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Davao City smoking ban gains world recognition 

The city government's stiff campaign against smoking here has gained global recognition for its commitment to promote smoke-free policies.

This, as the Global Smoke-free Partnership (GSP) recently announced its winners for this year, with the Davao City Anti-Smoking Task Force winning in the governmental body category.

In a statement sent to Manila Bulletin on Thursday through fax, GSP said the city's anti-smoking task force came out on top for its "exceptional leadership and commitment to further smoke-free policies by a governmental agency."

GSP is an international organization formed to promote effective smoke-free air policies worldwide. The partnership is a fusion of American Cancer Society and the Framework Convention Alliance to bring the World Hearth Federation and International Union Against Cancer and other organizations to advocate for and reinforce anti-tobacco policies.

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• Front of store, front of mind – but for WHO? 

Where, in an acutely sensitive regulatory environment, should the tobacco category be positioned in a duty free store?

When The Nuance Group opened its splendid new 650sq m tax & duty free store at Geneva International Airport earlier this month, it opted to place the entire tobacco category at the entrance of the store – displayed in what Nuance called a “breathtaking black and white setting”.

The logic is obvious. As many studies have proven, tobacco is not just a major drawcard in most duty free stores, it is also a tremendous fooftall (and therefore penetration) driver for other categories.

In Geneva that’s especially the case. The airport’s cigar assortment has long been a hallmark of the retail offer (it has been considerably enhanced here) and the cigarettes category is particularly important to the Geneva passenger profile.

But one wonders how that positioning sits with the approach likely to be adopted in English and Scottish duty free stores, where travel retailers have sought an exemption from proposed tobacco display restrictions that are being touted under the Health Bill. . . .

As we reported recently, The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Display) (England) Regulations 2010 propose wide-ranging limitations on the display and merchandising of tobacco products.

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• Thai Protests at Global Tobacco Industry Conference 

Thailand may have a reputation for indulging visitors in their various vices, but smoking is no longer one of them. On Tuesday, more than 600 fired-up protesters invaded a convention center in Bangkok in an attempt to smoke out representatives of the global tobacco industry, who were holding a conference in a country with some of the strictest tobacco controls in Asia.

"They've come here because they want to target women and children in Asia with products that kill," says Bangorn Ritthiphakdee, director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, a civil-society group, referring to attendees of Tabinfo 2009, a three-day conference organized by Tobacco Reporter, a U.S.-based magazine. "Their presence is a nightmare. We came to tell them they are not welcome here." (Watch a video about France's smoking ban.)

The tobacco industry sees Asia as its most promising market, says Bangorn. Though Thailand has strict controls on smoking in public places and bans advertising of tobacco products, more than 14 million of its 65 million people are smokers. In Southeast Asia, 125 million -- or 31% of adults -- smoke, and China alone has some 350 million smokers. The alliance claims that 2.4 million people in Asia die each year from tobacco-related causes, the equivalent of 6,575 people a day.

Billed as "the biggest tobacco exhibition in Asia," Tabinfo 2009 has been years in the making. Nonetheless, the meeting apparently caught Thailand's government by surprise.

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Cigarette Smuggling Case Discussed in January  

A decision on possible court proceedings against a group of nationals from Montenegro, Italy and Serbia on their alleged involvement in an international cigarettes smuggling ring will be discussed in January, a court in Bari, Italy, decided.

According to local media, the decision on possible court proceedings will be determined on 18 January.

They are accused of being involved in cigarette smuggling between 1994 and 2000, and the list includes seven Italians, five Montenegrins and two Serbs, broadcaster RTS reports.

The trial began in November 2001. The Prosecutor of Bari's court, Giuseppe Scelsi, included Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic in the investigation due to his alleged role in the smuggling.

"For almost a decade, Montenegro has been a haven for illegal trafficking, where criminals acted with impunity, while the ports of Bar and Kotor were used as logistics bases for motor boats, with protection which was guaranteed by the government," the court's document says.

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Smoking and Tobacco Use :: Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS): Countries: Thailand: Fact Sheet: 2009: Highlights  

Tobacco Use

* 45.6% of men, 3.1% of women, and 23.7% overall (12.5 million adults) currently smoke tobacco.

* 29.6% of men, 1.1% of women, and 15.0% overall (7.9 million adults) currently smoke manufactured cigarettes.

* 27.0% of men, 1.8% of women, and 14.1% overall (7.4 million adults) currently smoke hand-rolled cigarettes.

* 46.4% of men, 9.1% of women, and 27.2% overall (14.3 million adults) are current tobacco users (smoked and/or smokeless).

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Statement Regarding First Release of Global Adult Tobacco Survey Result by Thailand 

Today Thailand became the first of fourteen countries to release final results from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). Many countries conduct surveys to monitor adult tobacco use, but until recently, no one standard global survey for adults has consistently tracked tobacco use, exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, and tobacco control measures. . . .

Thirteen countries besides Thailand participated in the first round of GATS: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vietnam. Results from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey will help Thailand, and the other participating countries that will soon be releasing results, translate its data into action through improved policies and programs.

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• Thais protest against tobacco event 

According to news reports, hundreds of Thais on Wednesday protested outside a tobacco industry trade fair and congress in Bangkok.

"We would like the world to see we are opposed to the tobacco industry using Thailand as a base to promote and expand its markets in Asia among youths and women," said Chawala Pawaputanond, a coordinator for the Thai Network Against Tabinfo Asia 2009. The network gathered 86,238 signatures of people opposed to the tobacco industry exhibition and conference held in Bangkok at the Muang Thong Thani Convention Centre.

The reports also said that the Thai Tobacco Monopoly, a main sponsor with the largest stand at the exhibition, was withdrawing its tobacco products from the show. The TTM board decided on Monday to use the gathering of global tobacco producers and distributors to promote tourism rather than tobacco products.

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• Barbados to host meeting on tobacco surveillance and policy development  

Over 50 delegates from across the region are expected to converge in Barbados for the Caribbean Sub-regional Meeting on Tobacco Surveillance and Policy Development, slated for November 16 to 20.

The meeting, a collaborative effort among the Pan-American Health Organisation - Office of Caribbean Program Coordination and the Tobacco Control Team Washington DC; the Office of Smoking and Health - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention USA; and Barbados' Health Ministry, will look at the implementation of Articles 5.3 and 13 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Article 5.3 of the FCTC addresses "Protection of Policies from Commercial and Other Vested Interests of the Tobacco Industry", while Article 13 examines "Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship".

The forum will also assess the use of tobacco surveillance data for the development of effective and evidence-based tobacco control policies.

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• Global Voices Status Report 2009: Rebutting the tobacco industry: winning smokefree air (PDF) 

In mid 2009, more than 400 million people are protected by comprehensive smokefree laws. These are the strongest smokefree laws, which do not allow any designated smoking rooms and include only extremely limited exemptions. A further 500 million people are covered by strong smokefree laws. These laws protect most people, most of the time. Overall, close to a billion people in some 44 countries now have local or national regulations protecting them from secondhand smoke in most enclosed public places and workplaces. We expect to see continuing progress in the year ahead, as more and more countries prepare to take action.

Smokefree air for all

This rapid progress is delivering smokefree air to people in countries around the globe. Policies are being implemented successfully in a variety of places - in low income nations and more affluent ones, in small localities, major cities, and vast countries. Despite the wide variation in countries covered by smokefree laws, their experiences are very similar. In country after country:

• smokefree laws are good for health

• most people support smokefree laws

• with proper planning and resources, enforcement is straightforward

• hospitality sector profits and jobs remain safe

The message is clearer than ever: smokefree air policies work.

Focus on low and middle income countries

However, there is a long way to go. Despite the rapid progress, more than 85% of the world’s people remain without meaningful protection from secondhand smoke, many of them in the low and middle income countries that will bear the brunt of the global tobacco epidemic. Clear tobacco control policies are urgently needed. Without them, tobacco related illness, disability and death will cost low and middle income countries dearly. Smokefree air laws must be a priority for low and middle income countries. . . .

The tobacco industry’s dirty tricks

The biggest barrier to smokefree air is the multinational tobacco companies who stand to lose billions of dollars if smokefree laws are implemented.

From fake “science” to buying influence, and from scare stories to coverups, tobacco companies continue to devote their considerable wealth to stopping smokefree laws in every region of the world.

This report details the tobacco industry’s tactics to hold back legislation, alongside the positive impact of governments, organizations and individuals who are taking on Big Tobacco, and winning.

In late 2008, world governments agreed to a series of FCTC guidelines based on the recognition that tobacco company interests are fundamentally incompatible with health, welfare or “good causes.”2

These guidelines outline governments’ responsibilities under Article 5.3 of the FCTC on tobacco industry interference. They are expressly designed to stop Big Tobacco’s dirty tricks. The guidelines are essential to winning the battle for smokefree air.

Governments must continue to act, if they are to meet the goal of protecting everyone from secondhand smoke by 2012.

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• Global Voices: Rebutting the tobacco industry, winning smokefree air - 2009 Status Report  

On 10 November, 2009, the Global Smokefree Partnership launched its 2009 status report, Rebutting the tobacco industry, winning smokefree air. The theme for the report is tobacco industry interference.

Rebutting the tobacco industry, winning smokefree air is the first report to detail the tobacco industry's tactics to hold back legislation, alongside the positive impact of governments, organizations and individuals who are taking on Big Tobacco, and winning.

The biggest barrier to smokefree air is the multinational tobacco companies who stand to lose billions of dollars if smokefree laws are implemented. From fake "science" to buying influence, and from scare stories to cover-ups, tobacco companies continue to devote their considerable wealth to stopping smokefree laws in every region of the world. . . .

By highlighting the story of those countries that have successfully worked for smokefree air since the adoption of the Article 8 guidelines, Rebutting the tobacco industry, winning smokefree air is a testimony to the surge of the smokefree movement and of the Article 8 guidelines' importance in the development of these measures.

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Surge in smoking 'to claim more lives in Africa' 

More Africans risk dying from smoking as tobacco use will double over the next 12 years in a continent where 90 percent of people have no protection against second-hand smoke, experts said Wednesday.

Africa accounts for 14 percent of the world population and has only four percent of world smokers, presenting an opportunity to tackle the habit and reduce its effects, said Tom Glynn of the The Global Smokefree Partnership.

"If we don't act now on tobacco control in Africa, millions of lives will be lost because tobacco is now becoming an issue in Africa," Glynn told AFP.

A joint report by the Global Smokefree Partnership and the American Cancer Society (ACS) launched in Dar es Salaam called for smoking bans in public places, high taxes and doubling the price of cigarettes.

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Some 90 per cent of Africans still exposed to second-hand smoking 

arly 90 per cent of people in Africa remain without meaningful protection from second-hand smoke, according to a global report launched in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday.

The report, "Global Voices: Rebutting the Tobacco Industry, Winning Smoke-Free Air," also reveals that by 2010, smoking will claim the lives of six million people worldwide, 72 per cent of whom reside in low-income countries.

Though the report points to signs of hope, it states that many African countries are fighting against the tobacco industry's aggressive efforts to stop public health interventions by putting smoke-free laws into place.

The report, published by the Global Smoke-free Partnership, was launched at a media summit on Fighting the Cancer and Tobacco Pandemic in Africa hosted by the American Cancer Society (ACS) in advance of the AORTIC Cancer in Africa Conference beginning on November 12 in Dar es Salaam.

It notes that if the current trends continue, tobacco will kill seven million people annually by 2020 and more than eight million annually by 2030. . . .

Dr. Glynn said implementation remained a challenge in many places, including Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.

He mentioned other obstacles as identifying resources for implementation and opposition to smoke-free laws by the tobacco industry.

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Report says about 90 percent of Africans not protected by smoke-free laws 

As African nations are poised to undergo the highest increase in the rate of tobacco use among developing countries, nearly 90 percent of people on the continent remain without meaningful protection from secondhand smoke, according to a new report released on Wednesday.

The report, "Global Voices: Rebutting the Tobacco Industry, Winning Smokefree Air," pointed to signs of hope, however.

Several African countries are fighting against the tobacco industry's aggressive efforts to stop public health interventions by putting smoke-free laws into place, protecting more than 100 million more people since 2007.

The report was published by the multi-partner Global Smokefree Partnership.

"For the first time in history, we have the tools in hand to prevent a pandemic," said Dr. Otis W. Brawley, the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.

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For the first time in history, we have the tools in hand to prevent a pandemic.
Dr. Otis W. Brawley, the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Societym, on the release of "Global Voices: Rebutting the Tobacco Industry, Winning Smokefree Air.".

Experts fear Africa pandemic from rise in smoking 

Africa faces a surge in cancer deaths unless action is taken in the next decade to stem rising smoking levels in a continent where anti-tobacco laws remain rare, U.S. scientists said Wednesday.

More than half the continent will double its tobacco use within 12 years if current trends continue, the American Cancer Society (ACS) said in a report which found that 90 percent of people living there have no protection from secondhand smoke.

Some African countries have introduced smoking bans but most have not and smoke-free public areas are few.

"For the first time in history, we have the tools in hand to prevent a pandemic," Otis W. Brawley, the ACS's chief medical officer, said in a statement with the report, which was presented at a cancer conference in Tanzania.

"Smoke-free public places are one example of a low-cost and extremely effective intervention that must be implemented now to protect health."

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Cheap smokes to become a thing of the past: EU 

The days of taxed-to-the-hilt smokers bulk-buying cigarettes in cheap eastern European countries could be numbered following an agreement between European Union finance ministers on Tuesday.

Smokers in a many northern and western European countries have long complained of relatively high prices for their tobacco fix, in some cases such as Britain nearly doubled once excise rates are added in.

That in turn has triggered huge legal and black-market overseas trade amid an explosion in budget travel over the past decade.

However, ministers finally brokered a compromise deal in Brussels that will see minimum excise rates increased across the 27 EU member states by January 1, 2014, from 64 euros (96 dollars) per 1,000 cigarettes to 90 euros. . . .

A transitional period will apply for countries that have only recently or yet to raise prices to those rates.

That means smokers will still have access to cheap smokes until 1 January, 2018, in Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania.

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