Tobacco.org

BARRY: No shortage of Christmas nuts – they were all busy smoking  

But, the politicians thought their ban would make Scotland's puffers instantly relinquish the habit, that by now, smokers would be a dying breed, so to speak.

However, there is only one way in which this country's smokers are a dying breed - something to do with the coughing - as well as the coffin they carry them off in.

My sympathy is running out.

If you want to commit suicide, there are quicker, less painful ways. And, I think we all know now that SMOKING KILLS. . . .

On Christmas Day, they looked downright nuts.

The view was the same through so many of Scotland's kitchen windows: mums and grannies slaving over a hot stove, while, outside, hovering in the freezing fog and ice, some mad aunt or uncle, brother or sister, scantily dressed - hands shaking - desperately tried to light up in the dark.

It had to be Christmas Day's most bizarre sight. . . .

You may remember, back in 2004, the health secretary at the time, Dr John Reid, said that sometimes the only enjoyment available to a 21-year-old single mother of three living in a sink estate was to have a fly fag.

In an aside worthy of Marie Antoinette, Dr Reid said: "Let them smoke cigarettes." . . .

The only time these patients removed those masks, believe it or not - and I still can't - was to go out to a special room to smoke a cigarette; such was the power of their addiction.

Now, all they have to do, is go out into the freezing night and light up. We need to do better than bans.

Ministers have to consider the bad news, namely, that 99% of people who give up smoking put on weight.

And what is the biggest cause of heart disease in Scotland next to smoking? Yes, obesity.

And doctors say that ex-smokers who put on weight often revert to cigarettes. The bad news is they don't lose the weight, so they end up fat smokers.

Jump to full article »

LETTER: Soft soap on smoking  

Like thousands of other smokers, I now have to stand out in the wind and rain to have a cigarette as we are no longer allowed to smoke in pubs or cafes.

The government already has a helpline to help people stop smoking. Now it is planning to make shops put cigarettes under the counter and out of sight, to help prevent our young people taking up the habit.

I can understand all this and I am in full agreement with it, if it prevents people smoking and as a result saves them from dying of cancer.

What I can't understand is how the government allows young people to be shown smoking in TV soaps.

Jump to full article »

Stress Triggers Heart-Damaging Behavior  

Stress increases the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems by pushing people toward bad habits, new British research suggests.

"The study suggests that people with psychological stress had a 50 percent increased risk of a cardiovascular disease event over the follow-up period," said Mark Hamer, senior research fellow in epidemiology and public health at University College London, and lead author of a report in the Dec. 16/23 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. "This increased risk can largely be explained by the higher smoking rates and low exercise levels of individuals who were stressed."

Hamer and his colleagues followed 6,576 participants in the Scottish Health Study, which started with them filling out a 12-item questionnaire designed to measure their general happiness by listing such things as symptoms of depression or anxiety and recent sleep disturbances. About 15 percent of the people in the study were classified as suffering from psychosocial stress on the basis of their answers.

Jump to full article »

Depression, anxiety spur poor health habits, damaging heart and blood vessels 

Many people also know about the toxic effects of anxiety and depression. But how exactly do these negative emotions cripple the cardiovascular system--and what can be done about it?

New research published in the December 16/23, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) offers some answers. It shows that many people who experience psychological distress also slip into poor health habits, particularly smoking and physical inactivity. Over several years, these two factors alone may account for nearly two-thirds of the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular illnesses in people with depression and anxiety.

"Psychological distress is a growing problem," said Mark Hamer, Ph.D., a senior research fellow at University College London, UK. "It's very important that physicians try to identify psychological distress, but it's also important to look at the behaviors and the risk factors that are associated with it."

Previous studies have established the link between psychological distress and heart disease, but so far there is insufficient evidence to show that treating depression and anxiety can reduce the risk of heart attack and death. The new research findings suggest a broader approach may be necessary.

Jump to full article »

Rate of Scots teenages smoking on the increase 

New research has revealed that the number of Scots teenagers who start smoking is on the increase.

The figures show a rise of five per cent in the past three years and now a third of young people aged 16-24 are smokers.

In the 20-24 age group the number of males smoking exceeds females but in those aged 16-19 more are women.

The study also showed that higher rates of smoking were found in specific groups of the population.

Jump to full article »

• Scotland | Crackdown on cigarette machines 

The Scottish Government is to crack down on the use of cigarette vending machines by youngsters, it has been confirmed.

Legislation to be introduced next year will include further controls on the sale of tobacco from the machines to restrict access by under-18s.

The pledge was made by Shona Robison, the public health minister, in a letter to SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson.

Tobacco manufacturers said there was no need for the machines to be banned.

Mr Gibson has a motion before parliament calling for an outright ban on tobacco vending machines.

Jump to full article »

Ban on way for cigarette vending machines 

Cigarette vending machines could be banned under strict new laws being drawn up by the SNP to tackle smoking, it emerged last night.

The Scottish Government confirmed it was considering a ban in an attempt to stop teenagers taking up the habit.

A spokeswoman said the measure will be included in the provisions of the proposed Health (Scotland) Bill which is to be introduced early next year.

Public Health Minister Shona Robison has already vowed to introduce stricter controls on vending machines that sell tobacco.

Jump to full article »

SULLUM: Hit & Run > The Smoke Clears in Scotland  

When we last considered claims about the impact of Scotland's smoking ban, an alleged 17 percent drop in hospital admissions for heart attacks (a claim reported in the New England Journal of Medicine and widely repeated by the press) turned out to be more like 8 percent in the year after the ban took effect. A drop of this size is consistent with the pre-existing downward trend in heart attacks. Now data for the second year after the ban was imposed show an increase in heart attack admissions roughly equal to the previous year's decline. . . .

As I noted in connection with smoking bans in Massachusetts, such laws, to the extent that they encourage smokers to quit and deter others from picking up the habit, can be expected to reduce heart disease over the long term, even if secondhand smoke has no effect on the cardiovascular health of bystanders. But the sharp, immediate reductions reported in some jurisdictions with smoking bans (beginning with Helena, Montana, in 2003) are not biologically plausible and are almost certainly due to random variation or pre-existing trends.

Michael Siegel challenges anti-smoking groups that seized on the NEJM report as evidence of the benefits from smoking bans to acknowledge the more recent data. He cites misleading statements about the Scottish ban from 19 groups and offers a $200 prize to the one that corrects the record first. "I am not going to lose sleep worrying about my $200," he says, "because I am sure that no anti-smoking groups will respond appropriately."

Jump to full article »

EDITORIAL: 'Few take up smoking without knowing the risks'  

ANOTHER stunning government policy success. Nearly three years after the ban on smoking in public places and an extensive programme of health education, more teenagers than ever in Scotland are becoming addicted to cigarettes.

The numbers of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who smoke have returned to levels last seen ten years ago and have risen by almost eight per cent in the last four years. One third of young Scots now smoke.

As part of its new health bill due to be published next year the SNP has outlined its strategy to tackle this reversal. The main thrust of its plans is to remove cigarettes from public display in shops. But while the legislation is no doubt well-intentioned it is open to question whether this will have any effect on the supply. . . .

few people take up smoking nowadays without knowing the potential consequences. Slogans like "smoking kills" and "smokers die young" are emblazoned on every packet. If that doesn't deter people then hiding them under the counter won't either.

And as long as they don't harm anyone else in the process, if people are determined to kill themselves then that's their lookout.

Jump to full article »

Teenage Smoking Rate Soars To 30% 

GROWING numbers of Scots teenagers are taking up smoking, new research shows.

A study found a third of 16-24-year-olds are smokers - a rise of 5% in the past three years.

The percentage of young people smoking fell from 31% to 25% between 1999 and 2004, but soared to 30% in 2007.

The study found more young women aged 16-19 than young men are lighting up, but in the 20-24 age group male rates exceed female rates.

Researchers also found specific groups in the population have much higher smoking rates than average.

Four in five young offenders smoke - 2000 young adults - and two-thirds of care leavers.

Young people who work in retail, hospitality and the construction industry are also more likely to smoke.

Jump to full article »

• Youth smoking continues to rise 

The number of young people smoking in Scotland has returned to a level last seen nearly 10 years ago, according to a report by health officials.

The survey revealed nearly a third of people between 16-24 are smokers.

In 2004 the number of young smokers in Scotland had fallen to just 25% but by 2007 that figure was 31%.

The government says more needs to be done to curb smoking and achieve its target of reducing the number of young smokers to less than 23% by 2012.

The NHS Health Scotland and Scottish Public Health Observatory study revealed that in the 16 to 19 age group, females are more likely to smoke - while the highest rates are found among young offenders and care leavers.

In the 16-19 age group, young women generally have higher smoking rates than young men. In the 20-24 age group, male rates exceed female rates.

Jump to full article »

Stress-Driven Behaviors Trigger Cardiovascular Events  

LONDON, Dec. 15 -- Psychological distress often triggers smoking, drinking, and overeating and it is those unhealthy behaviors -- rather than stress itself -- that appear to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, researchers here found.

After adjusting for age and gender, psychological distress increased the risk of cardiovascular events by 54%, (hazard ratio 1.58, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.18), but when potential mediators were factored into the equation, behavioral factors accounted for about 65% of that increase, Mark Hamer, Ph.D., of University College in London, and colleagues reported in the Dec 16/23 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Pathophysiological factors contributed only modestly to the increased risk, with elevated C-reactive protein accounting for about 5% of the increased risk and hypertension about 13%, they wrote.

The finding emerged from a prospective study of 6,576 healthy men and women participating in the Scottish Health Survey who were assessed using a standard psychological distress questionnaire and then followed for more than seven years. . . .

"Distressed participants were slightly younger, and were more likely to be female, to have poorer health behaviors, and to have higher levels of inflammatory and hemostatic markers and a higher prevalence of hypertension," they wrote.

For example, cigarette smoking, physical activity, alcohol intake, C-reactive protein, and hypertension were all independently associated with psychological distress.

When behavioral factors were modeled independently, smoking accounted for 40.7% of the variance in risk, physical activity 22.3%, and alcohol intake less than 2%.

Jump to full article »

Glasgow, Lanarkshire and West | Suspected smuggled tobacco seized 

A tonne of hand-rolling tobacco with an estimated street value of £130,000 has been seized from a van in South Lanarkshire.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said police made the find on Monday after swooping on the vehicle at Abington motorway services, just off the M74.

A man was interviewed in connection with the seizure, but later released.

The tobacco is suspected to have been smuggled and it is estimated that the duty evaded is about £100,000.

Jump to full article »

Smoking displays ban: Out of sight out of mind?  

But Tuesday's announcement has provoked storms of protest from shopkeepers, who argue it will cost them much-needed business during the economic crisis.

Leaders of their umbrella group, the Scottish Grocers' Federation, fear that at least 250 newsagents across Scotland could be forced to the wall over the next few years if a change in law is made north of the Border.

Chief executive of the SGF, John Drummond, said the decision was "a step too far" and would result in a significant and damaging cost to the convenience store sector.

Jump to full article »

Pub cigarette machines set to be banned  

CIGARETTE vending machines could be banned from pubs, clubs and hotels in Scotland.

Backbench SNP MSP Kenneth Gibson proposed the move as part of the latest crackdown on smoking.

And Ministers have signalled that they are willing to include the measure in next year's Health Bill.

It comes after figures suggest that one in ten underage smokers buy their cigarettes from vending machines.

Jump to full article »