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November, 2012:

Smoking in Movies: A New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Core Surveillance Indicator

Nov 11th, 2012
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Tim McAfee, MD, MPH; Michael Tynan

Suggested citation for this article: McAfee T, Tynan M. Smoking in Movies: A New Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Core Surveillance Indicator. Prev Chronic Dis 2012;9:120261. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd9.120261.

Youth who are heavily exposed to onscreen smoking are approximately 2 to 3 times as likely to begin smoking as youth who are lightly exposed (1), and the Surgeon General concluded that there is a causal relationship between depictions of smoking in the movies and smoking initiation among young people (2). Among the 3 major motion picture companies with policies aimed at reducing tobacco-use incidents in their movies, the number of onscreen incidents per youth-rated movie (rated G, PG, or PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America) decreased 95.8% from 2005 through 2010 (3). These results appeared to indicate that movie companies were making progress at reducing smoking depictions in youth-oriented movies and that a company-by-company approach of adopting voluntary policies could be effective in nearly eliminating youth exposure to tobacco imagery in movies. However, new data from 2011 published by Glantz and colleagues (4) in Preventing Chronic Disease raise serious concerns about this individual company approach.

Glantz and colleagues found that in 2011, depictions of tobacco use per youth-rated movie rebounded; estimated instances of tobacco use in 2011 were more than one-third higher than in 2010 (4). Furthermore, the authors found that the largest increase in tobacco-use incidents in youth-rated movies was among the 3 movie companies that had produced the dramatic decline from 1995 through 2010 and had policies designed to discourage depictions of smoking in their movies. As a result of this sharp rebound, the difference in tobacco-use incidents per youth-rated movie between companies with policies and companies without policies diminished in 2011 (4). This difference suggests that individual company policies may not be sufficient to sustain a reduction in youth exposure to tobacco-use and other pro-tobacco imagery in movies and that more formal, industry-wide policies are needed.

The World Health Organization and other public health groups have recommended formal policies aimed at eliminating smoking in the movies (5,6). These policies include awarding an R rating to any movie with smoking or other tobacco-use imagery (with exceptions for portrayal of actual historical figures who smoked or the portrayal of negative effects of tobacco use), certifying that no payments have been received by studios for depicting tobacco use in movies, and ending the onscreen depiction of real tobacco brands.

Reducing smoking and tobacco use in youth-oriented movies is not a niche issue. The Surgeon General has concluded that there is a causal relationship between depictions of smoking in movies and smoking initiation among young people, and the US Department of Health and Human Services has set a goal of reducing youth exposure to onscreen smoking (7). Furthermore, among the nationwide goals set by Healthy People 2020, one of the objectives is the reduction of onscreen tobacco use imagery in youth-oriented movies and on television (8). These goals and objectives were set because the population-attributable risk associated with onscreen tobacco imagery is significant (9,10).

To assess progress toward the Healthy People 2020 objective, the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will now track and report annually on tobacco use imagery in youth-oriented movies as a core surveillance indicator by using the methods described in previous CDC publications (3,4). These data will be added to regular CDC reports to the public on smoking prevalence among youth and adults, total and per-capita cigarette consumption, and progress on tobacco control policies.

One of the major conclusions in the Surgeon General’s 2012 report on preventing tobacco use (2) was that after years of steady progress, declines in tobacco use by youth and young adults have slowed for cigarette smoking and have stalled for smokeless tobacco use (2). Each day in the United States, approximately 3,800 young people younger than 18 years smoke their first cigarette, and approximately 1,000 youth younger than 18 years become daily cigarette smokers (2). More than one-third of these smokers will eventually suffer and die from smoking-related illness. We all have a responsibility to prevent youth from becoming tobacco users, and the movie industry has a responsibility to protect our youth from exposure to tobacco use and other pro-tobacco imagery in movies that are produced and rated as appropriate for children and adolescents. Eliminating tobacco imagery in movies is an important step that should be easy to take.

Author Information

Corresponding Author: Tim McAfee, MD, MPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking and Health, 4770 Buford Hwy, NE, Mailstop K50, Atlanta, GA 30341. Telephone:  770-488-5709 . E-Mail: mtt4@cdc.gov.

Author Affiliations: Michael Tynan, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.

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References

  1. National Cancer Institute. Tobacco control monograph 19: the role of the media in promoting and reducing tobacco use. Bethesda (MD): US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute; 2008.
  2. A report of the Surgeon General: preventing tobacco use among youth and young adults: a report of the Surgeon General, 2012. Atlanta (GA): US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health; 2012
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Smoking in top-grossing movies — United States, 2010. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2011;60(27):910–3.
  4. Glantz SA, Iaccopucci A, Titus K, Polansky JR. Smoking in top-grossing US movies, 2011. Prev Chronic Dis 2012;9:E150. CrossRef PubMed
  5. Sargent JD, Tanski SE, Gibson J. Exposure to movie smoking among US adolescents aged 10 to 14 years: a population estimate. Pediatrics 2007;119(5):e1167–76.CrossRef PubMed
  6. World Health Organization. Smoke-free movies: from evidence to action. Geneva (CH): World Health Organization; 2009. http://www.who.int/tobacco/smoke_free_movies/en. Accessed 10/18/2012
  7. Ending the tobacco epidemic: a tobacco control strategic action plan for the US Department of Health and Human Services. Washington (DC): US Department of Health and Human Services; 2010.
  8. Tobacco use. In: Healthy people 2020. Washington (DC): US Department of Health and Human Services; 2010.
  9. Sargent JD, Tanski S, Stoolmiller M. Influence of motion picture rating on adolescent response to movie smoking. Pediatrics 2012;130(2):228–36. CrossRef PubMed
  10. Millett C, Glantz SA. Assigning an “18” rating to movies with tobacco imagery is essential to reduce youth smoking. Thorax 2010;65(5):377–8. Erratum in: Thorax 2010;65(9):844. CrossRef PubMed

Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Nov 11th, 2012
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http://apps.who.int/gb/fctc/E/E_cop5.htm

Report to the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties of the Chairperson1 of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body on a Protocol on Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products

Nov 11th, 2012
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Download PDF : FCTC_COP5_7-en

Draft protocol to eliminate illicit trade in tobacco products

Nov 11th, 2012
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Download PDF : FCTC_COP_INB-IT5_5-en

Out of puff: Lazard’s Ryan cuts overvalued tobacco stocks

Nov 11th, 2012
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http://www.investmentweek.co.uk/investment-week/news/2223652/out-of-puff-lazards-ryan-cuts-overvalued-tobacco-stocks

Lazard’s global equity income fund manager Pat Ryan has warned investors off buying tobacco companies after the rush to buy safe haven-style stocks sent valuations sky-rocketing.

Speaking to Investment Week, Ryan said he has removed the last of his exposure to the sector within his fund, with legal risks and declining volumes leaving them looking vulnerable.

“They are now trading at a premium to the broad market, but people are overlooking the litigation risks in these stocks,” he said.

Tobacco companies remain among the largest and most popular stocks in the UK market, with British American Tobacco (BAT) appearing among the top 10 of 44% of funds in the UK Equity Income sector, according to data from FE.

Globally names including Reynolds American and Altria have also been popular.

The UK-listed stocks have delivered very strong returns for investors in the past decade, with British American Tobacco delivering a total return of 661.44% over the period, while Imperial Tobacco returned 230.54%, according to Morningstar.

However, Ryan and other managers are growing concerned over the outlook for the sector. PSigma’s Bill Mott, as well as Liontrust’s Stephen Bailey and RLAM’s Martin Cholwill, have significantly cut their tobacco holdings in recent weeks amid fears over the impact of plain packaging rules being introduced in Australia.

A key market for cigarette manufacturers, the country is bringing in plain packaging rules next month, meaning brand names will be removed from packets, and other countries are poised to follow suit. Managers believe this could cause margins to decline if smokers turn their backs on certain brands.

Ryan said there were also other worries for the sector. “Volumes go down in developed markets every year, and we removed the last of our exposure recently,” he said.

Read more: http://www.investmentweek.co.uk/investment-week/news/2223652/out-of-puff-lazards-ryan-cuts-overvalued-tobacco-stocks#ixzz2C0azckhy
Investment Week – News and analysis for investment advisors and wealth managers. Claim your free subscription today.

Healthier Crops

Nov 11th, 2012
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http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/381001/healthier-crops

By AMBASSADOR JOSE A. ZAIDE

November 11, 2012, 6:53pm

US Submariners Learn To Live Without Smokes – News item. It’s a tough tour of duty for smokers in nuclear-tipped, filter-tipped submarines.

Never mind the PH ban on nuclear weapons. Non-smoking US subs are welcome to enter Makati’s no-smoking ordinance zone.

On Atty. Ignacio Bunye’s “Central Banking for every Juan and Maria,” as a non-practicing economics graduate of Fr. Michael McPhelin, SJ, I will be at the Nov. 16 launch at Fully Booked on Nov. 16 and get myself a copy to learn to save or make my money work for me.

Our very own Kevin Balot won the “Miss International 2012” title for transsexuals at Pattaya, Thailand. I cave in… Patay kang bata ka!

To beat my editor’s deadline for this Monday article, I just cut-and-pasted the item headlined: HEALTH GROUPS TO TOBACCO FARMERS: WE ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY.

(CAVEAT: I did not write the following article. The opinions expressed are neither mine nor that of the management, but a verbatim press release of an NGO group. Have patience till the last!)

“MANILA, Philippines – With the recent celebration of World Tobacco Growers Day, tobacco farmers slammed the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), claiming that they have always been consistently deaf to the plight of tobacco farmers and stakeholders. However, on November 12-17, health representatives from all over the world will converge in Seoul, South Korea, for the 5th Conference of Parties (COP5) to discuss the FCTC. Part of its agenda includes Articles 17 and 18, which ensures the protection of tobacco farmers.

“The WHO FCTC is not your enemy, we are not your enemy,’ said Irene Reyes, Managing Director of HealthJustice, a public health policy NGO. “In fact, although the first mandate of the FCTC is to reduce smoking prevalence, one of its guiding principles stresses the importance of technical and financial assistance to ensure that those whose livelihoods are affected by tobacco control are given suitable alternatives.’

“Southeast Asian Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) Director Bungon Ritthiphakdee said that the International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA), a known tobacco industry front group, is ‘clearly perpetuating a falsehood – a strategy also used by the tobacco industry in other parts of the world – that the tobacco control measures to which the Philippines is committed will leave them all twisting in the wind. This is not true. In fact, 15% of the incremental revenues from excise tax allocation goes into the welfare of farmers to take care of them.’

“Health groups also condemned the statements of Philippine Tobacco Growers Association President Saturnino Distor, who said that the WHO proposals ‘put the lives of some 2.7 million tobacco farmers and their dependents at risk without offering them economically viable alternative crops.’

“Former tobacco farmer Avelino ‘Ka Abe’ Dacanay has shifted to planting corn, which he says earns him more money due to its multiple rotations. ‘Hindi Sin Tax ang papatay satobacco industry, kundi ang di tama na pagbigay ng presyo sa tobacco. Ang industriya ang dapat ikatakot ng mga magsasaka,’ he says.

“Ka Abe is also a representative of the Solidarity of Peasants Against Exploitation, better known as Stop-Ex. He now fights for farmers’ rights in the country.

“Studies show that crops such as corn, peppers, onions, and tomatoes stand to earn farmers a bigger profit as compared to tobacco. ‘COP5 aims to discuss the guidelines on the implementation of alternative livelihood for tobacco farmers so that the government can invest in programs that can help them shift to these healthier and more profitable crops,’ continues Reyes.” FEEDBACK: jaz_aide@yahoo.com

Outrage over tobacco funds for Red Cross

Nov 10th, 2012
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http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Outrage_over_tobacco_funds_for_Red_Cross.html?cid=33931108

The entrance to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva - before current transformation work

Image Caption: The entrance to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva – before current transformation work (Keystone)

Campaigners are fuming over donations made by Japanese Tobacco International (JTI) to the Geneva-based International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum and to the Geneva Red Cross. Red Cross officials, however, downplay the controversy.

According to the Tribune de Genève newspaper, the European Respiratory Society, the World Heart Federation, local anti-smoking associations Cipret and OxyRomandie and representatives from Lausanne University have sent letters of protest to the museum urging them to end a partnership with JTI.

They claim that one of the fundamental principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement – to protect life and health and respect human beings – has been violated by accepting an undisclosed financial donation from the manufacturer of Camel and Winston cigarettes.

“[Red Cross founder] Henri Dunant must be turning in his grave,” said Cipret President Jean-Luc Forni.

Since their first letter sent to the museum in July, a reference to the partnership has reportedly disappeared from the JTI website.

The firm however confirmed to Tribune de Genève that the “JTI Foundation has supported the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum on several occasions in 2011”.

Museum Director Roger Mayou confirmed that the support consisted of a donation, “among dozens of others”, towards the extension and transformation of the building, which is located next to the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva.

The museum closed last year for major building work – SFr13million budget funded by private donors and Geneva city authorities – and is due to re-open in 2013.

Mayou said he was surprised by the campaigners’ reactions and added that the foundation board was considering what steps to take regarding the letters. The partnership with JTI continues for the moment, however.

” [Red Cross founder] Henri Dunant must be turning in his grave. ”
Cipret President Jean-Luc Forni

Red Cross guidelines

OxyRomandie President Pascal Diethelm declared that, in line with World Health Organization (WHO) accords signed by Switzerland, sponsorship of community or health organisations by the tobacco industry should be banned.

JTI’s support is also contrary to internal health-related Red Cross guidelines governing partnerships with the private sector, he added.

Article 23 of Red Cross regulations concerning the use of the Red Cross or Red Crescent emblems by national societies states that any ties with firms whose activities include the sale or manufacture of weapons, alcohol, tobacco, or products that are clearly identified as harmful to the environment should be avoided.

The Geneva Red Cross has also reportedly received donations from JTI. Geneva Red Cross President Guy Mettan felt the donations it received from JTI were valid, however. He did not understand why a “perfectly legitimate firm” was being discriminated against.

“After all it’s not an arms manufacturer,” he told the Tribune de Genève. “This is all a poor trial. The Red Cross doesn’t make any distinction between its donors. All humans are equal; that’s exactly what Henri Dunant said.”

Despite a ban on smoking in public places, tobacco is still grown in Switzerland.

URL of this article

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Outrage_over_tobacco_funds_for_Red_Cross.html?cid=33931108

Supermarket halts tobacco sales

Nov 10th, 2012
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http://www.irvineherald.co.uk/ayrshire-news/scottish-news/2012/11/10/supermarket-halts-tobacco-sales-75485-32208441/

Nov 10 2012

Sainsbury’s is to stop selling tobacco in six more supermarkets in response to a Scottish Government levy.

On Monday, the company will stop the sale of tobacco products in stores in Drumchapel, Garthdee, Hamilton, Saltcoats, Livingston and Leven.

This move will extend a trial that was launched in May at three supermarkets and one convenience store.

Sainsbury’s took this action after a new health levy introduced by the Scottish Government in April.

The new business rates apply to large retailers who sell tobacco and alcohol and goes towards tackling the costs of problems associated with these two types of product.

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said: “The impact of the Levy, introduced by the Scottish Government, has led us to undertake a review of the sale of tobacco in our Scottish stores.”

The trial had been extended in order for the business to learn more about the effects of removing tobacco from supermarkets in Scotland and gather customer feedback. There is no end date set for the trial.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The public health supplement was introduced in recognition of Scotland’s well-documented health and social problems associated with alcohol and tobacco use.

“This Government is already taking action to reduce to reduce alcohol and tobacco-related harm through legislation to introduce minimum pricing for alcohol and banning tobacco displays.

“The public health supplement will contribute towards the preventative spend measures that are being taken forward jointly with the Scottish Government, Local Authorities, the NHS and the Third Sector.”

WHO urges tax hike on tobacco

Nov 9th, 2012
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Updated: 2012-11-09 08:02

By Shan Juan and Wang Qingyun (China Daily)

China’s tobacco tax rate is still among the world’s lowest, and the government should increase it to help curb a smoking epidemic that afflicts more than 300 million people on the mainland, according to the World Health Organization.

About half of Chinese smokers spend 5 yuan (80 US cents) or less on a pack of 20 cigarettes, which is “much, much lower than the average cost in developed countries,” said Angela Pratt, technical officer of the Tobacco Free Initiative in the WHO office in China.

Pratt made her remarks at a media briefing to prepare for Friday’s launch of the Chinese-language translation of the WHO Technical Manual on Tobacco Tax Administration.

According to the manual, which was first published in 2010, total taxes on cigarettes account for about 50 percent of the average retail price for cigarettes at the global level, with the average price of a packet being $2.53. The lower-middle-income countries have both lower tobacco prices and lower rates of tobacco taxation.

The excise tax rate in China is 36 percent or 56 percent for cigarettes with different factory prices, official statistics show.

“Designing tobacco taxes that deliver on the objectives of reducing smoking rates and increasing revenue to governments, there is a bunch of technical work that goes into that. This document has been designed to assist policymakers in government to do that,” Pratt said. “Our intention in translating the document is to make the information accessible to officials and others in China.”

Pratt said China is considered to be a middle-income country, but the price of its tobacco products fits more into the lower-middle-income group.

Also, data from the WHO show that the average annual per capita income required to buy 100 packets of the cheapest cigarettes in China has dropped from 14 percent in 2000 to 3 percent in 2010.

“As China’s economy has been growing rapidly over the past two decades, the price of cigarettes has not grown at a commensurate rate, which means cigarettes, already cheap, have become more affordable over time,” she said.

Helen Yu, public information officer of WHO China, agreed, saying the manual recommendations are based on the best practices around the globe.

WHO has recommended that at least 70 percent of the retail price of cigarettes come from excise taxes to effectively reduce tobacco consumption, yet it says the excise tax accounts for only about 25 percent in tobacco’s retail price in China.

Liang Ji, associate professor of the Research Institute for Fiscal Science under the Ministry of Finance, said there is plenty of room for further tax hikes.

In 2009, Chinese authorities hiked tobacco taxes by at least 6 percent, mostly on relatively expensive brands.

“But that didn’t affect cigarette retail prices, particularly the low-end brands, as tobacco companies chose to absorb the tax increase to maintain consumers,” she said.

To address that, Liang suggested the taxation authority keep raising the tax to squeeze the profit margins of tobacco producers as much as possible until they increase retail prices.

China set up a State monopoly of the tobacco industry in the early 1980s, and it now produces more than 2.3 trillion cigarettes each year, accounting for 40 percent of the world’s total, official statistics showed.

During the past 10 years, the industry has contributed 7 to 10 percent of the total annual central government revenues, official statistics showed.

Contact the writers at shanjuan@chinadaily.com.cn and wangqingyun@chinadaily.com.cn

LETTER: Industry is complicit

Nov 9th, 2012
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http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/letters/2012/11/09/letter-industry-is-complicit

Opinion & Analysis / Letters

LETTER: Industry is complicit

by , November 09 2012, 06:55 | 0 Comment(s)

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Tobacco industry cries foul on proposed WHO regulations

Illegal cigarettes costing billions in lost taxes

THE tobacco industry organising a conference against tobacco smuggling is akin to Al Capone sponsoring an anti-bootlegging symposium (Customs lets loose copper-sniffing dogs to fight smuggling, November 6).

The industry is part of the problem and not part of the solution. Multinational cigarette company executives have been found guilty of complicity in cigarette smuggling and tax evasion on a huge scale by the courts in Canada, Hong Kong and South Africa.

With perverse timing, the industry conference precedes a World Health Organisation meeting in Korea next week that is likely to adopt a treaty against the illicit trade in tobacco.

The draft treaty provides for international co-operation between parties against smuggling and a clampdown on the illegal activities of the manufacturers.

It proposes securing the supply chain by introducing a global tracking and tracing system, and requires manufacturers to be licensed and to exercise due diligence. So the solution is not to ask the fox to guard the hen house but to defang the fox.

Dr Yussuf Saloojee

National Council Against Smoking

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