Call on public to pledge to make more homes smokefree launches today

A new campaign to get smokers to take their habit outside and away from the home launches today across Wales.

The ‘Smokefree Homes’ campaign aims to raise awareness of the harms smoking inside the home causes to family members, children and pets.

Run by ASH Wales Cymru and supported by Community Housing Cymru Group, ‘Smokefree Homes’ will also provide one-to-one support and information for anyone wanting to make their home smokefree.

80% of cigarette smoke is invisible and can linger in the air, on furniture and on toys for 5 hours – even with windows and doors open. Children are more vulnerable to second-hand smoke because they have small airways and breathe faster, taking in more smoke-filled breaths.

To mark the beginning of this hard-hitting campaign, ASH Wales is asking people to pledge to make their homes smokefree, whether they smoke or not. One lucky entrant will be selected at random to win £100 in vouchers for their home.

Today also marks the launch of an online chat service on the Smokefree Homes website where anyone looking to stop smoking can talk to experts about finding the right way to quit for good.

Chief Executive of ASH Wales, Suzanne Cass, said,

“Making your home smokefree is a huge step forward in protecting everyone in your household, even pets, from poisonous, chemical-filled smoke. It’s a tragic fact that 40% of young people are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke in their family environment and that is why this campaign is here, to protect those young people from harm.”

“It’s not just the health aspect; smoking in the home is a huge fire risk with over 150 smoking-related fires in Welsh homes every year.”

Smoking rates in Wales fall for third year running

A newly-released survey which examines the health of people in Wales shows a 1% decrease in smoking rates to 19% compared to last year.

The annual Welsh Health Survey for 2015 shows on average 19% of adults currently smoke, compared to 20% in 2014. Smoking rates were highest among 25 to 34 year olds at 27% and men were more likely to smoke (21%) than women (18%).

For the first time e-cigarette use was included in the survey, which showed 6% of respondents currently use an e-cigarette, equating to 140,000 of the Welsh population. This is in-line with recent findings from a UK-wide survey which said 2.8 million Britons (6%) currently vape.

However, the survey also showed smoking rates in the most deprived areas was significantly greater than in the more affluent.  A total of 29% of those classed as ‘most deprived’ smoke, compared to just 11% of those classed as ‘least deprived’.  The survey showed smoking rates in the most deprived areas had remained static whilst there was a significant 2% fall in the numbers of people smoking from the most affluent areas.

For example, smoking rates in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire are as low as 16%, whereas in Blaenau Gwent 26% of residents smoke.

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales Cymru said,[/vc_column_text][mk_blockquote font_family=”none”]“It is great to see smoking rates gradually decreasing on average by 1% every year for the past 3 years after remaining stubbornly static from 2007 to 2012, decreasing by just 1% over the entire 6 years. No doubt this is partly due to the surge in e-cigarette use among those wanting to quit tobacco or reduce their harm.”

“It is clear from this survey, however, that much more progress is needed. The marked difference in smoking rates between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ is a real cause for concern. It is imperative that these communities are engaged and fully supported every step of their journey to becoming smokefree. They need tailored advice and, crucially, specific support to suit their circumstances.”

  • The survey carried out annually by the Welsh Government looks at health status, illnesses, lifestyle, health service use and the health of children and analysed data from more than 13,000 respondents.

ASH Wales’ response to the removal of e-cigarettes from the Public Health Bill

ASH Wales are pleased that the Welsh Government have responded positively to the evidence put before them and have abandoned plans to ban e-cigarettes in public places.

The evidence shows that e-cigarettes are being used as a cessation tool by a significant number of ex-smokers. It is important that e-cigarettes are properly regulated and are used for cessation purposes only, but the distinction between tobacco and e-cigarettes needs to be made clear. It is universally agreed that vaping is far less harmful that cigarettes, in fact according to Public Health England they are 95% less harmful. There is also no evidence to suggest the passive vapour from e-cigs is harmful to the health of bystanders.

ASH Wales is looking forward to supporting the revised Public Health Bill which contains some progressive tobacco control measures including the introduction of a tobacco retail register.

ASH England advisory: Notification of changes to tobacco packaging laws commencing 20th May 2016

From 20th May 2016 laws surrounding tobacco packaging will change. From this date all tobacco products manufactured for sale in the UK must comply with the new laws. There is a one year transitional period for the sell-through of old stock and from May 2017 all tobacco products on sale in the UK must comply with these regulations.

Under the new packaging and labelling regulations cigarettes and tobacco will no longer be sold in bright, glitzy packs, but in drab green packages. [To see the effects of attractive packaging see here for a short video produced by Cancer Research UK.]

They will have large graphic images on the front and back of the packets to highlight the health effects of smoking and health warnings must appear at the top of all packs. The new packaging rules are contained in two sets of regulations:

  1. Regulations requiring cigarettes sold in the UK to be in standardised “plain” packaging [1]
  2. The revised Tobacco Products Directive [2]

Standardised “Plain” Packaging Standardised or “plain” packaging is tobacco packaging that has had all the attractive features removed. In March 2015 MPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of introducing regulations to standardise the appearance of all tobacco packaging in the UK [3].
This includes:

  • The material, size, shape and opening mechanism of the packaging;
  • The colour of packaging and cigarettes;
  • The font, colour, size, case and alignment of text.

Tobacco Products Directive

The Tobacco Products Directive applies to all tobacco products manufactured and sold within EU member states. With regards to tobacco packaging the revised TPD will:

  • Require combined picture and text health warnings to cover 65% of the front and back of cigarette and roll-your-own tobacco packages. [4]
  • Require health warnings to appear at the top of the packet (as per the illustration).
  • Prohibit certain promotional and misleading descriptors on packaging of tobacco products such as “lite”, “natural” and “organic”.
  • Require that cigarettes are sold in packs of a minimum of 20 sticks and Hand Rolling Tobacco in a minimum of 30 gram packets.

The Tobacco Products Directive will also:

  • Prohibit cigarettes and roll-your-own tobacco with characterising flavours, for example, fruits, chocolate. Menthol tobacco will be prohibited from 20th May 2020.
  • Introduce EU-wide tracking and tracing to combat illicit trade of tobacco products. This will apply from 20th May 2019 for cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco and 20th May 2024 for all other tobacco products.
  • Electronic cigarettes – the TPD also includes a number of regulations regarding electronic cigarettes. For more information see the ASH briefing: The impact of the EU Tobacco Products Directive on e-cigarette regulation in the UK

[1] The Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations, 2015

[2] Revision of the Tobacco Products Directive, 2014

[3] Hansard. 11 Mar 2015: Column 379

[4] See here for the full picture library of combined health warnings. The Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016, consultation draft[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row]

ASH Wales Cymru’s response to the fall of the Public Health (Wales) Bill

ASH Wales Cymru is disappointed after the Public Health Bill fell at the last hurdle meaning robust tobacco control measures contained in the proposed legislation maybe lost.

One of the most powerful control measures outlined in the Bill was the creation of a national register of retailers of tobacco products. This would have made it easier for retailers to be identified and monitored – helping to tackle the problem of illegal sales of tobacco to underage young people in Wales.

The Bill would have also restricted smoking in public playgrounds, school grounds and hospital grounds – a move which ASH Wales has long campaigned for.  As of last week every local authority in Wales signed up to our voluntary smokefree playgrounds initiative, which demonstrates the support this new law would have had.

Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive of ASH Wales Cymru said: “We know that smoking is an addiction of childhood, a classroom full of children take up smoking every day in Wales. It is essential that any tobacco control measures tackle the issue of young people taking up smoking. The retail register would have been a fantastic opportunity to give enforcement agencies a clear idea of where tobacco is being sold legally and illegally. As we know illegal tobacco is a huge problem across Wales, especially as it makes tobacco more accessible to young people with its cheap prices and lack of age restrictions.”

With regards to e-cigarettes, this was not a tobacco-control measure. Suzanne Cass added: “We didn’t want would-be quitters to be deterred from using e-cigarettes because of restrictions created by the Bill. Due to the way the politics has played out we have now lost significant tobacco control measures that would have gone a long way to helping to tackle underage sales and illegal products.”

“E-cigarettes are still relatively new technology and must be monitored. We will continue to review the evidence on e-cigarettes and their effect on public health.

Contact:

Emily Cole – 029 2049 0621 – emily@ashwales.org.uk[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

ASH Wales Cymru Welcomes Tobacco Tax Increase

ASH Wales Cymru welcomes the UK Government’s announcement in today’s Budget to increase tax on cigarettes by 2% above inflation whilst also raising the tax on hand rolling tobacco to 5% above inflation.

Tax rises need to be heavily supported by investment in stop smoking services to assist those wanting to quit. Suzanne Cass, Chief Executive, ASH Wales, said: “By annually raising the taxes on tobacco, it creates a financial incentive not to smoke. This is especially important among young people who are the tobacco industry’s next generation of customers.”

There was no word on a levy on the tobacco industry to fund quit smoking services as called for by Cancer Research UK – a levy which could have raised £500 million pounds. Suzanne Cass continued, “Our youth project The Filter Wales has been delivering stop smoking and prevention services to young people across the country for three years. Demand for our services, especially for our cessation programme Commit to Quit, is high but funding is limited. We believe that funding for these prevention and cessation services should come from a direct levy on the tobacco industry instead of squeezing more resources out of a health service which is already under pressure.”

Any rise on taxes – whether it’s on the tobacco industry or on consumers – needs to be coupled with investment in tackling the serious issue of illegal tobacco.  The illegal tobacco market makes up 15% of all tobacco sales in Wales, the highest in the UK. These cheap products make it easier for children to start smoking, as it is sold at pocket money prices and by-pass age-restriction laws.

The Home Office is set to receive £31m to create a specialised group of border and intelligence officials who’ll intercept and seize illicit tobacco products, protecting over £100m of tax revenue over four years – a move supported by ASH Wales.