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** 30 May 2022
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** UK
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** Tobacco firms lobbied politicians in Scotland in ‘breach of WHO treaty’ (#1)
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** Illegal tobacco worth £250k seized from Blackpool shops (#2)
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** Cheshire East considering paying people to quit smoking (#3)
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** Royal Bolton Hospital: CURE Project team aims to help smokers quit (#4)
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** Paisley man is calling for action to stop children smoking (#5)
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** International
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** Tobacco leaves more than 8,000 tonne waste trail in Tamil Nadu (#6)
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** UK
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** Reports claim that Scottish politicians, including ministers, have been routinely lobbied by the world’s biggest cigarette firms in breach of a treaty to protect public health policy from interference by the tobacco industry.

MSPs were courted on 30 occasions in the past four years by Imperial Brands, Japan Tobacco International, Philip Morris and British American Tobacco, who used their access largely to promote the benefits of vaping. The most senior member of government to be lobbied was Ivan McKee, the trade minister, who met with Imperial on two occasions in 2018.

Dr Raouf Alebshehy, a public health consultant at the University of Bath, said the lobbying was a “clear violation” of a World Health Organisation (WHO) treaty that the UK and Scottish governments signed up to more than a decade ago. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control aims to protect public health policies from the “commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry.”

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said it was “outrageous” that tobacco companies and their allies sought to present themselves “as health stakeholders in attempts to influence members of the Scottish parliament […] The Scottish government and Scottish parliament should send a loud and clear message to tobacco companies that the doors to our democratic institutions are firmly closed to any future attempts to impede progressive health policy-making.”

Source: The Times, 28 May 2022

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Illegal cigarettes worth £250,000 have been seized by Trading Standards in Blackpool, the council has said.

The operation, part funded by National Trading Standards and HMRC, targeted retailers in the Blackpool area, increasing visits to shops from 20 a year to 80 during the last two months. Officers uncovered hidden tobacco even when retailers had gone to extreme lengths to keep it concealed. In one premises a legitimate looking electrical panel was installed to cover the hoard.

Councillor Neal Brookes said "I am delighted that this targeted approach has shown such impressive results."

Source: BBC, 28 May 2022

See also: Blackpool Tobacco Seizure ([link removed])
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According to the council, approximately 10.5% of people in the borough and 10.8% of pregnant women smoke tobacco. The council is considering introducing a pilot scheme whereby the general population would be offered up to £200 to quit and pregnant women, £400.

A report due to be considered at Monday’s meeting of the adults and health committee states: “There is robust evidence that financial incentives increase smoking quit rates. Evidence shows that people are around 50 per cent more likely to quit with incentives; furthermore, in pregnant women specifically, the likelihood of quitting is doubled.”

The report states: “The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) estimates that for every £1 invested in smoking cessation, £10 is saved in future health care costs.”

The report states smoking rates in Cheshire East are similar to the national average overall but are highly variable across the borough, with several wards in the Crewe and Macclesfield area facing significantly higher than average rates of young smokers and deaths from respiratory diseases.

According to the report a budget of £116,500 is proposed - £95,000 from the ring-fenced public health grant and £21,500 from the Champs Public Health Collaborative. The committee will produce a formal decision report to its next meeting in July on whether this, or an alternative option, should go ahead.

Source: Knutsford Guardian, 27 May 2022

See also: The Sun - Council to PAY smokers £400 to quit cigarettes in potential national blueprint ([link removed])
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A new dedicated team has been set up at Royal Bolton Hospital to help patients give up smoking.

The new CURE Project team will work with every patient who smokes and wants to give up providing specialist support, with evidence showing that entering hospital is one of the most effective times to help smokers quit.

This will include the offer of prescribed nicotine replacements, motivational interviewing or behavioural change support, and follow up support once they have been discharged from the hospital to ensure people have the best chance of staying smokefree.

Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has been supported with funding from the Greater Manchester-wide CURE project to reintroduce this service.

Source: Bolton News, 29 May 2022
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Paisley man Andrew Doyle said he was impressed to see signs installed at playparks in Greenock on a recent visit there. The signs read, ‘Young Lungs at Play’ and Andrew said he’d be keen to see something similar at playparks across Renfrewshire to help reinforce smokefree messaging.

Doyle said: “I’m not anti-smoking, I’m an ex-smoker myself. But I don’t want children to make the same mistakes as myself and others […] I’m suffering the consequences of smoking now with my health.”

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said they were looking into installing signs by Play Scotland to discourage smoking near playparks.

Source: Daily Record, 28 May 2022
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** International
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A new study has found the annual waste of all tobacco products in Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, equates to an estimated 8,238 tonnes. Of this, cigarettes generated 4,039 tonnes of annual waste, bidis (small, low-cost hand-rolled cigarettes) accounted for 606 tonnes and smokeless tobacco accounted for 3,592 tonnes waste.

The cross-sectional survey study by Mary Anne Charity Trust (MACT) India and The Union organisation finds that alongside the long-established health concerns, tobacco use is also an environmental burden due to product waste.

MACT founder S Cyril Alexander said, "Our recommendations to the government is that the use of plastic in packaging tobacco products should be banned. Manufacturing companies should be responsible for removing waste products or the government should collect money from them for clearing the waste."

Source: New Indian Express, 30 May 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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