conservative MP for Shipley. The Guardian revealed last year that he had accepted almost £50,000 to advise the Ladbrokes owner, Entain, on safer gambling and customer service.
In addition to what it paid Davies, Entain spent almost £41,000 on hospitality for 13 MPs over the summer. The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) also spent half that sum, £20,405, escorting lawmakers to events including three England matches at Euro 2020, horse racing at Ascot, cricket at Lord’s and the Ivor Novello awards. Of the 13 MPs who enjoyed the trade body’s hospitality, three spoke out in support of the industry within days of being entertained, two of them – Benton and Spellar – in the House of Commons.
Lord Foster of Bath, the chair of Peers for Gambling Reform, said it was “pretty obvious why the industry is giving largesse to parliamentarians”, calling the flurry of consultancy roles and hospitality freebies an attempt to “try and influence the outcome to the advantage of gambling companies. With millions of people impacted by problem gambling and more than one gambling-related suicide every day, I suspect [they] will find themselves on the wrong side of public opinion.”
Matt Zarb-Cousin, a former aide to Jeremy Corbyn and director Clean Up Gambling, said: “Far too many MPs have had their snouts in the gambling trough. This is a sector that derives most of its profits from the harm it causes constituents. The government has an opportunity in its gambling review to demonstrate our democracy is not for sale.”
Source: The Guardian, 15 November 2021
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A consultant addiction psychiatrist, Dr Adam Winstock, has warned that cannabis users who mix tobacco in their joints could be sliding into an addiction to both drugs without realising it. Although cannabis is still illegal in the UK and carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison or an unlimited fine for possession, 30% of people nationwide may have consumed it at some point in their lifetime.
With roughly three in four cannabis smokers in the UK using tobacco, Dr Winstock adds that there is plenty of reason to help them make healthier choices. That is why he wants people to take part in this year’s Global Drug Survey (GDS), which launched this month. Participants are invited to share their experiences anonymously, with data being used to provide relevant information to reduce the risk of harm and inform government policy reviews.
Dr Winstock, the founder of the GDS, warns that as the rate of young people smoking cigarettes continues to fall, using cannabis is “increasingly” becoming a “gateway drug” to tobacco. He said: “Nicotine is a far more addictive drug than cannabis, it’s far harder to quit, and smoking it is going to give you cancer and heart disease.” The GDS hopes to find out how appealing people find alternatives, such as smoking cannabis on its own, vaping it, using it to make edibles or using tobacco-free mixing agents. This could help researchers understand how best to persuade them to move away from tobacco.
Cannabis smoke contains some of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco, but studies have produced conflicting results. More research is needed to establish a definite link, but the evidence for tobacco causing cancer is far clearer.
Another concern around the impact smoking cannabis can have on people is the affect it could have on their mental health. Research has shown that those with a pre-existing vulnerability of developing a condition are more at risk, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions.
Dr Winstock says: “Ideally you don’t want people to be smoking full stop. Even smoking cannabis will release things that aren’t good for you.”
Source: Metro News, 15 November 2021
See also: Global Drug Survey (GDS)
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On Tuesday, tobacco group Imperial Brands said 2022 would be another year of reorganisation after it posted a higher-than-expected rise in full-year profits, aided by increased cigarette prices and smaller losses in its e-cigarettes business.
Chief Executive Stefan Bomhard has been trying to steady the business after years of sluggish growth and market share losses. In January, he laid out a five-year turnaround plan to take Imperial back to its cigarette-selling roots and focus on five markets that generate nearly three-quarters of its profit.
Losses in its next generation products (NGP) business – e-cigarettes, tobacco-heating products and oral nicotine – which were 138 million pounds in fiscal 2021, are also expected to be around the same level in 2022 as the company invests in market trials in countries including the Czech Republic and Greece. The maker of Gauloises and West cigarettes reported organic adjusted group revenue of 7.59 billion pounds ($10.20 billion), up 1.4% in constant currencies, for the full year ended September 30.
Source: Reuters, 16 November 2021
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According to the fourth World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco users continue to decrease globally, going from 1.32 billion in 2015 to 1.30 billion last year. This number is expected to drop to 1.27 billion by 2025. According to the report, sixty countries are now on track to achieve the voluntary global target of a 30% reduction in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025: two years ago, only 32 countries were on track.
According to WHO, recent evidence shows that the tobacco industry used the COVID-19 pandemic to build influence with Governments in 80 States. The report also urges countries to accelerate the implementation of the measures outlined in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Some key findings of the WHO global report on trends in the prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2025 were:
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In 2020, 22.3% of the global population used tobacco, 36.7 %of all men and 7.8 % of the world’s women. Africa has the lowest average rate of tobacco use at 10% in 2020, down from 15% in 2010.
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Approximately 38 million children between the ages of 13 and 15 currently use tobacco, 13 million girls and 25 million boys.
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In Europe, 18% per cent of women still use tobacco, substantially more than in any other WHO region, while all others are on track to reduce women’s usage rates by at least 30% per cent by 2025.
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South-East Asia has the highest rates, with around 432 million users or 29% of its population, but it is also the region in which the numbers are declining fastest.
Source: UN News, 15 November 2021
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The new “State of Lung Cancer” report reveals that the lung cancer five-year survival rate increased 14.5% nationally to 23.7% yet remains significantly lower among people of colour. The American Lung Association’s 4th annual report highlights how the toll of lung cancer varies by state and examines key indicators throughout the US, including new cases, survival, early diagnosis, surgical treatment, lack of treatment and screening rates.
According to the report, in addition to lower survival rates, people of colour diagnosed with lung cancer face worse outcomes than whites, including being less likely to be diagnosed early, less likely to receive surgical treatment, and more likely to receive no treatment.
In March of 2021, the United States Preventive Services Task Force expanded its recommendation for lung cancer screening to include a larger age range and more current or former smokers. This dramatically increased the number of women and Black Americans who are eligible for lung cancer screening.
Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO for the Lung Association, said: “The report highlights important news – more people are surviving lung cancer; however, it also underscores the fact that, sadly, health disparities persist for communities of colour. In fact, while the national lung cancer survival rate increased to 23.7%, it remains at only 20% for communities of colour and 18% for Black Americans. Everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a full and healthy life, so more must be done to address these health disparities.”
Source: PR News Wire, 16 November 2021
See also: American Lung Association - State of Lung Cancer” report
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