Clear The Air News Tobacco Blog Rotating Header Image

Statistics

Going Up In Smoke

Feb 26th, 2009
by AdminCTA.
Comments are off for this post

Despite the perception that Hong Kong has made strides against smoking, activists and public health officials say the opposite is true

SCMP – TOBACCO – Raymond Ma – Feb 26, 2009

How did it all come to this? That is the typical response of anti-tobacco campaigners, when asked about their crusade to rid Hong Kong of a highly addictive but legal product that has been linked time and again to everything from obesity and diabetes to stroke and cancer.

Anthony Hedley, chair professor of community medicine at the University of Hong Kong, has been campaigning for tougher anti-smoking laws since he arrived here 21 years ago. He believes that “we are losing an enormous amount of ground”.

“From a public health point of view, it’s very serious,” he said. “Hong Kong is beginning to stand out among economically developed nations as a place which is losing progress in terms of the gains which it made in advocacy and legislation, and it will eventually lose ground in terms of health protection.”

Such concerns are not without foundation. Research by the university has estimated that 7,000 Hongkongers die from active or passive smoking each year.

The total cost to the community, taking into account pain, suffering and lives lost, is put in excess of HK$70 billion per year. Smoking is considered one of the biggest health concerns in developed countries, right up there with high blood pressure, alcohol misuse and high cholesterol.

However, despite the tireless efforts of people such as Professor Hedley and a strong community of tobacco-control activists and public health officials, there is a growing consensus that the city is losing its war against cigarette consumption.

This may not be readily apparent to the average man or woman. According to figures from the Department of Health’s Tobacco Control Office, the percentage of Hongkongers who smoked daily has fallen from 14.9 per cent in 1993 to 11.8 per cent in 2007-08.

A cursory glance down a typical Hong Kong street may lead many to believe that fewer people are lighting up, compared with a decade ago. That is thanks, in part, to the smoking ban implemented in 2007 at all indoor public places that succeeded in ridding the city’s restaurants of cigarette smoke.

Hong Kong is also one of fewer than 20 countries or regions around the world where all cigarette packets feature graphic warning labels that convey on an emotive level the dangers of smoking.

Finally, the passing of a sweeping set of legislative amendments to the city’s smoking laws in 2006 generated substantial media interest. Yet, despite these measures, the anti-smoking lobby remains frustrated. Activists centre on how the city, once considered a trailblazer in the field of tobacco control, has been surpassed by more progressive jurisdictions.

Consider that, in the late 1990s, Hong Kong was seen as a model of tobacco-control policies following the passage in 1997 of sweeping reforms that virtually eliminated all but the smallest forms of tobacco advertising in the city. At the time, such a ban was not even in place in Britain, of which Hong Kong was still a part.

Fast forward a decade, and the situation is reversed. Four years after New York banned smoking from all enclosed workspaces, the so-called ban on smoking in “all” indoor public venues, implemented with much pomp and circumstance, was rife with extensions – for bars, bathhouses and mahjong parlours. Critics belittle the ban, and say it is continuing to fail in one of its chief aims: to protect catering and hospitality workers from second-hand smoke.

Against this backdrop, the reality – despite what some may perceive – is that the consumption of tobacco has risen steadily over the years. Latest Customs and Excise Department figures show that 3.79 billion cigarettes were sold last year, compared with 3.33 billion in 2006. In 2007, 3.49 billion cigarettes were consumed.

“Up until 1997, we were, arguably, the second best in Asia after Singapore, but after that, all the way up to 2007, we did almost absolutely nothing during that period,” said Judith Mackay, a senior policy adviser to the World Health Organisation.

“We did have legislation that went through and came into effect in 2007 which brought us a little bit more up to speed, but then we had all these ridiculous extensions,” she added, referring to the grace periods given to some businesses and the delaying of a ban on point of sale cigarette advertising until later this year.

“Both of those had extensions in the law and it made it less than perfect.”

But where Hong Kong really fell behind was in its failure to increase tobacco duty, despite the fact that it was widely considered to be the best measure to cut consumption, she said.

Before yesterday’s 50 per cent rise, the last time the government put up the duty was in 2001. In the 1990s, some of the highest tobacco tax increases were recorded.

Year after year, anti-smoking lobbyists called on the government to raise the tobacco duty, only to have their pleas ignored. Most recently, the publicly funded Council on Smoking and Health (Cosh) sent a petition, with around 4,000 signatures from people around the world, to Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah urging him to raise the tobacco duty.

Hong Kong is bound, under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control – a global anti-smoking treaty which has been signed by Beijing – to implement tax or price measures.

Dr Mackay noted that even the mainland, the largest producer and consumer of cigarettes in the world, is considering using taxation to curb consumption. She said that Hong Kong had been “shockingly, critically and embarrassingly backwards” on raising the duty. “It’s really shameful.”

Aside from the bold step of a tobacco duty increase, Dr Mackay said that it was also important that the extensions, which will expire in June, be ended without further delay.

Furthermore, the government needed to hold out against putting smoking rooms in bars in Hong Kong, which had already spent HK$2.5 million of taxpayers’ money to study, she said.

While there has been some debate over the plan’s merits, putting a ventilated smoking room in every bar in Hong Kong was simply too expensive, and it would still fail to protect the health of the people who work at these places, Dr Mackay said.

“Somebody’s got to clean it, work in it, so it’s still not without risk.”

Finally, Hong Kong should consider plain packaging for cigarette packets, which would be a world first, and set prevalence targets, a measure not uncommon in other jurisdictions. Dr Mackay challenged the government to reduce smoking prevalence to 11 per cent for daily smokers by the end of 2010.

A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said the government agreed that taxation was one of the many effective measures to reduce smoking. He said the financial secretary considered all factors before making a decision. And he was adamant that the administration would make no exemptions in its planned implementation of the amendments to anti-smoking laws passed in 2006, including its plans to end the grace periods for bars and other places under the indoor smoking ban, and to eliminate point of sale advertising for cigarettes.

However, he said the government was still continuing its study on smoking rooms. No decision had yet been made, he said, and the government would report to the Legislative Council when it was ready.

At a conference on managing tobacco dependence, held by the Tobacco Control Office in Hong Kong last week, Secretary for Food and Health York Chow Yat-ngok acknowledged that, while Hong Kong had made progress in fighting smoking, more needed to be done. He made the comments shortly after the government unveiled an extension to its community-based smoking cessation programme, to include after-office hours and weekends.

Meanwhile, there have also been calls for the government to commit more resources to fighting smoking. James Middleton, the anti-tobacco committee chairman for lobby group Clear the Air, believes that the current resources allocated by the government to fight smoking are inadequate.

In the 2008-09 fiscal year, the government budgeted HK$47 million for the Tobacco Control Office to carry out its duties. The office employs 124 people, including 85 tobacco-control inspectors, to carry out enforcement, seven police officers, and various medical and clerical professionals. Meanwhile, each year, Cosh receives a dwindling subvention that stood at HK$11.3 million in the previous budget, down from HK$14.8 million in 2005-2006.

“The Tobacco Control Office has [85] inspectors to cover the whole of Hong Kong on two shifts. It’s totally inadequate. How can you do that?” Mr Middleton said.

HKU Study Shows High Health Risks for Catering Workers (and Bar Patrons) in Venues Exempted from the Smoking Ban

Dec 9th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
No comments yet

Department of Community Medicine, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong – December 9, 2008

Secondhand smoke
Secondhand smoke (SHS) is a dangerous poison. Major studies in Hong Kong have shown how breathing SHS causes a serious injury to the heart, other blood vessels and lungs. SHS kills over 1,300 people a year in Hong Kong. However, in 2006, the Government and legislators supported exemptions from the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Ordinance for “qualified premises” selling alcohol and food, until June 2009.

The Study
A new survey conducted by a team from the Department of Community Medicine, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong; a biophysicist from Repace Associates, a secondhand smoke consultancy in Maryland USA, and Professor Neil Benowitz’s laboratory in the University of California, has examined the exposure to tobacco smoke and the health of catering workers in both smoke-free and exempted premises.

157 non-smoking workers in smoke-free Chinese restaurants and Char Charn Ting (Hong Kong style café) and 47 non-smokers who worked in exempted bar/restaurants were examined by interviews, lung function tests and analysis of urine samples for tobacco chemicals.

Results of the study

1. Air pollution level

  • The level of fine particulate pollution (PM2.5) in exempted venues was four times as high as (300% higher than) the level in the smoke-free premises.
  • The indoor pollution was
    o slightly lower than outdoor pollution for smoke-free venues
    o over 100% higher than outdoor pollution for exempted venues

2. Toxic substances in urine of workers

  • Cotinine is a breakdown product of nicotine which can be measured in urine. It is a marker in the human body for other toxic substances from tobacco smoke which cause heart disease, stroke, cancers and other health problems.
  • The research team found that cotinine in the urine of workers was
    o highest in those working in exempted hospitality venues
    o also raised in workers serving smokers on patios and terraces
    o raised in many non-smoking workers who we found were exposed to tobacco smoke at work from their co-workers during break periods
  • Catering workers who served smokers had higher levels of tobacco chemicals in their urine than those in other jobs.

3. Lung function in catering workers

The level of indoor air pollution, as measured by fine particulates, was strongly associated with reduced lung function in catering workers:

  • In the group of workers in exempted venues who successfully completed a lung function test, the average level of PM2.5 was 261 microgrammes per cubic metre (μg/m3), and in smoke-free venues was 61 μg/m3. All workers show declining lung function with increasing PM2.5 levels. The research team estimates that the average difference in lung function between workers in exempted and smoke-free venues on the day of the survey is 6.3% for ages 18-65 years; for older workers (aged 30-65) the estimated average difference is much higher at 10.9%. At the average level of PM2.5 in exempted venues the estimated overall reduction in lung function is 14% for ages 18-65 and up to 22% for ages 30-65.
  • We regard these reductions in lung function as very important indicators of harm to current and future health. Other scientific studies have shown that damage to the lungs carries a serious risk of both acute and chronic disease including bronchitis, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Reduced lung function is a strong predictor of reduced life expectancy.

4. Health risks:

  • More workers in exempted venues than in smoke-free venues perceived that the poor indoor air quality increased their health risks:

Workers who said they were always bothered by smokers near them had lower urine cotinine levels than those who were seldom bothered. This apparent reduction in exposure, from action to protect themselves from smoke, was much greater in workers in non-smoking venues compared with those in exempted venues.

  • In 2001, we estimated the average increased risk of fatal heart disease and lung cancer in Hong Kong catering workers was 1 in 33 (3%) and up to 1 in 10 (10%) for the highest (top 10%) exposures. For those workers in catering venues which were exempted under the 2006 Amended Ordinance, this increased risk will remain unchanged for 2.5 years (from 1.1.2007 to 30.6.2009). The result of this unchanged risk will cause serious life-long harm to the health of many of them.
  • This study clearly shows that indoor air quality in Hong Kong is generally extremely poor and very much worse when smoking is permitted.

o In non-smoking venues the average levels of fine particulates (PM2.5) in our spot tests (61 μg/m3) were 240% above the World Health Organization (WHO) 24 hour guideline of 25 μg/m3 and 610% above the annual WHO guideline of 10 μg/m3.
o In exempted catering premises, the extremely high levels of particulates and other tobacco chemicals we measured will cause serious harm to the health of workers, both smokers and non-smokers.

Recommendations:

  • All exemptions of premises from the smoke-free workplace policy creates a serious health risk for workers and should be rescinded as a matter of urgency. While the HKSAR government used the research evidence on the serious harm caused by SHS to promote public acceptance of smoke-free policies it should not have introduced legislation which perpetuates and increases catering workers exposure to SHS.
  • The introduction of “smoking-rooms” currently being argued for by the catering and tobacco industries should not be permitted for the following reasons:

o Smokers suffer additional health problems when subjected to intensive exposures to SHS.
o We have previously shown in Hong Kong that smokers who inhale SHS from other smokers experience higher risks of lung disease.
o Smoking rooms in catering and licensed facilities will create an intense source of pollution which will contaminate surrounding air. Existing smoking rooms in Hong Kong, such as those in the Airport Authority, are poorly managed and create health risks for those who use them or have to clean them.

  • These facts on the harm caused by SHS should not be ignored by the Hong Kong health authorities (the Food and Health Bureau and the Department of Health) in formulating future policy.
  • The government should focus on improving its compliance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control rather than spending public money on smoking rooms.

Professor Sarah McGhee, a leading member of the research team said, “The study shows that the occupational health impacts of smoking in catering facilities must outweigh any other argument for the continuation of exemptions or the introduction of smoking rooms. There was no evidence anywhere in the world that the food and licenced trade had suffered any economic downturn on top of existing background trends from smoke-free policies.”

Dr Chit Ming Wong, a researcher leading several environmental health projects of the Department of Community Medicine, The University of Hong Kong emphasized, “The evidence of impaired lung function in catering workers had serious implications for their current and future health. All exemptions should end, including smoking patios and terraces, which are a health risk for waiters and others in such places.”

Professor Tai Hing Lam, director of the Public Health Research Centre, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong said, “All sectors of the community must now be involved in tobacco control and particularly the elimination of involuntary exposures to tobacco smoke. Tobacco tax should be increased to support smoking cessation in Hong Kong to reduce illness and premature deaths from smoking and secondhand smoke.”

Professor Anthony Hedley said “We thank the government for supporting the study. We hope that government leaders would take careful note of the study results and adopt a more pro-active and consistent approach to the incorporation into policy and legislation of the overwhelming scientific evidence on health risks of SHS. The new study is an important demonstration of the need for accountability in all public health and environmental regulations.”

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Winnie Lam (Tel: 2809 5102 / 9107 1676) or Mr Terence Poon (Tel: 2819 9305 / 9316 6267) of The University of Hong Kong Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine.

(more…)

Total Deaths From Tobacco Use Will Rise Sharply

Nov 3rd, 2008
by AdminCTA.
Comments are off for this post

Three quarters of deaths in developing world will be caused by heart and lung diseases by 2030

BMJ – November 3, 2008 – John Zarocostas

Deaths from heart disease and lung disease in developing countries are set to rise considerably in the next 25 years as populations age and deaths from infectious diseases decline, says a report from the World Health Organization.

The Global Burden of Disease: 2004 Update says that the leading causes of death globally in 2030 are projected to be “ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (stroke), chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and lower respiratory infections (mainly pneumonia).”

Non-communicable conditions will account for 75% of all deaths by 2030, up from 60% in 2004, said Colin Mathers, coordinator for epidemiology and burden of disease at WHO, and lead author of the study.

In 2004 an estimated 58.8 million people died worldwide. Of the deaths more than half were among people aged 60 or over. However, one in five deaths were among children under the age of 5, and in the African region 46% of all deaths occurred in children under 15 years old.

The study draws on national health data, epidemiological studies, and household surveys from 193 member countries. It found that nine out of every 10 child deaths from malaria and nine out of every 10 child deaths from HIV/AIDS occur in Africa. Half of the world’s deaths from diarrhoea and pneumonia also occur on the continent.

In 2004 the leading five causes of death in poor countries were pneumonia, heart disease, diarrhoea, HIV/AIDS, and stroke. In rich nations heart disease caused most deaths, followed by stroke, lung cancer, pneumonia, and asthma and bronchitis.

Experts estimate that deaths from cancer will increase to 11.8 million by 2030, up from 7.4 million in 2004. Global cardiovascular deaths are expected to reach 23.4 million in 2030, up from 17.1 million in 2004.

WHO estimates that total deaths from tobacco use will rise sharply reaching 8.3 million in 2030, up from 5.4 million in 2004. It also forecasts a 28% increase in deaths from injury, largely a result of road deaths, which are expected to reach 2.4 million in 2030, up from 1.3 million in 2004.

However, the report anticipates large declines in mortality by 2030 for all the noteworthy communicable, maternal, perinatal, and nutritional causes, including tuberculosis and malaria. Although the report estimates that deaths caused by HIV/AIDS will initially rise from 2.2 million in 2008 to 2.4 million in 2012 they too will decline to 1.2 million in 2030.

The report also found that depression is the leading cause of years lost as a result of disability in rich and poor countries. Alcohol dependence and problem use are among the 10 leading causes of disability worldwide.

Mobile Smoking Cessation Programme

Oct 30th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
No comments yet

Effectiveness Of A Mobile Smoking Cessation Service In Reaching Elderly Smokers And Predictors Of Quitting: Report

Author: Abu Saleh M Abdullah, Tai-Hing Lam, Steve KK Chan, Gabriel M Leung, Iris Chi, Winnie WN Ho and Sophia SC Chan

Credits/Source: BMC Geriatrics 2008, 8:25

Different smoking cessation programmes have been developed in the last decade but utilization by the elderly is low. We evaluated a pilot mobile smoking cessation service for the Chinese elderly in Hong Kong and identified predictors of quitting.

Methods: The Mobile Smoking Cessation Programme (MSCP) targeted elderly smokers (aged 60 or above) and provided service in a place that was convenient to the elderly. Trained counsellors provided individual counselling and 4 week’s free supply of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).

Follow up was arranged at 1 month by face-to-face and at 3 and 6 months by telephone plus urinary cotinine validation. A structured record sheet was used for data collection.

The service was evaluated in terms of process, outcome and cost.

Results: 102 governmental and non-governmental social service units and private residential homes for the elderly participated in the MSCP. We held 90 health talks with 3266 elderly (1140 smokers and 2126 non-smokers) attended.

Of the 1140 smokers, 365 (32%) received intensive smoking cessation service. By intention-to-treat, the validated 7 day point prevalence quit rate was 20.3% (95% confidence interval: 16.2%-24.8%).

Smoking less than 11 cigarettes per day and being adherent to NRT for 4 weeks or more were significant predictors of quitting. The average cost per contact was US$54 (smokers only); per smoker with counselling: US$168; per self-reported quitter: US$594; and per cotinine validated quitter: US$827.

Conclusion: This mobile smoking cessation programme was acceptable to elderly Chinese smokers, with quit rate comparable to other comprehensive programmes in the West. A mobile clinic is a promising model to reach the elderly and probably other hard to reach smokers.

Smoking Threatens Millions In China

Oct 5th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
No comments yet

Al Jazeera and agencies | 5 October 2008

Tens of millions of Chinese will die of lung diseases over the next 25 years unless the government takes action to combat smoking and the indoor burning of fuel, scientists have warned.

The study*, published on Saturday in the British journal, The Lancet, said chronic respiratory illness would kill 53.3 million, while lung cancer would leave another 13.5 million dead.

Half of Chinese men smoke and more than 70 per cent of Chinese households use solid fuels, such as wood, crop residues and coal for heating and cooking, providing a potent source of indoor air pollution, according to the study.

The paper – written by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health in the US state of Massachusetts – said that smoke from tobacco products and indoor fuel use would be the cause of more than 80 per cent of all deaths from respiratory disease.

However, it suggests that a number of measures could be taken to dramatically reduce the risk, including building proper chimneys, air circular stoves with chimneys ending outside the house and ventilated ground stoves to reduce the toxic chemicals circulating indoors.

“There are proven ways to reduce tobacco smoking and to provide homes with clean-burning energy alternatives. China can save millions of premature deaths from respiratory diseases in the next few decades if it … implements these interventions,” Majid Ezzati, senior author of the study, said.

‘Tobacco epidemic’

Dr Sarah England, the technical officer at World Health Organisation’s Tobacco Free Initiative in China, told Al Jazeera that at least one million people were dying from tobacco related causes every year in China.

“The Chinese experience is particularly severe because there haven’t been enough steps taken yet to curtail the tobacco epidemic,” she said.

She noted that though the government had signed the global convention for tobacco control, the country still dominates sales and production.

“We see that China has a vested interest in tobacco production and marketing, and that is a tough thing for China to come to grips with as it tries simultaneously to curb the horrible health impacts that tobacco is exerting on the Chinese people,” she said.

More than 900 million of the world’s 1.1 billion smokers currently live in low-income and middle-income countries and about one half of the world’s population uses biomass and coal for household energy.

* Harvard University report published in the Lancet on 4 Oct 2008: Effects of smoking and solid-fuel use on COPD, lung cancer, and tuberculosis in China: a time-based, multiple risk factor, modelling study
BY Hsien-Ho Lin, Megan Murray, Ted Cohen, Caroline Colijn, Majid Ezzati

Anti-smoking Advert ‘Understates’ Real Costs

Aug 3rd, 2008
by AdminCTA.
No comments yet

Mary Ann Benitez – SCMP | Updated on Aug 03, 2008

A government-funded anti-smoking advocacy group has been criticised for understating the health-related cost of tobacco in its promotional campaign.

The Council on Smoking and Health’s latest radio advertisement, calling on people to quit smoking, is causing concern for anti-smoking lobbyist Clear the Air.

“Smoking costs the Hong Kong economy HK$5.3 billion each year. This is what it costs for the health care, medical expenses and productivity losses,” the advertisement says. “Quit smoking now for a better return.”

The council said the HK$5.3 billion estimate came from a study conducted by the University of Hong Kong’s community medicine department in 2005.

The advertisement was part of the Smoke Free Hong Kong Campaign launched in May.

James Middleton, of Clear the Air, said the council should have used a higher figure which the HKU study had also suggested.

“This selective choice of information for the public service announcement is based on information from a University of Hong Kong research report. [The announcement] needs to be redone to reflect the actual costs to Hong Kong society,” he said.

The widely reported HKU study found that the total cost of active and passive smoking was HK$5.3 billion a year. It took into account the cost of health care, residential care and lost working time.

It also said: “If we add the value of attributable lives lost but deduct productivity loss due to premature death to avoid double counting the value of a lost life, the annual cost would be US$9.4 billion [HK$73.36 billion].”

Council chairman Homer Tso Wei-kwok defended the agency’s decision to use the HK$5.3 billion a year health-related cost of smoking because no one could put a value on life.

“Life is priceless. That figure does not take into account the cost of lives. We only talked about the medical and other burdens,” he said, adding it was also the figure mostly used by the media at the time. “We are talking about an advocacy message.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said it would take 10 more months for the fixed-penalty scheme for smoking offences to be implemented.

The bill was passed on July 2.

From January 1 last year to the end of June this year, the Tobacco Control Office issued 7,322 summonses.

Exposure To Environmental Tobacco Smoke And Health Effects Among Hospitality Workers In Sweden

Aug 1st, 2008
by AdminCTA.
No comments yet

Larsson M, Boëthius G, Axelsson S, Montgomery SM. – The Department of Respiratory Medicine, Orebro University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden. matz.larsson@orebroll.se | Aug 2008

TOPIC: Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and health effects among hospitality workers in Sweden–before and after the implementation of a smoke-free law.

OBJECTIVES: This study attempted to identify changes in exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, as well as symptoms and attitudes among hospitality workers after the introduction of extended smoke-free workplace legislation.

METHODS: A total of 37 volunteers working in bingo halls and casinos (gaming workers) and 54 bars and restaurant employees (other workers) in nine Swedish communities participated in the study. Altogether 71 of 91 persons (14 daily smokers and 57 nonsmokers) participated in both the pre-ban baseline survey and the follow-up 12 months after the ban. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, smoking habits, respiratory and sensory symptoms, and attitudes towards the ban were recorded, and spirometry was carried out.

RESULTS: The frequency of reported respiratory and sensory symptoms was approximately halved among the nonsmokers in both occupational groups after the introduction of the ban. Initially 87% had exposure to environmental tobacco smoke that was over the nicotine cut-off level chosen to identify possible health risk ( <0.5 microg/m3) while, after the ban, it was only 22%, a relative risk of 0.25 (95% confidence interval 0.15-0.41). The risk decreased in both occupational groups, but gaming workers experienced the highest pre-ban exposure levels. Attitudes towards the legislation were largely positive, particularly after the ban. However, there was no notable change in lung function, and there was no notable reduction in the number of cigarettes consumed by smokers.

CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of smoke-free legislation was associated with a substantial reduction in respiratory and sensory symptoms, as well as reduced exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at work, particularly among gaming workers.

New Guidelines For Treatment Of Tobacco Dependence Released

May 9th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
No comments yet

Medical News Today | Friday, 9-May-2008

The U.S. Public Health Service today released an updated version of the clinical guidelines for treating tobacco dependence. Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update contains strategies and recommendations designed to guide doctors and other medical professionals to help smokers quit.

The guidelines, updated for the first time since 2000, call attention to the need for clinicians to understand that there are multiple effective treatment options for tobacco dependence. The guidelines emphasize the benefits of group and individual counseling sessions and the use of medications in helping smokers to be successful in their quit attempt. There is also new evidence of the need to consider tobacco use as a chronic disease and to treat it as such through multiple interventions. The guidelines highlight the need for tobacco dependence treatment strategies to be integrated into the health care system as there is new evidence that health care policies, such as insurance that covers tobacco dependence treatment as a benefit, impact the likelihood that smokers will receive effective treatment and successfully quit smoking.

Tobacco use remains world’s most preventable cause of death, claiming the lives of 438,000 Americans each year and millions more globally. Smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and 87 percent of lung cancer deaths. It is associated with an increased risk of at least 15 types of cancer.

“There are 45 million smokers in the U.S. and 70 percent of them say they would like to quit smoking,” said John R. Seffrin, Ph.D., chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society. “This updated clinical guideline on the treatment of tobacco dependence provides physicians and other health care providers, administrators and insurers, and smokers themselves, with clear, useful information on how to stop smoking and stay tobacco-free. It is critical that clinicians utilize these guidelines to stay current on the latest information that will help their patients to quit and to do so successfully. The Society is proud to endorse this important resource in the fight to reduce tobacco use.”

The American Cancer Society offers smokers who want to quit a clinically proven, confidential, free telephone-based counseling program, Quitline. Quitline is available in 12 states and the District of Columbia, as well as in more than 100 businesses and health plans nationwide. Since its inception in 2000, Quitline has provided support to more than 320,000 smokers. Studies have shown that more than 40 percent of people who were contacted six months after completing the Quitline program remained smoke-free, putting the Society’s quit rates among the highest in the country. Smokers who are seeking to quit can reach Quitline toll-free at 1-800-ACS-2345 or can log onto www.cancer.org/greatamericans to embark on a personal plan to quit.

The American Cancer Society is dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by saving lives, diminishing suffering, and preventing cancer through research, education, advocacy, and service. Founded in 1913 and with national headquarters in Atlanta, the Society has 13 regional Divisions and local offices in 3,400 communities, involving millions of volunteers across the United States.

http://www.cancer.org

Facts About Light And Mild Cigarettes

Feb 13th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
No comments yet

There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ cigarette:

  • Many smokers believe that smoking “light,” “mild,” “low-tar,” or “ultra-light” cigarettes reduces the risk of smoking-related health problems
  • In fact, there is no such thing as a ‘safe’ cigarette or ‘safe’ level of consumption

Read about all the facts about light and mild cigarettes here.

Cannabis Now Three Times Stronger

Feb 5th, 2008
by AdminCTA.
No comments yet

The strongest type of cannabis – known as Skunk – now dominates the UK market, according to new Home Office research. Skunk now accounts for between 70% and 80% of samples seized by police, compared with 15% six years ago. It is three times stronger than other types.

Senior police officers are urging the government to reclassify cannabis as a Class B drug.

The police are among several bodies giving evidence to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

The Association of Chief Police Officers said reclassification would end confusion over the status of cannabis.

“We do support a re-classification back to B, and there’s three reasons for that”, Assistant Chief Constable Simon Byrne told BBC News.

Cannabis farms

“Firstly, we are worried about the rise in the number of cannabis farms we’re discovering, which is frankly fuelling a more home-grown market in the more potent type of cannabis.

“That then links in to… our professional concerns about the potency of some of that cannabis, and the effect on some people’s mental health.”

“And thirdly… I think there’s confusion on the streets about whether this drug is legal or not, and that’s causing problems for officers who are trying to enforce the law.”

Tougher penalties

Police said the reclassification would help them target organised crime gangs who are profiting from the booming trade in herbal cannabis cultivated in the UK.

The reclassification would be accompanied by stiffer penalties, something that Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith are believed to support.

But David Blunkett, who downgraded the drug when he was home secretary, said a reversal of his decision would create confusion.

I’m not talking about it just being a gateway drug. It is dangerous in itself
Debra Bell, Talking About Cannabis Parental Action Group

Speaking at the weekend, he said: “Rather than affecting practice on the ground, classifying cannabis back to class B now would simply cause confusion.”

And the mental health charity Rethink said cannabis use could be reduced without reclassification, if warnings about the risks were placed on packs of cigarette papers, which are used to roll joints.

Debra Bell, of the Talking About Cannabis Parental Action Group, said: “Skunk cannabis is one of the evils of our time.

“I’m not talking about it just being a gateway drug. It is dangerous in itself.”

Cannabis use has been falling
Harry Shapiro, Drugscope

Skunk is a specific type of cannabis and is so-called because it has a very strong smell, but these days it has become the generic term for stronger forms of the drug.

It is regarded as stronger because it contains much higher levels of the active ingredient in cannabis, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

It also contains much lower levels of cannabidiol (CBD), which is an anti-psychotic substance that can moderate the effect of THC on the mental health of users.

Opinion poll

A survey for the Advisory Council, by Ipsos/Mori of 1,000 people in England, Wales and Scotland over the age of 16 suggests that most people believe cannabis should be moved into a category reserved for more dangerous drugs.

Of those polled, 32% said cannabis should be moved into Class A – alongside heroin, cocaine and ecstasy; 26% said it should be in Class B and 18% said it should be class C – its currentl category. Eleven per cent said it should be legalised.

But the poll indicates that less than half know that cannabis is currently in class C, and less than a quarter want tougher penalties than those already in force for cannabis possession – the maximum prison term is currently two years.

Schizophrenia risk

The mental health charity, Sane, is also giving evidence to the review. Its chief executive, Marjorie Wallace, said there was a significant risk for people who smoke the drug who are under 15 years old.

She said: “Their chances of developing a later illness like schizophrenia can be between two and four times higher – that means there may be about 1,500 people who are developing schizophrenia who, without taking cannabis, might not otherwise have had this long sentence of mental illness.”

TYPES OF CANNABIS
Herbal , also known as “grass” or “weed”, stronger varieties now dominate the market
Skunk contains three times as much of the active ingredient, THC
Resin , also known as hash, was formerly the most common form of the drug, sold in blocks and crumbled

But the charity Drugscope said it saw no good reason for reclassifying cannabis, so soon after the government decided to make it Class C four years ago.

Harry Shapiro, of Drugscope, told BBC News: “In 2004 it was predicted that there would be a huge increase in the amount of cannabis use as a result of the fact that it was downgraded from a Class B to a C.

“Not only has that not happened, but the government figures suggest that, actually, cannabis use has been falling since then.”

The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, has said she will maintain an open mind on the subject of re-classification until the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs presents its recommendations.

Story from BBC NEWS

Newer Posts →