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.

Smoking from 1920s to the 21st century

If you’ve seen the films the Great Gatsby, Breakfast at Tiffany’s or even Grease, you’ll notice that they all have iconic images of smoking which are portrayed as seductive, trendy or fashionable.

Compare this old history of smoking to the films of today with the likes of Bridget Jones and we can see how over the years our perception of smoking cigarettes has transformed from glamour chic to tragic spinster.

It’s not just films that have portrayed the change in the opinion of smoking. Everywhere we look we are now faced with new facts and statistics that tell us that smoking causes bad teeth, bad skin, bad hair, bad breath, impotency not to mention what it’s doing to your internal organs. The history of smoking does not seem so seductive anymore!

So why is it that the opinion of smoking has changed so drastically over the years?

The facts are that back when no one actually knew the facts, smoking was just a harmless and social thing to do.

Over the years however, with research revealing more and more information on the major health risks, our opinion of smoking has gone from being just ‘harmless’ to being a very harmful killer.

WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE SAYING?

But forget the facts for a second, what are the people saying? What do you overhear people saying everyday? Stop – listen – think.

In eighty years smoking has gone from seductive and chic to a known killer – and with two thirds of current smokers saying that they would like to quit, it’s still on the decline!

By Eloise, intern

Help your friend to quit smoking

DOES YOUR FRIEND WANT TO QUIT SMOKING? DO YOU WANT TO HELP AND SUPPORT THEM?

1. Keep It Positive

If your friend has decided to quit smoking, that’s a big deal but it might be scary for them. If you want to help a friend to quit smoking, you should stay positive. When you’re chatting, this isn’t the time to mention lung cancer and wrinkles. Instead, be encouraging.

Don’t say: “You better quit or you’ll get cancer.”

Do say: “Yeah! You can do it!

2. Get Knowledgeable

There are loads of benefits to quitting smoking, like within just a few hours of that last cigarette, their blood pressure returns to normal. After a few days, the last of the addictive nicotine and nasty carbon monoxide will have left their body. A few months after quitting, your mate’s lung function will return to normal and they’ll find things like sport and exercise easier. You can find out more about the timeline of quitting here.

Don’t say: “Your breath still stinks, mind.”

Do say: “Think how great you’re going to feel when you’re done with quitting!

3. Remember Their Reasons

Everyone has a different reason for wanting to quit. It could be that your mate wants to save some money, they may know someone who’s got sick or died from smoking or they may want to feel healthier. If you know their reason, you can help a friend to quit by remembering them when they’re finding it difficult. There are loads of great ways to remind your mate without droning on, like making them a card with their list of reasons on, or sending them some motivational pictures on WhatsApp.

Don’t say: “What’s the point of quitting anyway?”

Do say: “You can do this – you’ve saved like £300 already, that’s awesome!”

4. Distract Them

One of the hardest things about quitting smoking is getting through those cigarette cravings. Your mate might be feeling stressed, fidgety or restless. This is because nicotine changes the chemicals in a smoker’s brain and makes them want more nicotine. The best way to get through the cravings is to do something else, so you can really help your friend by distracting them with another activity or even just a chat.

Don’t say: “Oh shut up and get over it.”

Do say: “Let’s go do something fun!”

5. Celebrate

Even a few weeks or months after they quit, your friend could still be getting cravings, or still miss smoking sometimes. As well as keeping positive about the benefits of quitting, it’s really important to celebrate and congratulate your mate on their achievement – quitting smoking.

Don’t say: “It’s been three months, no-one cares anymore.”

Do say: “Wow, you’ve been quit three months! You’re doing so great!

6. GET ADVICE AND SUPPORT

Your friend will be grateful for all your help, but if they want to talk to someone else, or if you have any questions about smoking or about how to help a friend to quit smoking, leave us a message on our Facebook or Instagram. Your friend can also get free stop smoking support with Help Me Quit