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** 14 April 2022
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** UK
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** Outrage over £100m weight management funding cut (#1)
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** Revealed: the 50 councils getting extra drugs strategy funding (#2)
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** New research calls to scrap the smoking prevention/cessation binary when addressing tobacco use among young adults (#3)
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** International
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** US pushes UN to cut North Korea oil imports, ban tobacco, blacklist Lazarus hackers (#4)
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** Parliamentary Activity
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** Parliamentary questions (#5)
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** Links of the Week
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** HEE Respiratory Disease Toolkit (#6)
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** OHID: Extra funding for drug and alcohol treatment, 2022 to 2023 (#7)
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** DHSC: Mental health and wellbeing plan discussion paper and call for evidence (#8)
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** UK
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** Outrage over £100m weight management funding cut
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** The Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) has blamed Covid cost pressures for its controversial decision to cut £100m funding for tackling obesity.

The announcement in LGC on the 11th April has sparked growing anger among local government leaders with fears it will lead to the closure of weight management programmes.

DHSC responded later that day to LGC’s request for comment. The cut is thought to be linked to a row between DHSC and the Treasury over which department would continue to fund Covid measures, with DHSC losing the battle.

Professor Jim McManus, president of the Association of Directors of Public Health, described the government's “last minute” decision not to extend the funding as “deeply disappointing”.

He said: “The link between excess weight and Covid-19 severity is clear and provides renewed impetus to address the challenge.”

“Directors of public health are deeply concerned that planned services will have to be cut or savings found elsewhere from extremely stretched public health budgets, limiting access for those who need support and exacerbating pressures on the wider health and social care system.”

A spokesperson for DHSC said: “Obesity remains a government priority and we will continue working with local authorities and the NHS to help people live longer, healthier lives.”

Source: LGC, 12 April 2022
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** Revealed: the 50 councils getting extra drugs strategy funding
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**
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced the 50 local authorities to receive significantly more funding under the government’s new drugs strategy.

All councils in England are to receive a share of the DHSC’s £780m investment to regenerate the country’s drug treatment and recovery system. This includes 50 of the most deprived areas in England that will receive a greater share of the funding in 2022-2023.

The DHSC’s drugs strategy includes the ambition to prevent almost 1,000 drug-related deaths, deliver 54,000 new high-quality treatment places and prevent a quarter of a million crimes.

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said: “This is a significant step in our commitment to rebuild the drug treatment system, save lives, and level up the country. We’re investing a record amount in treatment services and ensuring some of the most deprived areas in England are first in line for this funding, to support the most vulnerable by cutting drug use.”

Source: LGC, 13 April 2022
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** New research calls to scrap the smoking prevention/cessation binary when addressing tobacco use among young adults
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** A complex array of smoking behaviours and identities among young adults explains why public health initiatives around smoking prevention and cessation are not always effective for this age group, according to research led by Dr. Ria Poole at the University of Exeter.

Legislation has been a key driver to reducing smoking uptake (in the UK the minimum age to purchase tobacco was raised from 16 to 18 in 2007), but there are still many young adults who start and continue to smoke. In the UK, data shows that 32% of current and former smokers aged 16–24 started when they were 16 or 17 years old, during the turbulent years of transitioning from youth into young adulthood.

Poole’s study found that many young adults reported smoking more when drinking alcohol and to facilitate new relationships, peer interaction and increase social status. For those with already stigmatised identities (Black women, women of colour and LGBTQ+ people) tobacco was used as a coping mechanism to deal with stress and as an act of resistance. She also found that unrealistic self-management attitudes and behaviours led to smoking initiation and maintenance due to young adults' not identifying with addiction and anticipating that they would be able to quit in the future using willpower alone.

Poole concludes, “Public health messaging around smoking prevention and smoking cessation presents a binary that doesn't resonate with or serve the majority of young adults […] By taking a harm reduction approach and using creative techniques and platforms such as social media to engage young adults in the conversation around tobacco, we can increase awareness and momentum around the issue and help make smoking a trend of the past. The UK is moving towards a 'Smokefree 2030' so this research presents timely support for this.”

Source: Medical Xpress, 13 April 2022
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** See also: Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy - Tobacco use, smoking identities and pathways into and out of smoking among young adults: a meta-ethnography ([link removed])
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Read Article ([link removed])


** International
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** US pushes UN to cut North Korea oil imports, ban tobacco, blacklist Lazarus hackers

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** The United States is pushing the UN Security Council to further sanction North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches by banning tobacco and halving oil exports to the country and blacklisting the Lazarus hacking group, according to a draft resolution reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday.

The United States circulated the draft to the 15 council members this week. It was not immediately clear if or when it could be put to a vote. A resolution needs nine "yes" votes and no vetoes by Russia, China, France, Britain or the United States.

Russia and China have already signalled opposition to strengthening sanctions in response to Pyongyang's launch last month of an intercontinental ballistic missile - it's first since 2017.

U.S. special envoy on North Korea, Sung Kim, told reporters last week that the United States had discussed the draft U.N. text with China and Russia, but "unfortunately, I cannot report that we have had productive discussions with them thus far”.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is known as a chain smoker - frequently seen with a cigarette in hand in photographs in state media - and the draft resolution would ban exports to North Korea of tobacco and manufactured tobacco.

Source: International Business Times, 14 April 2022
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** Parliamentary Activity
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** Parliamentary Questions

PQs 1&2 Oral Tobacco
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**
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** Asked by Lord Jones, Liberal Democrat, Cheltenham

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 24 March (HL6032) which stated that “the Department does not hold data showing the carcinogen levels of snus or other smokeless tobacco products”, whether they are aware of the analysis of carcinogen levels in smokeless tobacco products published in Tobacco Control Levels of toxins in oral tobacco products in the UK, in 2006; and if so, what assessment they have made of this analysis.

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 24 March (HL6032), whether they have conducted analysis of the toxicity levels of (1) nicotine pouches, (2) South Asian chewed tobacco, and (3) snus.

Answered by Lord Kamall, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Technology, Innovation and Life Sciences)

The Department has not conducted its own independent analysis on the toxicity levels of nicotine pouches, South Asian chewed tobacco or snus but monitors the evidence on these products. Whilst the notification of tobacco products, including South Asian smokeless products, is required under the Tobacco and Related Product Regulations 2016, we do not routinely test notified products other than as required as the Competent Authority for tobacco and herbal products for smoking.

The Committee on Toxicity of Food, Consumer Products and the Environment is considering the toxicological risks of tobacco-free oral nicotine pouches and it will publish a position statement once completed.

We are aware of the article published in 2006 on the levels of toxins in oral tobacco products in the United Kingdom. Whilst the risks of adverse health outcomes caused by snus are far lower than smoking, snus is banned in the UK. The Government has no plans to introduce additional tobacco products to the UK market, as safer nicotine delivery products are currently available for smokers. There is evidence that snus is associated with risk of adverse health effects and higher all-cause mortality.

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** Source: Hansard, 30 March 2022
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PQ1 Transcript ([link removed])
PQ2 Transcript ([link removed])


** Links of the Week
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** HEE Respiratory Disease Toolkit

Health Education England has developed a new Respiratory Disease Toolkit to provide health and social care professionals and multi-disciplinary teams with a comprehensive list of available resources that can be used to support respiratory workforce upskilling, training and development.

Available in the Respiratory Disease e-learning programme, the toolkit offers an extensive list of credible and helpful resources relating to the prevention and management of respiratory conditions, from symptom onset to ongoing care, including early detection and diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
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**
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** OHID: Extra funding for drug and alcohol treatment, 2022 to 2023

This information provides a breakdown of the extra funding received by all local councils in England for the year 2022 to 2023 to help them improve their drug and alcohol treatment and recovery systems. This includes the new funding previously announced as part of the drug strategy, as well as additional money being provided to local authorities as part of Project ADDER.
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** DHSC: Mental health and wellbeing plan discussion paper and call for evidence

DHSC are launching a discussion paper and call for evidence to help develop the new cross-government, 10-year plan for mental health and wellbeing for England. The call for evidence closes at 11.45pm on 5 July 2022.

The discussion paper is asking for evidence surrounding promotion, prevention and intervention for mental health and wellbeing.

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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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