UK and Ireland – Review of the Year 2021
Dear Subscriber/Friend of Forest,
It's been another difficult year for many people. The good news is that there seems to be light at the end of the long Covid tunnel but I remember writing that last year so let's not get ahead of ourselves!
My personal view is that if we want to return to 'normal' we will have to learn to live with Covid and its variations and accept that going to pubs, restaurants and other indoor public places will always carry some risk so excessive restrictions are not the answer now we are post peak pandemic.
Instead, and unless ministers wish to trash the economy and individual liberties completely, governments must put choice and personal responsibility first, giving adults the freedom to make informed decisions without intrusive and heavy-handed measures that are sometimes driven more by politics than by evidence.
Much like tobacco control, in fact.
Talking of which 2022 will present several challenges for confirmed smokers. For example, the Welsh Government recently launched a 'consultation' designed to progress its target of a 'smoke free' (sic) Wales by 2030. The closing date is 31st January 2022 and we would encourage friends of Forest to participate, even though the consultation appears to be weighted heavily in favour of those who support the government's smoke free goal.
We also await the publication of the UK government's new Tobacco Control Plan which is designed to achieve the same ambition for England. Measures that have been lobbied for by the tobacco control industry included a multi-million pound levy on tobacco companies (that would almost certainly be passed on to the consumer), extending the smoking ban to pavements outside pubs and restaurants, reducing the prevalence of shops that sell tobacco, raising the age of sale to 21, and printing health warnings on individual cigarettes.
Covid has given governments an unprecedented reason/excuse to impose extraordinary restrictions on the population. Some of those measures have probably been justified, temporarily at least, but it's our job to ensure that, having acquired a taste for strict and sometimes oppressive regulations in the name of public health, it does not become the default position of politicians and public health officials.
Smokers know all about oppressive regulations so let their experience of the slippery slope and creeping prohibition be a warning to everyone who values individual liberty.
In the meantime, from all of us at Forest, have a happy New Year and we'll see you in 2022!
Simon Clark
Director, Forest
TOP STORIES
Welsh Government imposes further restrictions on smoking: On 1st March 2021 Wales became the first nation in the UK to introduce a law banning smoking on hospital grounds, in school playgrounds and children's play areas. Forest director Simon Clark appeared on BBC Radio Wales to make the point that, while we do not condone or encourage adults to light up on school grounds or in children's play areas, we oppose a ban because there is no evidence that a significant number of people actually do it nor is there evidence that smoking in the open air is a threat to non-smokers including small children. Instead the law has been introduced to further denormalise smoking, a policy we strongly oppose because it also unfairly denormalises adults who smoke. Our reaction was also quoted by BBC News Wales, ITV Wales, Wales Online, the Guardian and the Western Telegraph (Welsh Government smoking ban 'wrong' says Forest).
Smoking and Covid living evidence review: In March researchers at University College London published version 11 of their ongoing living evidence review on the association between smoking and Covid and their conclusion was very similar to the previous ten:
'Compared with never smokers, current smokers appear to be at reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection while former smokers appear to be at increased risk of hospitalisation, greater disease severity and mortality from Covid-19.'
The conclusions came with caveats so it's worth taking the time to read the research in full. See also: Review affirms that current smokers are at reduced risk of infection from Covid-19 and Off message smoking and Covid review snubbed by PHE and ASH.
Meanwhile a survey by the consumer research group Mintel found that more than half of smokers have been “stress-smoking” more, and 10% lighting up again after quitting. The study was reported by ITV News and the London Evening Standard with Forest and the anti-smoking group ASH both quoted.
Plan to ban smoking outside hospitality venues: At the end of May it was reported that Oxfordshire County Council wants to become the first 'smoke-free' county in England by 2025. A suggestion that the council might ban smoking in outdoor hospitality seating areas attracted numerous headlines when the story broke nationally a few days later.
Forest's response was reported by many national and local newspapers including the Oxford Mail, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Guardian, Daily Express, The Sun, Daily Star, Metro and many more. Director Simon Clark also appeared on LBC, TalkRadio, BBC Radio Oxford, BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester, BBC CWR, BBC Radio Berkshire and ITV Meridian. The story also went international and we were invited to appear on Euronews with Derek Yach (above), president of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.
We were not alone in criticising the idea of a ban on smoking in beer gardens and other outdoor seating areas. The hospitality industry was also quick to oppose the idea and there was condemnation from columnists such as Tony Parsons (The Sun) and Janet Street-Porter (Mail Online). Also fuming was occasional smoker Stephen Glover (Daily Mail). More important perhaps a 'Government source' was reported by The Sun to have said the Government will NOT ban outdoor smoking across Britain.
Forest's response to a similar story in Sheffield was reported locally with this headline – Smokers hit out at 'petty and harmful' bid to ban lighting up outsides pubs and cafes. See also: How serious is the Oxfordshire-led threat to outdoor smoking?.
Forest leads opposition to outdoor smoking ban in Wales: Anti-smoking lobby group ASH Wales, which is funded almost entirely by the Welsh Government, also called for smoking to be banned in pub gardens and seating areas outside restaurants. Leading the opposition to the idea, Forest was quoted by ITV News, BBC News, Metro, Wales Online, the Daily Post and the Wrexham Leader among others. Echoing artist (and friend of Forest) David Hockney, our response made the point that "pubs aren't health clubs" and further regulation when the hospitality industry was trying to recover from the pandemic would be "monumentally stupid". Kate Nicholls, CEO of UK Hospitality, the UK's leading hospitality association, also spoke out against a ban, as did the Welsh Conservatives.
Norfolk council targets smokers, again: In 2010 it was reported that Breckland Council in Norfolk planned to force smokers to clock off when they went outside for a cigarette. Forest's reaction was widely reported and we were invited to respond again when BBC Radio Norfolk broke the news that the council now planned to ban smoking and vaping (the latter subject to review) on the site of the council's HQ in Dereham. As well as giving an interview to the BBC, our angry response was reported by the Eastern Daily Press (Campaign group slams smoking ban at council headquarters). The council subsequently wrote to Forest, answering questions we put to them. You can read their response here. Either way it's further evidence of what we reported in 2020 following a Freedom of Information request to 340 councils in England. See Smokefree Ideology: How local authorities are waging war on choice and personal freedom.
Tobacco giant wants to stop selling cigarettes in the UK within a decade: In July Forest criticised a call by Philip Morris International for the Government to ban the sale of cigarettes in the UK within ten years. Forest's reaction to the suggestion by Jack Olczak, CEO of PMI, reported by the trade magazine Tobacco Reporter, read:
“We welcome PMI's commitment to reduced risk products. However there are millions of adults who enjoy smoking cigarettes and don't want to quit and that choice must be respected. If Philip Morris wants to leave smoking behind, good luck to them, but banning cigarettes won’t stop people smoking. It will simply drive the product into the hands of criminal gangs who will happily sell illicit and counterfeit cigarettes to anyone who wants them, including children. We support the carrot not the stick approach to smoking cessation. Trying to force smokers to quit by banning cigarettes is illiberal and a fool’s errand that will end badly.”
We were also quoted by BBC News in a report headlined Marlboro maker Philip Morris could stop selling cigarettes in UK. Invited to discuss the issue with presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer on TalkRadio (above), director Simon Clark added: "It's worth pointing out that Philip Morris’s share of the UK cigarette market is less than ten per cent – which puts the company in fourth place behind its main competitors – so banning cigarettes would have far less impact on Philip Morris than the competition."
Tory peer introduces Cigarette Stick Health Warnings Bill: A private member’s bill tabled by Conservative peer Lord Young of Cookham received its first reading in July. The plan to print a 'smoking kills' warning on every cigarette, not just the packet, was reported exclusively by the Sunday Mirror with a comment from Forest. We described the idea as "laughable".
Government urged to raise age of sale of tobacco to 21: In August an 'exclusive' report in the Daily Mirror claimed that the Government was considering raising the age of sale of tobacco to 21. The measure is one of several policies being promoted by the tobacco control industry led by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Forest's response was featured by the Mirror and read:
"If you can have sex at 16 and drive a car at 17, you should be allowed to buy tobacco at 18. In the eyes of the law, you’re an adult at 18. Treating young adults like children insults their intelligence. You certainly don’t have to be 21 to know that smoking is potentially harmful. But raising the age of sale won’t stop young people smoking. It will simply drive tobacco underground. Far from protecting younger consumers, it will expose more to illicit and counterfeit tobacco, origin unknown."
Unsurprisingly the measure was also supported by All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health (run by ASH). Forest's reaction was reported by the Press Association, Sky News, Metro and the (Newcastle) Chronicle. Director Simon Clark was also interviewed by BBC Three Counties Radio, BBC Radio London, BBC Radio Sussex, BBC Radio Cumbria and TalkRadio. He said:
"Instead of prohibiting the sale of tobacco to people aged 18 to 20, the government should continue to educate teenagers about the health risks of smoking and encourage adults of all ages to take personal responsibility for their health. If however an adult chooses to smoke the government must respect that choice."
Smoking and Covid: The ongoing living evidence review that began in March 2020 (see above) concluded in August with the publication of version 12 of the study. According to researchers at University College London (UCL), 'Compared with never smokers, current smokers appear to be at reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and increased risk of greater in-hospital disease severity.'
There were of course several qualifications and the authors were keen to stress that 'In the meantime, public-facing messages about the possible protective effect of smoking or nicotine are premature. In our view, until there is further research, the quality of the evidence does not justify the huge risk associated with a message likely to reach millions of people that a lethal activity, such as smoking, may protect against Covid-19.'
Either way, credit to the authors for undertaking such painstaking and impartial work. Worth reading if you have a moment. See also: End of the road for living evidence review on smoking and Covid-19.
"Stop weaponising tax in war on smokers": In September, in its pre-Budget submission to finance minister Paschal Donohoe, Forest Ireland argued that instead of "punishing" consumers for their habit smokers should be given a "post-Covid break from yet another increase in tobacco duty". Urging the minister to freeze tobacco duty in the October Budget, spokesman John Mallon said:
"The government must stop weaponising tax in the war on smokers. The majority of smokers come from poorer backgrounds. Many have suffered financially as a result of the pandemic and should not have to face yet another increase in the cost of tobacco at a time when they can least afford it."
He added: "Brexit will provide a further challenge for the exchequer because access to cheaper duty free tobacco is only a short flight away in the UK. This could have a significant impact on the domestic market so increasing the tax on tobacco in Ireland makes no sense. A further tax hike will also harm legitimate retailers as more smokers are driven to buy legal duty free tobacco in the UK or on the unregulated black market at home."
John's response was reported by the Irish Sun, Irish Daily Mail and Spin South West (People forced to buy cigarettes on 'black market' say lobbyists). He was also interviewed by Ocean FM, Shannonside Radio and LMFM.
Tobacco influencers: In September media analytics company Commetric announced that it had ranked recent media voices in the tobacco debate 'by influence score'. Forest director Simon Clark ranked below Deborah Arnott, CEO of ASH, but above Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty! Full table here.
Number Ten rejects calls to ban smoking outside pubs: According to the Mail on Sunday in October, Number Ten has rejected a 'nanny state' plan to ban smoking on pavements outside pubs and restaurants. The exclusive report featured a quote from Forest's Simon Clark who welcomed the news and told the paper:
"Smoking outside is not a public health issue as there is no proven risk to other people’s health when smokers light up in the open air. The decision on whether to allow smoking outside pubs, bars and restaurants is therefore one for individual proprietors, not government. They know what’s best for their business and imposing further regulations on the hospitality industry following Covid could hurt thousands of businesses that need every customer they can get."
Forest attacks proposed new tobacco control measures: In October a series of amendments tabled by Labour MP Mary Foy, chair of the APPG on Smoking and Health, to the Government's Health and Care Bill were criticised by Forest. If accepted they would give the health secretary the power to ensure a health warning is put on every individual cigarette, bring in a new "polluter pays" levy on tobacco firms to fund public health measures, raise the legal age of buying cigarettes from 18 to 21, ban flavouring being used in tobacco products, and stop manufacturers of e-cigarettes from using branding which is (allegedly) attractive to children.
Responding to the proposals Forest said: "These stale and tired ideas have been around for years. The reason they haven't been adopted in the UK is because there is no evidence that they will significantly reduce smoking rates or discourage young people from smoking. Everyone is aware of the health risks of smoking. There are huge, impossible-to-miss health warnings on every pack of cigarettes including grotesque images of smoking-related diseases.
"Tobacco is sold in standardised packaging and banned from display in shops. Enough is enough. If adults still choose to smoke that is a matter for them, not for government, and that choice must be respected without further regulation that restricts choice and treats adults like children.
"Introducing a levy on tobacco companies would disproportionately hurt less well off smokers because it will inevitably be passed on to consumers who already pay punitive rates of taxation on tobacco. Outlawing the sale of tobacco to anyone under 21 won’t stop young people smoking. It will simply infantilise young adults and drive the sale of tobacco underground, by-passing legitimate retailers and enriching criminals who won’t stop to ask for proof of age. Far from protecting younger consumers it will expose many more to illicit and counterfeit tobacco.”
Further increase in tobacco duty: From 27th October duty rates on all tobacco products in the UK increased by inflation plus two per cent, with the rate on hand-rolling tobacco increasing by inflation plus six per cent. Forest's reaction was reported by, among others, The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Express, Mail Online and iNews. Forest's response also led a follow-up report in The Sun headlined, 'Fury over Rishi Sunak’s cigarette tax hike grows with critics warning poor will be ‘hit hardest’ as pack of 20 soars'.
Northern Ireland to ban smoking in cars carrying children: In October Northern Ireland health minister Robin Swann announced that NI is to follow England, Scotland and Wales and ban smoking in cars with children. Forest responded by telling the Belfast Telegraph (Health Minister plans to ban smoking in cars when children are passengers):
"Banning smoking in cars carrying children is a complete waste of legislative time and money. Since the practice was banned in England and Scotland you can count on the fingers of one hand the number of successful prosecutions. This is because even before legislation was introduced very few adults smoked in cars with children because the overwhelming majority knew it was inconsiderate and didn't do it.
"Politicians should butt out of people's lives and trust them to use their common sense, which most of us do. Instead this is almost certainly a stepping stone to banning smoking in all private vehicles, regardless of the presence of children, and other private spaces that should be beyond the reach of government."
Forest director pays tribute to murdered MP: Writing on his blog following the murder of Sir David Amess MP in October, Simon Clark noted:
Amess was not a smoker, he did not think it ‘very clever’ to smoke. Nevertheless he defended an adult’s right to smoke and when he witnessed first hand the devastating impact the closure of a cigarette factory was going to have on workers in his constituency he spoke out in parliament.
All that pales into insignificance now, and I appreciate it’s largely irrelevant to the shocking murder of an MP going about his business. I just wanted to mention it because it sums up to me why David Amess deserved his knighthood and why his death is such a loss to the constituents he represented and continued to fight so hard for, whatever their background or political allegiance.
Full post here.
Prohibition and the nanny state podcast: In November Forest featured in the first in a new series of podcasts. Hosted by Thomas Schmid, contributing editor at Tobacco Asia, Tobacco and Vape: News and Views is produced by Tobacco Asia in partnership with Business Insights. To listen to Tobacco Asia Podcast #1, ‘Prohibition and the Nanny State: Defending the Right to Smoke’, click here.
Welsh Government wants to make Wales smoke-free by 2030: In November the Welsh Government reiterated its 'Ambition to make Wales smoke-free by 2030' by announcing a consultation (closing date 31st January 2022) that will 'seek people’s views on how to create a smoke-free society in Wales'. Forest's response was reported by BBC News, ITV Wales, The Leader/North Wales Chronicle and the Western Telegraph (Campaigners have criticised plans to make Wales ‘smoke-free’ by 2030).
We said: “Tobacco is a legal product. No-one should be forced to quit smoking yet freedom of choice and personal responsibility are being replaced by coercion and creeping prohibition. If people choose not to smoke that’s fine but setting a target for a smoke-free Wales is a green light for politicians and campaigners who seem determined to regulate and control people’s lives.
“Instead of imposing further restrictions on adults who smoke, a more progressive policy would focus on education and harm reduction. Smokers should be informed about safer nicotine products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco but ultimately, if adults still choose to smoke, that choice must be respected by government and society.”
New Zealand to ban sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2008: The New Zealand government is to press ahead with its plan to ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2008, it was announced in December. The Daily Express (Could UK ban smoking? Fears Britain could stop cigarettes as shock rules come in) quoted Forest at length:
"Any attempt to introduce a similar law in the UK would be fiercely resisted. You can't have a two-tier society in which 30-year-olds are treated differently to 40-year-olds. Adults should be treated like adults whatever their age. This is prohibition in all but name and prohibition very rarely works. If tobacco is made illegal to people born after 2008 it won’t stop younger generations from smoking. The sale of tobacco will simply be driven underground and consumers will buy tobacco on the unregulated black market. This is about freedom of choice and personal responsibility and politicians should think very carefully before they sink to prohibition as a tool to achieve their smoke-free goal."
In the UK Forest director Simon Clark discussed the issue on TalkRadio and GB News. In Ireland our spokesman John Mallon appeared on Radio Kerry, Northern Sound, LMFM and Dublin FM104.
Banning smoking in outdoor pavement areas "insane": In December Forest welcomed reports that the Cabinet has rejected a plan by health secretary Sajid Javid to ban smoking in pavement areas outside pubs, cafes and restaurants. Director Simon Clark said:
“Banning smoking in pavement areas would be insane. There is no justification for the government to intervene on public health grounds because there is no evidence that smoking outside is a significant risk to non-smokers. Having survived, with great difficulty, many of the regulations imposed during the pandemic, the last thing the hospitality industry needs is the threat of the smoking ban being extended to outdoor areas. The Government should be reducing red tape, not adding to it with arbitrary regulations that can only hurt the hospitality industry by reducing customer choice."
He added: “Under current regulations pubs, cafes and restaurants that provide outdoor seating on pavements must offer separate non-smoking areas. Smoking areas are optional and if proprietors don’t want to provide one they don’t have to, but they must have the freedom to choose based on customer demand and what’s best for their business.”
Our full response was published by the Daily Express with a shorter quote in The Sun. Simon Clark was also interviewed by Julia Hartley-Brewer on TalkRadio.
HSE to consider proposal to limit sale of tobacco and other measures: On 30th December it was reported that Ireland's Health Service Executive (HSE) will conduct surveys early in 2022 to explore public support for “innovative” strategies to bring about the “endgame” for cigarette smoking. According to reports the research will 'explore levels of public support for banning or severely limiting the sale of tobacco products, including the proposed limiting of tobacco sales to a substantially reduced number of licensed retailers, or to pharmacies only.'
In response Forest Ireland's John Mallon said, "Any form of prohibition would drive consumers underground and into the arms of criminal gangs. Ireland already has a huge problem with illicit trade. This would make it far worse. The Government has no right to intervene to this extent - tobacco is a legal product and many adults enjoy smoking. Governments have a duty to inform consumers about the health risks of smoking or drinking but beyond that it's a matter for the individual."
As well as being interviewed by Newstalk, the country's leading independent radio station, John's comments also featured on the station's website – see Proposal to limit sale of tobacco 'would drive consumers underground'.
FURTHER READING
David Hockney: Britain needs a cigarette – There can be no better pick-me-up for confirmed smokers than reading the thoughts of artist David Hockney. Now 84, and an unrepentant smoker, David wrote a richly entertaining article for UnHerd in June that included this passage:
Not many people in England will defend smoking. They are intimidated by the medical profession and “social pressure”. Well, I’m lucky I can’t hear the “social pressure”, let alone what the doctors have to say. Their obsession with health is unhealthy. Longevity shouldn’t be an aim in life; that to me seems to be life-denying ...
I know there will always be bossy people. Anne Applebaum says that 30% of people in every country have an “authoritarian disposition” — but doesn’t she just mean “bossy”? Smoking for me is a deep pleasure and 1.1 billion people in the world seem to agree. It can never be stopped; smokers would just start growing their own tobacco. But we need more people to defend it, otherwise the bossy boots will win in England.
See also: What’s the point of a pro-smoking group in 2021? – Interview with Forest director Simon Clark.
Above: David Hockney with Sir Greg Knight MP at a Forest reception at the House of Commons in 2011
AND FINALLY ...
Fighting the nanny state one webinar at a time: In the absence of in person events Forest continued to host a series of webinars that began during the first Covid lockdown in 2020. Since then a variety of guests have discussed a number of smoking and vaping related matters as well as broader issues such as the burgeoning nanny state.
Last year guests included former leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett (now Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle); Claire Fox (now Baroness Fox of Buckley), director of the Academy of Ideas; Chris Snowdon (Institute of Economic Affairs); Tam Fry (National Obesity Forum); Telegraph columnist Madeline Grant; communications guru Gawain Towler; former MSP and MEP Brian Monteith and many more.
This year's guests have included Mark Littlewood, director general of the IEA; Henry Hill, news editor, Conservative Home; John Dunne, CEO of the UK Vaping Industry Association; Joe Dunne (no relation), Respect Vapers; Daniel Pryor, Adam Smith Institute; Mark Oates, We Vape; New Nicotine Alliance associate Judy Gibson; journalist Pat Nurse; vaping advocate Andy Morrison; photographer and musician Dan Donovan; visual artist Anita Chowdry; and American smokers' rights activist Emily Wieja.
This year we also launched a new series of online meetings called The Smoking Room. Our first guest, in February, was Ranald Macdonald, managing director of Boisdale Restaurants. Subsequent guests included TV chef and restaurateur Antony Worrall Thompson; Jacob Grier, author of 'Rediscovering Tobacco: The Creative Destruction of the Cigarette'; and Simon Hills, former associate editor of The Times Magazine.
Thank you to everyone who joined us online and special thanks to our very patient moderator Rob Lyons! To view these and other Forest videos visit our YouTube channel.
If you made it this far thank you for reading to the end!
We wish you a happy New Year and a successful 2022.
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