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The government has further delayed the launch of the long-promised tobacco control plan for England, raising renewed concerns that it risks further missing its 2030 “smoke-free” target.
Ministers had said in December 2020 that it was planned for July 2021, and Maggie Throup, the new public health minister, promised in November that it would be published “soon”. However, in a House of Lords debate last month, Lord Kamall, a minister in the Department of Health and Social Care, revealed that the plan was not coming until some stage this year.
The delay is likely to be welcomed within the tobacco industry, which has challenged stricter regulation in the past. The delays have prompted politicians to seek to tighten regulations on tobacco companies via amendments to the Health and Care Bill as it goes through parliament. They include the introduction of a “polluter pays” levy on tobacco manufacturers to fund support for smokers to quit and to prevent youth uptake, plus measures such as health warnings on cigarette sticks.
Bob Blackman, a Conservative MP and chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on smoking and health, called the delay “disheartening” and, with the existing plan running only until this year, said that the government did not have long to achieve its ambition to cut smoking rates to 5 or less in England. Before the pandemic, almost 14% of adults in the UK said that they smoked cigarettes.
The delay is believed to be because of a change of ministers in the department in June and September and the resurgence of Covid. A spokesman for the health department said: “We are addressing the damaging health implications of smoking right across the country, especially where rates remain stubbornly high. We will set out how we will deliver our bold ambition to be smokefree by 2030 in our new tobacco control plan.”
Source: The Times, 5 January 2022
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A haul of illegal vaping products targeting children have been seized in a crackdown in Middlesbrough. The six-week operation by Middlesbrough Council’s Trading Standards team has seen thousands of potentially dangerous devices removed from sale.
The vapes are typically sold in brightly coloured packaging and with flavours and names such as strawberry or banana milkshake, unicorn shake and tiger blood to appeal to young people. It is illegal to sell e-cigarettes to anyone under 18 or for someone to purchase them on their behalf. Some of the seized products had tank sizes up to three times the legal limit and incorrect labelling, with devices lacking information, including sufficient health warnings or the details of a UK-based manufacturer or importer who can be contacted in the event of a safety issue.
Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston said: “Stamping out smoking is one of the best things we can do to improve public health, and legal vapes and e-cigarettes have played a major role in that fight in recent years. But they need to be as safe as they can be, and we need to protect children from unscrupulous traders. This is a fantastic operation by Trading Standards that sends out a clear message that retailers have a duty to protect their customers - and especially young people - from harmful products.”
Source: ITV News, 4 January 2022
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Sonja Edwards, a smoking cessation counsellor who dedicated more than three decades to helping people quit smoking through the NHS, has retired. She was the first NHS-paid hospital smoking cessation counsellor appointed in the UK, helping inpatients, outpatients and staff at Llandough Hospital, Barry Hospital, and University Hospital Wales.
Ms Edwards was also involved in setting up a UK group for smoking cessation counsellors to help share knowledge and has conducted and presented research in the UK and abroad.
Ms Edwards said: “I have enjoyed every day of my working life, and it has been a privilege to work alongside my colleagues and help and support people through their smoking cessation journey. I am proud that the service continues to provide its high standard, personalised, intensive behavioural counselling support programme.”
Source: Barry and District News, 4 January 2022
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According to new research, patients who quit smoking after lung cancer have a 29% improvement in their overall survival compared to patients who continue smoking after diagnosis. The researchers from Italy conducted a meta-analysis of published research on smoking cessation after lung cancer diagnosis and found 21 articles covering more than 10,000 patients, published between 1980 and before October 2021.
The researchers found that smoking cessation after diagnosis was significantly associated with improved overall survival. The findings applied to non-small cell lung cancer, the most common, small cell lung cancer, both or unspecified tumours. Dr Saverio Caini, the lead researcher, said: “Our study suggests that treating physicians should educate patients with lung cancer about the benefits of quitting smoking even after diagnosis and provide them with the necessary smoking cessation support.”
He concluded by saying: “The meta-analysis has implications beyond clinical practice. Since heavy smokers would be primarily targeted by lung cancer screening programs, screening could serve as a teachable moment to help participants quit smoking by integrating a structured cessation program into the screening activities.”
Source: Medical Xpress, 4 January 2022
See also: Journal of Thoracic Oncology - Quitting smoking at or around diagnosis improves the overall survival of lung cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis
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