Global Tobacco Index: UK Fails to Regain Number One Position for Second Year Running

Credit: Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath

Overall, the UK has failed to make progress in preventing the tobacco industry from interfering in policy and legislation, according to the latest global rankings.

While the UK continues to compare favourably to many of the 79 other countries surveyed, there is still work to do to raise its performance to the level reported in 2019, when it ranked first.

Researchers found that the UK continued to offer tobacco companies opportunities to use so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes to open the door to government officials and policy makers, particularly in areas of significant public interest such as environmental pollution and COVID-19. Also of concern is the growing use of industry front groups, and the difficulty of identifying their role in lobbying and influencing policy.

The UK research, published today in the UK Tobacco Industry Interference Index (UKTI), was led by the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath in collaboration with Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), ASH Scotland, ASH Wales and Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

The UKTI forms part of the Global Tobacco Index (GTI), which, this year, ranks 80 countries based on how well they implement and comply with the obligations of a global health treaty, known as the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which prevents tobacco industry interference with governments.

The UK scored 32 out of a possible 100 – compared to 26 in 2019 – in the ranking where the lower the score, the better a country is faring.

The Index shows several key areas of concern in the UK:

  • tobacco companies conducting CSR activities via informal parliamentary groups and by lobbying. In the case of COVID-19, this was in response to direct requests from government
  • despite Foreign and Commonwealth Office guidelines to the contrary, UK diplomats engaging with the tobacco industry in low- and middle-income countries
  • a lack of transparency across government departments about their interactions with the tobacco industry, with inconsistent and insufficient requirements for reporting between different departments
  • no general requirement for the tobacco industry and affiliated entities to register with the government, which is of particular concern given the industry’s growing use of third parties

Dr Raouf Alebshehy, monitoring coordinator for the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath and the lead researcher for the UKTI, commented:

‘The UK’s policy-making system accepts stakeholders’ submissions in some instances, allowing tobacco companies to present opinions. In such cases, as a minimum, who said what must be clearly documented and made public. Submissions from the tobacco industry can’t be equated with submissions from health advocates. This is not a level playing field.’

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, said:

‘Yet again the annual Global Tobacco Index demonstrates that the UK is doing well by comparison with many other countries in preventing the tobacco industry from interfering in tobacco policy. However, more importantly, the specific UK Tobacco Industry Interference Index shines the spotlight on the areas where the UK can and should be doing better.’

Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland, said:

‘Tobacco is the single most damaging consumer product on the market, and the corporate multi-nationals who promote it and profit from it have long and well-documented track records of deceit and attempts to interfere with proposed public health measures. The Westminster and Holyrood Governments must up their game on transparency about tobacco industry funded attempts to influence public health policy, and reject any suggestion that the industry and its vested interests are valid health stakeholders or partners.’

Suzanne Cass, chief executive of ASH Wales, said:

‘Recent activities in Wales show that the tobacco industry is not beyond interference at a grassroots level. ASH Wales will be working to ensure any campaigns funded by the tobacco industry are not endorsed or supported by Welsh Government or its officials. As Wales embarks on a robust campaign to reduce demand and drive down illegal tobacco sales, it is imperative that the tobacco industry is not given the opportunity to interfere. The tobacco industry still holds significant swaying power: we must continuously ensure that this does not influence policy on a local or wider level.’

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said:

‘It’s disappointing to see that the UK has not managed to regain its leading position in preventing the tobacco industry from interfering in policy-making. Given the industry’s long history of subverting public policy for its own vested interests, we need our government to increase transparency, and ultimately limit interactions with these companies.

‘As highlighted by the recent takeover of Vectura by PMI, going forward it will also be essential for the government to step up its adherence to the WHO FCTC to ensure that Big Tobacco’s expansion into the health sector doesn’t permit it a seat at the policy-making table.’

Writing Credit: Dara O’Hare at the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath

Open Letter to Members of the Senedd: Japan Tobacco International

In early November 2021, we wrote an open letter to members of the Senedd, highlighting concerns with Japan Tobacco International (JTI) funding Welsh charities for PR campaigns claiming to target cigarette butt littering, in relation to Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), requiring governments to take measures to protect health policy “from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry”.

To view the full document, click HERE.

 

With Only Two Pay Days to Go, Quitting Smoking Could Pay for Christmas

As the festive countdown begins, Wales’ leading tobacco control charity, ASH Wales, is urging smokers to quit now and save over £500 for Christmas.

Latest figures from Help Me Quit, Wales’s NHS stop smoking service, show a 20 a-day smoker is now spending on average £280 a month on cigarettes, rising to £3,600 a year.

Research shows household finances in Wales have been hard hit by the pandemic with the Citizens Advice Bureau estimating a £73m arrears on household bills across Wales.

A UK-wide survey last year revealed that people in Wales spend £40 more than their UK counterparts on Christmas, with an average spend of £460 per household.

With just two pay days left before Christmas, ASH Wales CEO Suzanne Cass, said there has never been a better time to quit:

“Smokers often don’t think about how much money they spend on tobacco, quitting smoking is the single best thing you can do for your finances and your health.

‘Nearly 70% of smokers say they want to quit, we would say that now is the time to take action and save money and cover those extra Christmas costs.”

Covid has put long-term pressure on household finances, halting the amount spent on cigarettes can significantly reduce outgoings not just for Christmas, but in the long run.

Finance firm Aspen Waite Wales say monitoring outgoings is key to financial stability, David Scheeres, CEO of Aspen Waite Wales, said:

”Now, more than ever, we advise people to take a measured approach to their finances, especially while we recover from pandemic in the lead up to Christmas.

“Taking sensible steps to monitor expenditure is not only wise within the winter period, but also throughout the year. If you can improve your finances while also taking steps to improve your health: that can only be a good thing.”

Latest figures from the National Survey of Wales show that people who live in material deprivation are more than twice as likely to smoke as those that don’t (39% vs 15%).

Poorer people in Wales are not only more likely to smoke but can also expect to die around 9 years earlier than those from more affluent areas. Tobacco use is the single biggest cause of these inequalities accounting for more than half of the difference in the risk of premature death between social classes.

Smoking is the biggest cause of avoidable disease and early death in Wales, taking the lives of more than 5,000 people a year. It places a huge burden on an already overstretched NHS in Wales, costing the organisation around £302 million a year.

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References:

NHS Wales Help Me Quit Smoking Calculator: https://www.helpmequit.wales/cost/

Citizens Advice Bureau Report: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/CitizensAdvice/Wales/Coronavirus%20Debt%20Wales.pdf

UK-Wide Survey on Christmas Expenditure: https://www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk/life-and-living/explore/lifestyle/christmas-spending-2020/

National Survey for Wales:  National Survey for Wales: results viewer | GOV.WALES

 

For further information contact:

Simon Scheeres |Policy & Public Affairs Manager| simon@ashwales.org.uk | 07841 571 516|

Helping Pregnant Smokers To Quit The Habit

Across Wales 17% of mums-to-be smoke throughout their pregnancy, with  prevalence  highest among pregnant 16 to 19-year-olds at 35%.

Jodie Foran is a Maternity Care Assistant based at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff who specialises in supporting pregnant women to quit smoking. She told us about the women she works with and the challenges they overcome to quit the habit. 

How did you come to work in your current role?

 I was working as a band 2 HCSW on the postnatal ward at the Heath hospital part time doing mostly night shifts. The job was advertised for a band 3 full time position for a Maternity care assistant specifically for Smoking Cessation. Most of my experience and training has been centred around supporting new parents with feeding their babies which at times has included motivational interview skills to help them achieve their goals. I applied for the position because I was looking for a new challenge and an opportunity to progress in my job.

Can you tell us about the women you work with?

Every woman I work with is either a smoker, lives with a smoker or may have recently quit smoking but still requires ongoing support to stay quit. So far since January 21 the percentage of smokers at booking is roughly 8.4%

Generally the people I work with are aware that smoking can cause harm during pregnancy and to the health of their baby but it’s also very apparent that they don’t always have the correct information on the subject. I often hear things that have been ‘heard’ from friends and family members that have smoked during pregnancy but had no problems, old wives tales that play down the effects, research conducted on the internet and misinterpreted information.

Why, in your experience, do many of them find it challenging to quit smoking during pregnancy?

 I hear many different reasons why people find it so difficult to quit smoking during pregnancy. Addiction is the driving factor for most as this doesn’t change when you find out you’re pregnant. For some it then causes further concern because they’re under more pressure to try and beat it under a time constraint. Stress, mental health problems, day to day pressures, problems in the home life, relationship difficulties, habit, fear of losing a coping mechanism, fear of losing friends or family members if they need to stay away from other smokers, fear of losing part of their identity or gaining weight are all very common things I hear very often.

How do you encourage them to think about quitting smoking?

 I provide them with the correct information and suggest other ways of replacing those things they fear losing. I try to have an informal chat about their experiences and their smoking habits and work with them to make a plan going forward. Some people are ready to quit and are eager to get any help that’s offered and others need a bit more time and support to think about the pathway that will work best for them in their day to day life.

What support do you offer them to quit smoking?

I mostly support people over the phone, by text or WhatsApp but I’m also able to arrange to see them face to face at their antenatal appointments. I get a list of people interested in having a chat about smoking sent to me electronically every Monday via email. I’m based in antenatal clinic most days so am often asked to see patients during an appointment and I also have referrals sent by my colleagues as and when they come across someone who would like some help. I’m available to be contacted Monday to Friday 9-5 but I often answer texts and calls outside of those hours to try to fit in as best I can with busy lives.

I work in the hospital but am also part of the team at Help Me Quit Wales so can complete a referral with them for anyone who would like to try a structured quit attempt.

What differences do you see in women when they have successfully quit smoking in pregnancy?

First of all I tend to notice the pride and confidence they feel in themselves, I think taking on and beating something like an addiction is so powerful and gives a huge sense of empowerment to the individual. A lot of people really want to quit but doubt their ability, so start off believing they probably won’t achieve what they set out, so when they do, it opens up so many feelings.

One of the first women I supported was a smoker for over 10 years and told me she never thought she could do it and after not going a day without a cigarette in all that time she described her achievement as a dream come true.

I’ve also noticed that those who’ve managed to successfully quit are keen to help and encourage others to do the same. A great example of that was meeting a patient at an appointment, I had previously had trouble trying to get her to engage with any services and it turns out it was because she had been a smoker for such a long time and believed she was too far in her pregnancy for it to make any difference. A colleague of mine was also present at the appointment and happened to be an ex-smoker of over 30 years so I encouraged her to join the conversation and as a result of our time together the patient was inspired to show anyone who ever doubted her that she could also do the same. She was so grateful for a ‘real life’ example of what can be achieved with the right support and information.

What aspects of your role do you find most rewarding and most challenging?

I would describe all parts of my job as rewarding because everything I do is with a view to making a positive difference to someone else’s life. My favourite part is empowering people to believe in themselves and help them to discover strengths they didn’t realise they had, showing them that self belief, although hard to find at times, is one of the most effective tools we all have.

Of course it isn’t all positive so I do come across many challenges on a daily basis. It can be very hard to engage people in any conversation about them making such a huge decision like giving up smoking. People often assume that I’m going to lecture them or tell them what they should and shouldn’t be doing so I spend a lot of time reassuring and explaining what I do and what I can help with in a friendly and informal way.

 A huge factor I find challenging with regards to engaging people  is mental health difficulties. A lot of self doubt and low confidence in the people I support is as a result of this and that can mean they find it difficult to even talk on the phone never mind have face to face conversation. I’ve adapted the service to accommodate texting and WhatsApp messaging to try to give them another way they might feel more comfortable and as a result of this I do have some people I only talk to in this way.

A million illegal cigarettes seized across Wales in major crackdown

A MILLION illegal cigarettes with a street value of more than £200,000 have been seized in Wales as part of a major crackdown on the country’s illegal tobacco trade.

The milestone was hit by Welsh Trading Standards Teams taking part in Operation CeCe, an ongoing National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with Her Majesties Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to tackle illegal tobacco.

They say the haul seized during raids carried out across Wales, which includes 1,039,046 cigarettes and 3,377.6 pouches of hand-rolling tobacco, has a total street value of £286,782.30 – money that would otherwise have been in the pockets of criminal gangs.

Many of the cigarettes seized would have ended up in the hands of children and young people in Wales’ poorest communities which are targeted by criminals selling illegal tobacco. Evidence has been found of illegal tobacco supplies in 17 out of 22 local authority areas in Wales and seizures have taken place in 12 areas so far.

Helen Picton, Chair of Trading Standards Wales, said: “The trade in illegal tobacco creates a cheap source for tobacco for children and young people. It also undermines all of the good work being done to stop people smoking and the illegal tobacco trade more often than not has strong links to criminal activity.”

In Wales, 8% of 15 and 16-year-olds still smoke on a regular basis – a figure that has not fallen since 2013. Around 6,000 children in Wales take up smoking every year and three out of four of those children will go on to be long-term smokers.

Smoking is an addiction that begins in childhood, a recent ASH Wales survey found that 76% of smokers in Wales tried their first cigarette before the age of 18.

Suzanne Cass, CEO of ASH Wales, said: “For many children, buying their first pack of illegal cigarettes will be the start of a lifelong addiction that will destroy their health, lead them into poverty and eventually kill them.

“Stamping out this deadly trade is an essential part of reducing Wales’ smoking prevalence which currently stands at 18% of the adult population and leads to more than 5,000 deaths every year.

“We welcome any action that is taken to remove illegal tobacco from our communities and hope that this will continue to form part of any strategy to address Wales’ health inequalities.”

Since the launch of the crackdown in January 2021 Trading Standards and HMRC have been gathering intelligence on criminal tobacco gangs and are planning more raids across Wales in the next few months.

“We need to keep tobacco out of the hands of children, cheap tobacco products make it easier for children to start smoking, as it is sold at pocket money prices by criminals who don’t care about age-restriction laws,” said Helen Picton.

Lord Toby Harris, Chair of National Trading Standards, said: “The trade in illegal tobacco harms local communities and affects honest businesses operating within the law. The National Trading Standards initiative in partnership with HRMC is playing a significant role in disrupting this illicit trade and is helping to take illegal tobacco products off the streets.”

Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Lynne Neagle said: “We are committed to stamping out the sale and use of illegal tobacco. It’s availability makes it easier for children to start smoking, harder for those who want to stop smoking and brings criminality into local communities.

“Operation CeCe has led to the biggest crackdown on illegal tobacco in Wales since devolution. We support the on-going work of HMRC and trading standards Wales. We will shortly be launching an illegal tobacco campaign to raise public awareness and encourage reporting of illegal tobacco.”

If you think that someone is selling illegal tobacco call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit http://crimestoppers-uk.org and tell them what you know. Your information can help keep your community safe and healthy.

If you want to quit smoking, contact Help Me Quit on freephone 0800 085 2219 or visit https://www.helpmequit.wales/

Evidence was found during the raids of cigarettes being sold individually. The sale of unpackaged cigarettes has been illegal since 1991 under the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act.

The average price of the cigarettes being sold was found to be £5 a packet and a pouch of hand rolling tobacco was sold at £8 for 50g. These prices are approximately half the cost of legal tobacco products.

Campaigners call for smoking ban in Welsh beer gardens

ASH Wales is calling for Welsh Government to protect children’s health by banning smoking in Welsh beer gardens.

It wants legislation that came into force in March banning smoking in the grounds of schools, hospitals and in playgrounds, to be extended to the outdoor seating areas of pubs, bars and restaurants.

The proposal has been backed by Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Sally Holland, who said extending the regulations to areas where families gather, such as beer gardens, would further de-normalise smoking in the eyes of children, making them less likely to take up the habit themselves and protecting them from the harms of second-hand smoke.

Five local authorities in England have banned smoking in the pavement seating areas of pubs, cafes and restaurants and Oxfordshire is to become the first county in England to completely ban smoking outside bars and restaurants.

There is strong public support for a similar ban in Wales with 63% of adults in Wales in favour of the proposal, according to ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) Wales’ YouGov survey.

Suzanne Cass, CEO of ASH Wales said: “Welsh Government has shown a really strong commitment to tackling smoking prevalence in Wales by becoming the first UK nation to ban smoking in school and hospital grounds and in children’s playgrounds.

“We believe it should now listen to the people of Wales and extend that ban to outdoor seating areas such as beer gardens where young people and families with children gather. This is particularly important in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic when many more people choose to sit outdoors when possible and smokers and non-smokers find themselves sitting alongside each other.

“It is really important to do all we can to ensure children are not exposed to the sight of adults smoking in everyday settings. 81% of adults in Wales were under 18 when they tried their first cigarette. By de-normalising smoking we hope to prevent many more from being caught in the grip of this deadly addiction.”

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Sally Holland, said extending the ban to outdoor seating areas of pubs, restaurants and cafes would both protect children’s health and take Wales a step further to becoming a smoke-free nation.

“All children have the right under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to be kept safe from activity which harms their health and development; this includes both guarding against the direct negative health impact of second-hand smoke, and the preventative role of de-normalising smoking so that children are not exposed to this harmful practice at all in their daily lives.

“In order to achieve our collective ambition of a smoke-free Wales, young people should never see smoking as a positive option. Extending the existing regulations to include the outdoor seating areas of pubs, cafes and restaurants would take us another step towards this goal.”

Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Lynne Neagle said Welsh Government’s long-term goal is to make more public spaces in Wales smoke-free:

“The Welsh Government is taking action to reduce the health impacts of smoking and we intend to build upon the measures we introduced on 1st March 2021 which made hospital grounds, school grounds, public playgrounds and outdoor areas of childcare settings smoke-free.

“We are committed to our longer-term goal of making more of Wales’ public spaces smoke-free, in helping people to make positive changes to their health and wellbeing and to supporting our aim of a smoke-free Wales.”

ASH Wales CEO Suzanne Cass went on to say that any further legislation to create smoke free spaces in Wales must be supported by robust smoking cessation support to ensure smokers can access the help they need to quit. ASH Wales is calling for increased funding to provide targeted smoking cessation support in areas of Wales where smoking prevalence is highest and for smoking cessation support to be offered to all smokers admitted to hospitals in Wales.

Currently in Wales youth smoking prevalence remains stubbornly high with around 6,000 children taking up the habit every year and 8% of 15 to 16-year-olds smoking regularly – a figure that has not changed since 2013.