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** 10 March 2022
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** UK
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** E-cigarettes are NOT a gateway into regular smoking for teenagers, major study finds (#1)
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** No Smoking Day – half a million saved for ex-smokers in Manchester (#2)
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** Sajid Javid: NHS cash is being wasted on preventable diseases (#3)
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** People who gave up smoking share the moments that made them quit for good (#4)
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** International
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** Beyond the smoke screen it’s business as usual in Russia for British American Tobacco (#5)
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** Philip Morris continues to operate in Russia (#6)
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** UK
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** E-cigarettes are NOT a gateway into regular smoking for teenagers, major study finds

University College London researchers have looked at the use of e-cigs and traditional tobacco products in people in England aged 16 to 24 between 2007 and 2018. They found no significant relationship between the two, ruling out previous research that suggested young vapers were prone to taking up smoking.

The latest study, published in the journal Addiction, saw UCL researchers analyse smoking data over 11 years using a national database in England. Data came from the Smoking Toolkit Study, which has surveyed around 300 households per month since 2006. Participants were asked if they had ever smoked tobacco products or used e-cigarettes and how regularly they had done so.

Results showed 30.5 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds were regular smokers while just 2.9 per cent used vapes.

Lead author Dr Emma Beard, a behavioural scientist, said: 'These findings suggest the large gateway effects reported in previous studies can be ruled out, particularly among those aged 18 to 24. ‘However, we cannot rule out a smaller gateway effect and we did not study younger age groups.’

‘If the upper estimates are true, we would estimate that of the 74,000 e-cigarette users aged 16 to 17 in England, around 7,000 would become ever regular smokers as a consequence of e-cigarette use.’ ‘At the same time, approximately 50,000 smokers are estimated to quit per year as a consequence of e-cigarette use.’

Source: Mail Online, 10 March 2022
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** See also: Addiction - Association of quarterly prevalence of e-cigarette use with ever regular smoking among young adults in England: a time–series analysis between 2007 and 2018 ([link removed])
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** No Smoking Day – half a million saved for ex-smokers in Manchester

To celebrate No Smoking Day, the CURE team based at Stepping Hill Hospital have calculated how much money they’ve saved patients since they started less then two years ago; and the result is nearly half a million pounds.

Since the team’s launch in September 2020, the total amount of money saved by patients has been £492,266 – an average of £1560 per patient – as well as the immense health benefits gained by stopping smoking.

CURE is a Greater Manchester-wide project of comprehensive secondary care treatment for tobacco addiction. It ensures all active smokers admitted to hospital are immediately offered specialist support from the team, together with nicotine replacement therapy and other medications for the duration of their admission, and after discharge too.

One patient who has recently benefitted from the team’s approach, Chris O’Reilly, 72, from Glossop, said “I’ve been smoking for over forty-five years, but the CURE team at the hospital have helped me to give it up for good. The nicotine patches and their advice have been a real help, the whole team have been a really fantastic support for me.”

Respiratory nurse practitioner and CURE team leader Pauline Holmes said “We all know smoking is extremely bad for your health, but nicotine addiction is huge financial burden too. Giving up smoking makes both you and your finances healthier, and it’s fantastic to see how much money we’ve saved for people in a relatively small space of time. Smoking is the result of addiction to nicotine, not a lifestyle choice, and we’re here to give people the tools they need to beat this addiction. We’ve helped a lot of people already, and we’re looking forward to helping even more in the future.”

Source: About Manchester, 10 March 2022
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** Sajid Javid: NHS cash is being wasted on preventable diseases
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Nearly half the NHS budget is being spent on diseases that could have been prevented, the Health Secretary has said as he urges people to take “individual responsibility” for their health.

Sajid Javid said that Britain’s overall health budget was now bigger than the GDP of Greece, warning that the NHS cannot continue spending “vast sums” on “wholly avoidable” lifestyle conditions.

And he suggested that families should do their bit by encouraging loved ones to take steps to overhaul their lifestyles by losing weight or quitting smoking. He said his own father quit smoking in his 30s after his mother warned him that their children could grow up without him.

At a major speech to the Royal College of Physicians on Tuesday, Mr Javid promised fundamental reforms of the NHS, including a “right to choose” a new hospital provider for those facing the longest waits.

But he said ensuring that people took more responsibility for their own health - and got help and advice to make lifestyle changes - was one of the critical ways to lessen the burden on the NHS.

Source: The Telegraph, 8 March 2022
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** People who gave up smoking share the moments that made them quit for good
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The Metro has compiled several stories from readers who have quit smoking who explain what made them quit for good:

Nicole Ratcliffe, 40, ‘I was in the smoking shed, was having a cigarette, and just made the decision it would be my last one. I stopped there and then’. ‘I found out two weeks later I was pregnant. I haven’t had a cigarette in nearly seven years now.’

Lisa Suswain, 41, ‘I smoked for 10 years – it was a way of life for ballet dancers, believe it or not (if you’re smoking, you’re not eating).’ ‘When my now-husband and I decided this was serious, I decided enough was enough. He never complained about my smoking, but as a non-smoker I knew it couldn’t be nice for him. I made the decision to stop.’ ‘It wasn’t easy but I never had one again, that was 16 years ago in June! It worked because my why was stronger than my why not.’
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** Jay Stansfield, 42, ‘I quit smoking after watching Allen Carr’s Easyway DVD. One viewing! I’d been smoking for going on 15 years, quit and never looked back. That was in 2009.’

Emma Baylin, 43, ‘I stopped while I was pregnant and breastfeeding, but started socially smoking again. Then I got pneumonia.’ ‘I have never been so ill. I was off work for three months. I went down to six stone. It took about another three months to get back to my old self, but the idea of putting anything into my lungs since then makes me feel ill.’ ‘I now work with people with respiratory conditions. I would recommend anyone who wants to quit to talk to someone about how debilitating conditions like COPD can be (although not always caused through smoking, it is a main contributing factor) Look after your lungs, learn to breathe and sing!’

Source: Metro, 9 March 2022
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** International
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** Beyond the smoke screen it’s business as usual in Russia for British American Tobacco

Writing in the Guardian, the paper’s financial editor Nils Pratley, criticises British American Tobacco (BAT) for continuing to operate in Russia following a widespread boycott of Russia by other multinationals, in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Nils asks why BAT “think it’s fine to carry on business in the country roughly as normal.” He highlights a statement from a BAT “spokesperson” which strained to create the impression of change, but failed to mention any specific action. Nils states that the statement relied heavily on “corporate speak” and commits the company to very little. He sums up BAT’s bottom line as: “Our business in Russia continues to operate.”

BAT, which accounts for about a quarter of the cigarette market in Russia, will continue to manufacture and sell cigarettes in Russia. Nils contrasts BAT’s decision with that of Imperial Brands, another major global tobacco company, which has opted to suspend all activities in Russia.

The author observes that other multinationals have pulled out of Russia because they want to avoid “paying tax revenues to Putin’s regime” and concludes, “that BAT (corporate slogan: “building a better tomorrow”) cares less about its contribution to Putin’s coffers.”

Source: The Guardian, 9 March 2022

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** Philip Morris continues to operate in Russia

Tobacco giant Philip Morris International was the leading foreign company by revenue in Russia in 2020. It has suspended operations in Ukraine but not Russia.

Japan Tobacco, which has a 37% share of the Russian market and 4,500 employees in the country, also continues to operate in Russia. Its tax payments in 2020 accounted for 1.4% of the Russian Federation state budget according to the company's website. Japan Tobacco says it is "fully committed" to complying with national and international sanctions.

British American Tobacco (BAT) has 2,500 workers across 76 offices in Russia and continues to sell cigarettes in the country where it has operated for more than 30 years.

"BAT always complies with relevant regulation and legislation wherever we operate, and we are aligned with all international sanctions," a spokesperson told the BBC. "We continue to closely monitor the situation as it evolves."

Source: BBC News, 9 March 2022

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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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