Tobacco: Al the Facts, Legislation, and How it Affects Your Health.
Customs said today they have seized about 1.3 million illicit cigarettes, worth about HK$3.6 million, at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point yesterday and arrested a 52-year-old male driver.
Officers intercepted an incoming truck declared as carrying assorted goods at the control point last night. After inspection, they found the batch of illicit cigarettes inside 79 cartons mix-loaded with other goods on the truck.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2748379
Exposure to tobacco is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States and as such was noted in the recent US Surgeon General’s report, “The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress”: “The epidemic of smoking-caused disease in the 20th century ranks among the greatest public health catastrophes of the century, while the decline of smoking consequent to tobacco control is surely one of public health’s greatest successes.”1(p33) As the documented consequences of passive tobacco exposure make clear, these observations are as relevant for the pediatric population of this country as they are for adults.
https://lincolnshirereporter.co.uk/2019/01/lincolnshire-county-council-invests-45m-into-tobacco-firms/
Tobacco companies have received more than £45 million investment from Lincolnshire County Council’s pension fund.
Figures published for Lincolnshire County Council’s pension committee next Thursday reveal that one company, British American Tobaccoo, is the fifth highest investment for its pension fund.
The council currently has £2.3 billion in the pension fund, up by £62.8 million in July when it sat at £2.1 billion.
The current investment for British American Tobacco sits at £24.1 million – 1% of the total fund.
This is down from £31.9 million noted in July 2018, however the fund stood at £37.6 million (1.7%) in March 2018.
But the fund did start the year at £19.4 million, according to a report in January.
BAT is not the only tobacco investment the council has made, with more than £21 million going to four others:
Phillip Morris – £11,147,705
Imperial Brands – £4,557,627
Altria Group – £5,543,507
Japan Tobacco – £411,943
The council however, says it has “a legal duty to achieve the best rate of return for the 75,000 pension fund members and ensure its long-term future”.
Jo Ray, the authority’s Pension Fund Manager, said: “For this reason, it maintains a wide and varied portfolio, all of which is managed externally.
“The fund managers seek strong, sustainable companies with good all-round credentials.”
Local authorities have a responsibility under the Health and Social Care Act to improve the health of their local population and promoting healthy communities and behaviours.
Lincolnshire County Council carries out a number of Stop Smoking schemes including its smoke free workplace policy.
It also supports the NHS’ One You Campaign and funds the stop smoking service.
According to council figures, in Lincolnshire there are around 106,000 smokers.
In 2017/18, 5,207 people accessed the council’s commissioned stop smoking service (Quit51).
A spokesman added that on top of this there “will be many more people who have quit or cut down using support from pharmacies, GPs and other services”.
In August, a Guardian report revealed that more than £1.7 billion had been directly invested in tobacco company stocks by healthcare providers, fire authorities and schools via UK council pension funds.
Last September, anti-fracking campaign groups 350.org, Platform and Friends of the Earth revealed that in 2016/17, Lincolnshire invested more than £50million in fracking companies including BP, Royal Dutch Shell, and ConocoPhillips.
This time round, the top ten investments equate to around £258.7 million – 10.9% of the total fund.
Royal Dutch Shell is the council’s highest investment at 33.9 million (1.7%) – up from £33 million in July last year.
The full top ten, with their level of investment and the percentage of the pension fund, is:
Royal Dutch Shell – £39.9 million (1.7%)
Microsoft – £33.6 million (1.4%)
Reckitt Benckiser – £29.6 million (1.2%)
HSBC – £24.2 million (1%)
British American Tobacco – £24.1 million (1%)
Unilever – £22.5 million (1%)
Apple – £22 million (0.9%)
Visa – £21.2 million (0.9%)
BP – £20.7 million (0.9%)
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news.php?id=201105&story_id=50022661&d_str=20181012
Opponents of Carrie Lam’s policy to soon ban e-cigarettes have challenged the government to outlaw traditional cigarettes as well.
Lam’s response: she would not rule out doing so in the long run.
Speaking on radio, Lam said the government’s go-to measure to reduce the smoking population has always been raising the tobacco tax.
But she said she does not need the tobacco tax at all and would not mind a total ban on all cigarettes.
A caller asked: “We all know that cigarettes are harmful to health, but why didn’t you also ban traditional cigarettes? People using e-cigarettes will now turn to traditional cigarettes.”
Lam said since traditional cigarettes have been around for a long time, there are established measures to regulate them.
She added a bold idea like having a timetable to ban traditional cigarettes is possible “because I am relatively bold.”
However, Tsang Kwok-hang of the Asian Vape Association said the policy is like banning air guns but not real guns and said it would wipe out the small and medium-sized e-cigarette enterprises in Hong Kong.
“It’s like taking a step back. The tobacco market is dominated by several companies and this policy would force smaller companies and e-cigarettes stores to close down,” he said.
A dozen newspaper vendors also voiced their concerns, saying they are worried the ban would drive smokers to purchase heated tobacco products from illegal channels.
The group submitted a petition to lawmakers, hoping the government would drop the ban and regulate heated tobacco products, so vendors would not suffer from a loss of sales.
Food and Health Secretary Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the government changed its plan from mere regulating to banning e-cigarettes because it saw a huge backlash from the medical and education sector.
“We also saw studies from the US, Italy and Japan – countries that have not banned but have regulated e-cigarettes – showing that regulation would make it easier for teenagers to try the product,” she said.
Asked if she was worried the ban would force e-cigarette users to turn to traditional cigarettes, Chan said in her experience control policies have been effective in encouraging smokers to quit.