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Queen’s Speech confirms levelling up bill
The government will table a new levelling up bill which will focus on “empowering local leaders”, the Queen’s Speech has confirmed.
Highlighting the government's legislative plans, the Prince of Wales said: “A bill will be brought forward to drive local growth, empowering local leaders to regenerate their areas and ensuring everyone can share in the United Kingdom’s success.”
The bill is likely to be put before Parliament later in the year and is set to include several measures laid out in February’s levelling up white paper, such as the devolution framework allowing every area of England that wants one to obtain a devolution deal and the creation of 55 new education investment areas.
It was also announced that the planning system is to be reformed, “to give residents more involvement in local development”.
LGC, 10 May 2022
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Philip Morris International nears $16bn deal for Swedish Match
Philip Morris International (PMI) is nearing a deal to acquire European rival Swedish Match for about $16bn including debt, as the tobacco group bets on the rapidly growing market for cigarette alternatives. A deal could be announced in the next few days and would mark PMI’s biggest consolidation move since abortive merger talks with Altria in 2019, according to people close to the discussions.
Swedish Match and PMI both put out statements confirming the takeover talks on Monday afternoon, saying there could be no certainty that an offer would be made.
The Stockholm-based tobacco group is a leader in “snus”, or oral nicotine pouches, that originated in Sweden but have in recent years grown increasingly popular outside the Scandinavian countries.
Analysts at research firm, Bernstein, said there was a “high probability” the deal would close, citing a history of close collaboration between the two companies including a joint venture for snus outside of Scandinavia.
Source: Financial Times, 9 May 2022
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Europe: Tobacco use in prisons - a neglected public health issue
Among all psychoactive substances, tobacco is the most widely used by people living in prisons. Studies conducted in the WHO European Region countries show that tobacco use prevalence rates can be as high as 90% among men and 85% among women. At the same time, smoking is the least addressed health risk in prisons compared to other types of substance abuse.
While a remarkable decline in smoking rates has been observed in the general population where tobacco control policies are being implemented, no comparable changes have occurred in prison settings. In addition to the high prevalence of tobacco smoking, exposure to second-hand smoke (SHS) is common in prison settings, as people spend most of their time indoors or in compounds with poor ventilation systems.
Some efforts have been made across the Region to address an elevated probability of being exposed to SHS, with 25 countries reporting an availability of so-called smoke-free cells in prisons. While such isolated measures can bring an improvement in air quality, they remain insufficient, as they do not adequately protect from the harms of SHS. These include an increased risk of heart disease and lung cancer, by 20% to 30%, among non-smokers.
Full implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, deeper collaboration with prison services, and a better integration of tobacco control measures in the priorities of custodial authorities are required for ensuring the health and well-being of those living in prison facilities and that they are not left behind in the battle against tobacco.
Source: WHO News, 10 May 2022
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Study: New brain stimulation treatments help people quit smoking
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) may improve smoking abstinence rates 3 to 6 months after quitting, according to a new systematic review published in the scientific journal Addiction.
NIBS has emerged as a new therapeutic option for alcohol use disorder and other substance-related and addictive disorders in recent years. Although NIBS methods have shown promising results in the treatment of tobacco use disorder, little is known about its effectiveness on long-term abstinence.
Researchers from the University Hospital of Dijon, in France, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effectiveness of NIBS for long-term smoking cessation. Seven studies were included, yielding 699 patients in total.
Smokers who received NIBS had a 2.39 times higher likelihood of long-term smoking abstinence than smokers who received sham NIBS. The risk ratio was higher when looking at different types of NIBS or stimulation of specific parts of the brain. A high risk of bias was found in 4 included studies.
Lead author Dr. Benjamin Petit says, “While our review appears modest […] we feel confident in suggesting that NIBS is a technique of interest for both short-term and sustained smoking cessation. In addition, we identified several scientific trials currently underway in this particular field. In the near future, NIBS might be recognized as a promising new option for assisting individuals who wish to stop smoking.”
Source: SciTech Daily, 9 May 2022
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