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** 29 November 2021
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** UK
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** East of England: Thousands of cigarettes seized after HMRC officers raid Ipswich stores (#1)
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** Mum clears £10,000 debt and bought her first home by giving up smoking (#2)
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** Scots health boards lag the UK on specialist training for midwives (#3)
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** International
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** China brings e-cigarettes under tobacco monopoly law (#4)
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** Israel advances bill to ban cigarette ads in newspapers (#5)
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** UK
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** Thousands of cigarettes have been seized as part of a series of raids at Ipswich stores to disrupt the sale and supply of illegal tobacco. Officers from HMRC, Suffolk Trading Standards and Eastern Region Special Operations Unit visited several stores in the town on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week.
The raids resulted in the seizure of 13,180 cigarettes and 14.25 kg of hand-rolling tobacco, worth an estimated £11,500 in duty. Some of the cigarettes had been hidden in the stores, including behind a fireplace and inside a boiler.
Andrew Reid, cabinet member for public health, public protection and communities at Suffolk County Council, added: “Illegal tobacco trading is far from being a victimless crime. It carries significant health risks, undermines the reduction of smoking and creates a cheap source for children and young people. We remain committed to working collaboratively with HMRC, the police and other partners to protect consumers across Suffolk, and I am delighted that our Trading Standards officers provided invaluable intel to help make this particular operation such a success.”
Source: Ipswich Star 26 November 2021
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** A mum of two has explained how giving up smoking helped her pay off £10,000 worth of debt and buy her council home. Emma, 42, and her partner would easily spend £20 each, or £40 between them, on cigarettes per day - adding up to £280 each week. But giving up smoking in 2017 meant the pair could put this money toward clearing debts to help them realise their dream of owning their home. Emma used Right to Buy to purchase her property which is a scheme that helps council tenants to buy their home at a discounted price.
Emma, who works as a cleaner for Leicester Council, said: “My credit rating was so low, and that’s when I realised, I needed to do something. The biggest sacrifice was quitting smoking, both myself and my partner were daily smokers and would easily spend between £250 to £280 a week on cigarettes. We looked at just how much it was costing us and realised how much better off we’d be if we stuck that money towards our debt repayments instead.”
Emma said the money she saved from not smoking allowed her to pay at least £100 extra toward her debts, on top of the minimum payments she was already making.
Source: Mirror, 24 November 2021
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** New research reveals Scotland’s 14 health boards spend less than half as much on training as the UK average, resulting in fewer midwives receiving training designed to save and protect new mothers and their babies.
Researchers from the Baby Lifeline charity revealed disparities between potentially life-saving training offered and received by health authorities across the country and warned the problem is getting worse because of Covid. According to the researchers, Scotland has the lowest average number of training courses offered to midwives of any location in the UK, the lowest attendance rates, and no training for the care of women after caesarean sections or other complex births. The findings come after Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer’s annual report revealed premature baby deaths have worsened in Scotland’s poorest postcodes since 2012.
The research suggests Scot’s health boards are failing to offer training in several areas highlighted as potentially crucial by experts. Only one of Scotland’s 14 health boards, which all responded to the researchers’ request for information, said it trained staff to help women stop smoking in pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy is higher in Scotland – affecting 13.8% of Scots women compared to 9.6% in England – and can be a contributory factor in premature births, baby deaths and problems after childbirth.
The Scottish Government said: “We welcome this report and recognise the importance of continuing to provide maternity training during this difficult period. The Scottish Government has already established training programmes which are evidence-based, cover a range of disciplines and are co-ordinated nationally. [...] Despite significant pressure on services from the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS Education for Scotland continues to ensure access to training, adapting availability and method of provision.”
Source: The Sunday Post, 28 November 2021
See also: Baby Lifeline - Detrimental gaps in maternity training are putting mothers and babies at risk ([link removed])
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** International
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China amended its tobacco monopoly law on Friday (26 November) to include e-cigarettes, stepping up-regulation of the fast-growing vaping industry in the world’s largest tobacco market. The cabinet order, published on the Chinese government’s website and signed off by Premier Li Keqiang, comes into effect immediately.
Chinese regulators in March flagged plans to bring the rules governing the sale of e-cigarettes and other new tobacco products into line with those for ordinary cigarettes. They had previously been in a regulatory grey area. China’s tobacco industry is controlled entirely by a government monopoly, and strict controls determine which companies and retailers can produce and sell cigarettes.
The government outlawed the sale of e-cigarettes to minors in 2018 and banned online sales the following year, while Chinese state media have warned of the health and safety risks of using the products.
Source: Reuters, 27 November 2021
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** The Ministerial Committee on Legislation voted to advance a bill that would prohibit tobacco ads in newspapers. The bill, sponsored by MK Mossi Raz (Meretz), would eliminate a loophole in the existing law that exempts newspapers from the prohibition of tobacco advertising. On Wednesday, the bill is set to pass its preliminary reading in the Knesset (Israel’s parliament).
Source: The Jerusalem Post, 28 November 2021
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