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Talking with … An anti-tobacco crusader

Feb 11th, 2016
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http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/76864/talking-with-an-anti-tobacco-crusader/

Name: Stanton Glantz

Age: 69

City: San Francisco

Position: Professor of medicine at UCSF, director of Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education

Stanton Glantz

J.: It’s been a few years since the fight against big tobacco was a big news item. Where does that fight stand now?

Stanton Glantz: We haven’t solved the problem but we’ve made dramatic progress. Here in California, for example, we’ve dramatically cut the smoking rate down to 11 or 12 percent, and most smokers are relatively light smokers. But there are still millions of smokers. And the tobacco companies have become more active in the state Legislature. California has the 33rd lowest cigarette tax rate in the country. Jerry Brown is the first governor in decades to take tobacco campaign money.

I was surprised to find that you’re not an M.D. Your education was in engineering, including your undergrad, master’s and Ph.D. studies. How did you first get into anti-tobacco work?

I started out as a rocket scientist. I worked in several different areas at NASA, but I spent the largest amount of my time working in the mission planning and analysis divisions where we actually design the missions. I got interested in a project to use the same kind of methods that are used to control spacecraft to control anesthesia, which turns out to be a harder problem. That led to a dissertation on how the heart muscle works. Then I spent the first chunk of my career as an academic doing bioengineering, applying engineering concepts to how the heart and cardiovascular system work. And then the tobacco stuff was sort of a hobby that I got interested in in the late ’70s. It’s become a big part of my life, but I still do cardiovascular research and publish in those journals.

One of your projects is called SmokeFreeMovies, which has a website where people can see which current movies include smoking. What’s the goal of that campaign and what kind of success have you had with it?

Smoking in the movies is the major reason kids start smoking. I realized that we weren’t going to solve this talking with studios in the backrooms because tobacco has been putting money into Hollywood going back a long time. So we started this public campaign to get smoking out of movies. The six major studios now have policies discouraging smoking in their youth-rated movies. The amount of smoking in movies in 2015 was about half what it once was. The big goal for the next year is to get rid of the remaining half.

There’s a lot of new research on e-cigarettes. What is their impact and what do people need to know?

It’s true that heating up a [nicotine] solution does not create as many cancer-causing chemicals — but most people who are using e-cigarettes are not abandoning regular cigarettes, but using the two together. The odds of quitting smoking are 28 percent lower in smokers who use e-cigarettes compared to smokers who don’t. More kids are starting nicotine addictions through e-cigarettes, and those who do are more likely to go on to smoke regular cigarettes. San Francisco has integrated e-cigarettes into its indoor clean air law, but Alameda County just refused to.

The tobacco industry has twice sued the University of California over your work. What can you tell me about that?

On May 12, 1994, I got a box of purloined industry documents sent to me anonymously. The tobacco companies sued the university, trying to prevent us from releasing them, and we beat them. The second time, the tobacco industry claimed indoor smoking laws would destroy restaurant revenue, but our research found that to be false. So they sued the university on that, and it was dismissed because they didn’t have a case. But the tobacco companies are bullies with infinite money so they appealed it all the way up the Supreme Court. They lost.

Do Jewish ethics play a role in your work?

They play a big role. Historically, Jews have been on the edge, and we’re willing to take some risks that some others might not. Underlying attitudes built into Jewish culture have certainly been an element in why I am who I am and why I do what I do. My wife and I are members of Congregation Beth Sholom in San Francisco, and my wife is very active. We do Shabbos every week and always have, but I’m more into the ethical and prophetic part of the Jewish tradition, rather than ritualistic stuff.

European Lung: Tobacco Smoking

Feb 5th, 2016
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WHO asks countries for age-wise ratings for films with tobacco imagery

Feb 1st, 2016
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The WHO has asked all countries, including India, to introduce age-classified ratings for films and other entertainment programmes with tobacco imagery to restrict the number of new adolescent smokers.

“Today, we want to emphasise that governments should require age-classification ratings for films with tobacco imagery to reduce the overall exposure of youth,” said Dr Armando Peruga, chief coordinator for WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative, releasing the third edition of a report called ‘Smoke-free Movies’.

In 2013-14, adolescents in the US were exposed to 3.1 billion in-cinema tobacco use impressions, 46 per cent of which were from PG-13 films, Peruga said.

Praising the pioneering legislative initiatives made by India and China in protecting nonsmokers from smoking imagery in entertainment products, the WHO expert added that “much more needs to be done”.

“Taking advantage of the progress that they (Indian government) have made, I think, the next step for India is certainly to introduce a rating system for not only movies but also TV programmes and other entertainment products,” he
said.

Studies by the US National Cancer Institute and the US Surgeon General have concluded that smoking in films leads to 37 per cent new adolescent smokers.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in 2014 estimated that exposure to on-screen smoking would lead to six million new young smokers of which an estimated two million would die of tobacco-induced illnesses.

“Smoking in Hollywood films comprises the main exposure of adolescents in western nations. The study in India deserves special consideration because films made in India constitute the primary exposure in the country,” the report said.

Though Bollywood produces many more movies annually, in 2014 it accounted for 30 per cent of all feature-length movies than Hollywood, the small fraction of the films produced in the US nevertheless accounts for half of the global investment in film production and distribution and has consistently earned 60 per cent of the global box office receipts, thus, signalling its wide global reach.

“Another measure that we recommend is certification in movie credits that films produced received nothing of value from anyone in exchange for playing tobacco products,” Dr Peruga said.

There is “big suspicion” when some movies, like the last James Bond film Spectre, display intensive smoking content, sometimes, showing brand names, and “we wonder why,” he said.

Hollywood films containing tobacco imagery continue to earn billions of dollars globally, including in countries like India and China, that have taken strong measures against tobacco advertising and promotion, the report said.

The UN health agency also urged governments to make media productions that promote smoking ineligible for films produced by national governments.

Between 2002 and 2014, almost 59 per cent of top-grossing films featured tobacco imagery.

The recommendations come when the Indian Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is set to undergo revamping by a new committee headed by veteran film director Shyam Benegal.

Films showing smoking scenes should be rated to protect children from tobacco addiction

Feb 1st, 2016
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WHO is calling on governments to rate movies that portray tobacco use in a bid to prevent children and adolescents from starting to smoke cigarettes and use other forms of tobacco.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2016/protect-children-from-tobacco/en/

Movies showing use of tobacco products have enticed millions of young people worldwide to start smoking, according to the new WHO “Smoke-free movies: from evidence to action”, the third edition since its launch in 2009.

“With ever tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising, film remains one of the last channels exposing millions of adolescents to smoking imagery without restrictions,” says Dr Douglas Bettcher, WHO’s Director for the Department of Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases.

Taking concrete steps, including rating films with tobacco scenes and displaying tobacco warnings before films with tobacco, can stop children around the world from being introduced to tobacco products and subsequent tobacco-related addiction, disability and death.

“Smoking in films can be a strong form of promotion for tobacco products,” adds Dr Bettcher. “The 180 Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) are obliged by international law to ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.”

Movies hook millions of young people on tobacco

Studies in the United States of America have shown that on-screen smoking accounts for 37% of all new adolescent smokers. In 2014, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in the United States alone, exposure to on-screen smoking would recruit more than 6 million new, young smokers from among American children in 2014, of which 2 million would ultimately die from tobacco-induced diseases.

“With ever tighter restrictions on tobacco advertising, film remains one of the last channels exposing millions of adolescents to smoking imagery without restrictions.”

Dr Douglas Bettcher, WHO’s Director for the Department of Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases

In 2014, smoking was found in 44% of all Hollywood films, and 36% of films rated for young people. Almost two thirds (59%) of top-grossing films featured tobacco imagery between 2002 and 2014. That same year, the US Surgeon General reported that adult ratings of future films with smoking would reduce smoking rates among young people in the USA by nearly one-fifth and avert 1 million tobacco-related deaths among today’s children and adolescents.

Many films produced outside of the United States also contain smoking scenes. Surveys have shown that tobacco imagery was found in top-grossing films produced in six European countries (Germany, Iceland, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom), and two Latin American countries (Argentina and Mexico). Nine in 10 movies from Iceland and Argentina contain smoking, including films rated for young people, the report states.

The WHO Smoke-Free Movie report, in line with the guidelines of article 13 of the WHO FCTC, recommends policy measures including:

• requiring age classification ratings for films with tobacco imagery to reduce overall exposure of youth to tobacco imagery in films;
• certifying in movie credits that film producers receive nothing of value from anyone in exchange for using or displaying tobacco products in a film;
• ending display of tobacco brands in films; and
• requiring strong anti-smoking advertisements to be shown before films containing tobacco imagery in all distribution channels (cinemas, televisions, online, etc).

In addition, the report also recommends making media productions that promote smoking ineligible for public subsidies.

Dr Armando Peruga, programme manager of WHO’s Tobacco-Free Initiative, says countries around the world have taken steps to limit tobacco imagery in films. “China has ordered that ‘excessive’ smoking scenes should not be shown in films. India has implemented new rules on tobacco imagery and brand display in domestic and imported films and TV programmes. But more can and must be done,” Dr Peruga adds.

Did limits on payments for tobacco placements in US movies affect how movies are made?

Jan 28th, 2016
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UK teens heavily exposed to alcohol and tobacco content in YouTube music videos

Jan 14th, 2016
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http://www.economicvoice.com/uk-teens-heavily-exposed-to-alcohol-and-tobacco-content-in-youtube-music-videos/

13-15 year olds and girls most exposed, findings suggest

UK teens are heavily exposed to alcohol and tobacco images and lyrics in digital YouTube music videos, indicates research published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Those exposed the most are 13-15 year olds, and girls, the findings suggest

Relatively little attention has been paid to YouTube content, despite the fact that some music videos contain extensive alcohol and tobacco content, which is often depicted in a positive light, and that these videos tend to be most popular with younger audiences, say the researchers.

They used the results of two nationally representative online surveys of British adults and teens to calculate viewing figures for the 32 most popular music videos of top 40 chart songs in the UK during the 12 weeks of 3 November 2013 to 19 January 2014.

And they analysed the number of 10 second intervals in each of the 32 videos to estimate the total number of images/depictions/lyrics (impressions) of alcohol and tobacco content.

In all, 2068 teens aged between 11 and 18, and 2232 adults from the age of 19 onwards completed the surveys, and the results suggested that the average percentage of viewing across the 32 music videos was 22% for the teens and 6% for the adults.

The videos were available for an average of 7 to 10 months after release. And based on population census data, the researchers calculated that these delivered a total of 1006 million impressions of alcohol and 203 million of tobacco to the British population during the period between release of the video and the point of the survey.

Most of this content was delivered to 25-34 year olds, but levels of individual exposure were almost four times higher among teens, the figures indicated.

Teens aged 13 to 15 received an average of 11.48 tobacco impressions, while those aged 16 to 18 received an average of 10.5. This compares with 2.85 for adults.

Furthermore, exposure was around 65% higher among girls, with the highest numbers of tobacco impressions delivered to 13-15 year olds.

The pattern of exposure for alcohol was similar to that of tobacco, but the overall number of impressions was five times higher.

An estimated 52.11 alcohol impressions were delivered to each teen compared with 14.13 to each adult. Individual exposure levels rocketed to 70.68 among 13-15 year old girls.

“Trumpets” by Jason Derulo, and “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke delivered some of the highest number of tobacco impressions, while ”Timber” by Pitbull, and “Drunk in Love” by Beyoncé, delivered the most alcohol content.

“If these levels of exposure were typical, then in 1 year, music videos would be expected to deliver over 4 billion impressions of alcohol, and nearly 1 billion of tobacco, in Britain alone,” write the researchers.

“Further, the number of impressions has been calculated on the basis of one viewing only; however, many of the videos had been watched multiple times, so this number is likely to be much bigger,” they warn.

A ban on paid-for placement of branded tobacco products has been in force since 2002 in the UK, while alcohol promotion is regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority, the Portman Group, and industry voluntary codes of practice.

But while films are classified, and TV content is subject to controls during periods when children are likely to be watching, no such regulations apply to digital music videos. The British Board of Film Classification has consulted on an age rating system for music videos made in the UK, but this does not cover tobacco and alcohol content.

Instead, it includes drug misuse, dangerous behaviour presented as safe, bad language, sex and nudity, threatening behaviour and violence.

The evidence suggests that teens exposed to depictions of alcohol and tobacco content in films are more likely to start smoking or drinking, and the researchers suggest that music videos pose a “significant health hazard that requires appropriate regulatory control.”

They urge: “Owing to the obvious health implications for adolescents, we suggest that overly positive portrayals of both alcohol and tobacco in music videos should be included in both the drug misuse and dangerous behaviour presented as safe rating categories.”

Tobacco companies outspend government in contest to addict smokers

Dec 27th, 2015
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http://njtoday.net/2015/12/27/tobacco-companies-outspend-government-in-contest-to-addict-smokers/

This giant gap is undermining efforts to save lives and health care dollars by reducing tobacco use, the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, the report warns.

In fiscal year 2016, the states will collect $25.8 billion from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes. But they have budgeted less than two percent of it – $468 million – for tobacco prevention and cessation programs, according to the annual report assessing state funding of such programs.

In contrast, the major cigarette and smokeless tobacco companies spend $9.6 billion a year – more than one million dollars each hour – on marketing, according to the most recent data from the Federal Trade Commission. This amounts to 20 times what the states spend on tobacco prevention.

Tobacco use kills more than 480,000 Americans and costs the nation about $170 billion in health care spending each year. Without strong action now, 5.6 million kids alive today will die prematurely from smoking-caused disease, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.

Garden State politicians squandered all the money due from a national settlement with tobacco companies, using bond deals to suck dry future revenues, so the latest budget from Republican Gov. Chris Christie includes nothing for nicotine prevention.

New Jersey has $4 billion in health care expenses directly caused by smoking but no money is allocated to combat tobacco use in the state’s 2016 budget although $186.8 million was estimated to have been spent in the state on tobacco company marketing in 2012.

Almost 16 percent of adults in New Jersey are smokers and nearly 12,000 deaths result from smoking in the Garden State each year, but this is worst in the nation for state spending on tobacco prevention.

Nicotine, the drug in tobacco, is highly addictive, while tar and other substances consumed when the product is smoked have been conclusively shown to cause cancer and equally devastating diseases.

New Jersey decided to bail out some of its tobacco debt in an arrangement that helped one investor cash in even though the state was under no obligation to rescue the bonds.

Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff traded away an estimated $400 million in future tobacco revenues that would have flowed into New Jersey coffers starting in 2017 in order to make good on two bond issues that were headed for default because it allowed the Christie administration to patch a $92 million budget hole.

“Kids are still taking up smoking and we’re still losing lives,” said Marc Kaplan, communications director of American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network eastern division. “We’re thinking about the families who see their relatives lose their lives or suffer from smoking.”

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a national non-profit organization, released its annual Broken Promises to Our Children report Tuesday. The report looked at each state’s 2016 fiscal year budgets and projected state revenue from tobacco sales tax and 1998 tobacco settlement.

Every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends an amount that each state should put toward tobacco prevention efforts. For New Jersey, that recommendation was $103.3 million.

The state has allocated zero dollars for such efforts in the 2016 budget. Estimated state tobacco revenue from the tobacco settlement and state taxes is $921 million.

“The fact that New Jersey isn’t spending one penny in tobacco control and prevention is tragic,” Kaplan said. “One reason why we’re involved with this report is so our leaders can see this—hard and cold facts that are showing this.”

New Jersey Department of Health spokesperson Donna Leusner says there are still programs funded by the federal government that prevent or stop smoking.

They include the toll free NJ Quitline that offers gum and patches, Tobacco Age of Sale program, and Mom’s Quit Connection, which links pregnant women and new mothers with quit smoking specialists.

“The Department of Health strongly encourages everyone to quit smoking and there are many ways to do that including medication, patches, gum and counseling,” said Leusner.

THAILAND: PHILIP MORRIS MOVES TO BLOCK NEW LAW

Dec 15th, 2015
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http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/24/4/316.full

ASH Thailand has alleged that Philip Morris International has written to the country’s Ministry of Public Health in an effort to prevent a new law on tobacco control being passed. The law was due to be fast-tracked earlier this year following delays the public health minister reportedly blamed on the agriculture and finance ministries. It has since been further delayed amidst accusations of tobacco industry lobbying.

If passed, the new law will increase the legal age for purchasing cigarettes from 18 to 20, tighten advertising and marketing bans—including on social media—and prohibit tobacco industry corporate social responsibility initiatives. According to ASH Thailand Secretary General Prakit Watheesathokkij, PMI’s letter argued that Thailand’s existing tobacco control laws are sufficient for educating people about the harms of smoking and preventing uptake.

The tobacco industry is up against a formidable and very creative foe in Thailand, which has a long history of strong tobacco control action, with both ASH Thailand and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation providing leadership in the Southeast Asian region. The Thai Health Promotion Foundation’s latest campaign uses dead smokers’ lungs to send a direct message to smokers—literally.

The Message From The Lungs opens with blank ink dispersing into water and a paint brush making a bold black stroke on canvas, with the words: “This is not ordinary ink. Because it was the life’s work of a man. A man who spent 50 years of his life to make every drop of it…by smoking every day”.

It goes on to explain how Thai Health teamed up with the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University to make ink extracted from the tar in lungs donated by smokers. The ink was then bottled and used to create artwork for ads. Samples were also distributed in public spaces as part of exhibitions to convince people to quit.

According to Thai Health, the campaign has resulted in a five-fold increase in quit smoking program participation.

Tobacco sellers decry more curbs on their business

Dec 3rd, 2015
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Macau’s sellers of cigarettes and cigars have expressed their opposition to a bill that would ban shops from displaying tobacco products or from offering facilities where prospective buyers can try tobacco products.

“Cigars and other tobacco products should to be displayed and presented to customers,” Pacific Cigar Co Ltd regional director Kenith Wong told reporters after he and other representatives of the tobacco trade attended a meeting of the Legislative Assembly standing committee that is considering the bill.

“The tasting room, as we call it, is a facility that is very important in the sales process,” Mr Wong said.

http://www.macaubusiness.com/news/tobacco-sellers-decry-more-curbs-on-their-business.html

Nearly a year after outdoor tobacco ad ban went into effect, cigarette billboards go down in Mampang

Nov 18th, 2015
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http://jakarta.coconuts.co/2015/11/18/nearly-year-after-outdoor-tobacco-ad-ban-went-effect-cigarette-billboards-go-down-mampang

Yes, this is a real billboard ad that was once used in Jakarta

Yes, this is a real billboard ad that was once used in Jakarta

On January 7, Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama signed into law a regulation banning outdoor advertising for cigarettes and other tobacco products. If you were unaware of the new regulation, we wouldn’t be surprised, given the numerous cigarette ads that still seem to be found in every corner of the capital.

But progress is in fact being made on enforcing the regulation, with Civil Service Police Officers (Satpol PP) in Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta, starting to take down a number cigarette billboards this week.

Mampang Prapatan Satpol PP head Asril Rizal said the cigarette billboards that were being taken down were those whose licenses had already expired. Ahok’s regulation allowed cigarette billboards to stay up until their licenses were up but does not allow them to be renewed.

However, Asril said that even those billboards that still have valid licenses will go down by the end of 2015, as the city should be completely free of outdoor cigarette ads by next year.

“Later at the end of December we will organize [more takedowns] as well. Because according to the governor’s regulation, beginning in January 2016 there should no longer be cigarette billboards in Jakarta,” he said as quoted by Kompas.

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