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July, 2015:

Six-year-olds in Hong Kong admit trying e-cigarettes, Caritas survey reveals

Jul 13th, 2015
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Danny Lee danny.lee@scmp.com

Children as young as six have admitted trying electronic cigarettes, a survey conducted by social welfare group Caritas has found, bringing calls for tighter regulation of the devices and a ban on sales to under-18s.

“We now know that children can easily access e-cigarettes and parents just do not know what’s going on – and the government is not regulating it,” said Lam Wai-fan, a social work supervisor for Caritas.

Of 361 primary school children under the age of 12 surveyed, 3 per cent said they had tried e-cigarettes at least once. About 20 per cent said they knew where to buy the products.

Caritas recommended the government legislate against the sale of e-cigarettes, including banning sales to those under 18.

It also called for the labelling of all chemicals contained in the devices, while providing more guidance for parents on the side-effects on children. Caritas said schools should be mandated to deploy “preventative education”.

Dr Kelvin Wang Man-ping, an expert in public health and tobacco control at the University of Hong Kong, said that while no study had been conducted on the health effects of e-cigarettes on young children, concentrations of heavy metals such as lead were a particular concern.

Stephen Kai Ping-chung, chairman of the Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations in Kwun Tong, said children looked at e-cigarettes as toys and would not understand the health risks.

“Some e-cigarettes come with different flavours like coke, strawberry and lemon. It’s sweet and children will be more curious to taste,” Kai said. He argued that such flavourings could lead to addiction.

The government is still deliberating on whether to regulate or ban e-cigarettes.

A spokeswoman for the Health Bureau said: “Given the apparent health effect and hazards arising from the use of e-cigarettes, the wider long-term impact to young people and the recommendation of the World Health Organisation, we propose strengthening the existing legislation and prohibiting the import, manufacture, sale, distribution, and advertising of e-cigarettes.”

The Asian Vape Association, a lobby group set up by e-cigarette companies, previously told the Post that a government ban would be irresponsible without scientific proof, although it supported regulation of the devices.

“It is irresponsible for the government to prohibit personal vaporisers with no scientific basis,” a spokesman said.

“If they are worried about harmful substances, they should regulate them instead of banning them.”

Source URL: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1838184/six-year-olds-hong-kong-admit-trying-e-cigarettes

No E-cigs legally registered here: None passed the EMSD tests

Jul 13th, 2015
by AdminCTA.
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New tobacco control measures require further consultation

Jul 13th, 2015
by Editor.
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http://www.ejinsight.com/20150713-new-tobacco-control-measures-require-further-consultation/

At a meeting of the health services committee of the Legislative Council on May 18, the administration proposed three new measures on tobacco control.

These include changing the prescribed form of health warning and indication of tar and nicotine levels on the cigarette packet, designating bus interchange facilities located at the tunnel portal areas as statutory non-smoking areas, and imposing regulations on electronic cigarettes.

Among the new measures, the proposals that the size of the graphic health warning sign that covers the cigarette packet should be increased from the current 50 percent to 85 percent of the total surface area of the packet and that the variety of the health warning signs should be increased from 6 to 12 kinds have become a cause for concern for the tobacco industry.

It is reported that the tobacco industry will be given a grace period of six months to comply with the new packaging rules. But representatives of the sector said the government has never consulted them about the new measures, nor has it notified them of the details of the new regulations.

In fact, the new measures would already have been gazetted in June had it not been for the objection raised by some members of the health services panel, who demanded greater consultation over the new policies with all the stakeholders.

Then at the request of the panel, a special meeting was held on July 6, during which representatives of the tobacco industry were present and gave their views.

While it remains open to question whether increasing the size of the graphic health warning sign on the cigarette packet can really reduce the number of smokers, at that meeting representatives of the industry said the tobacco tax hikes in recent years have given rise to smuggled and counterfeit cigarettes and created incentives for black market sales, which have already reached epidemic proportions in the community.

They also said if the size of the graphic health warning sign was increased to 85 percent of the total surface area of the cigarette packet, manufacturers would be unable to put on anti-counterfeit labels on the packet, making it almost impossible for consumers to tell whether what they bought is the genuine product.

Although various sectors of our society have already reached a consensus on smoking ban in public places, and the majority of the public are well aware of the potential health risks of smoking, I believe the government should still follow due process and fully consult the industry, listen to their views and find out their difficulties in complying with the new measures in order to ensure the feasibility of the new regulations.

Moreover, the administration has yet to provide any conclusive research evidence that can convince members of the panel as well as the tobacco industry that increasing the size of the graphic health warning sign on the cigarette packet can really put off smokers and encourage them to quit smoking.

After all, there are only three countries in the world where tobacco manufacturers are legally required to cover 85 percent of the cigarette packet with graphic health warnings.

Whenever the government introduces new policy initiatives, we hope that the administration can always consult all the stakeholders including the industry and our citizens and listen to their views, based on which officials can then strike a balance among the different interests and concerns of the various stakeholders and come up with a final proposal that is acceptable to all parties.

As a member of the health services community, I am a steadfast supporter of smoking bans. However, the fact that I am against smoking doesn’t mean I will turn a blind eye to any government attempt to skip standard procedures in the course of policy formulation, because I believe the government is always under the obligation to listen to the views of stakeholders before any new policy is introduced.

Since the new measures proposed by the administration are not a matter of great urgency, nor will they affect tax revenues, I don’t see any reason why the government should enforce the controversial regulations so hastily despite serious doubts among major stakeholders.

WHO REPORT On THE glObal TObaCCO EPidEmiC, 2015

Jul 12th, 2015
by AdminCTA.
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Time to Quit: Australian health experts urge Hong Kong to adopt plain cigarette packaging

Jul 11th, 2015
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http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1835736/adopt-plain-cigarette-packaging-cut-smoking-rate

Ben Westcott ben.westcott@scmp.com

Smokers in Hong Kong spend an average of HK$20,440 a year, a study found in May.

Australian public health experts have called on Hong Kong to follow their country’s example by introducing tougher restrictions on cigarettes, including larger warnings and plain packaging. Since Australia introduced plain packaging in 2012, sales of cigarettes have plunged and the number of smokers has dropped, as surveys show smoking becoming less attractive to consumers. “Most smokers don’t want to be smokers,” said Professor Simon Chapman, of the University of Sydney School of Public Health. “Plain packaging is a constant reminder, every time you take it out, with those massive health warnings, about what the consequences of smoking are.”

Australia introduced standardised plain packaging for cigarettes in 2012

Australia introduced standardised plain packaging for cigarettes in 2012

Hong Kong’s Food and Health Bureau is campaigning for larger health warnings on cigarette packets, increasing the amount of space covered from 50 to 85 per cent. The government already puts health warnings on packets and is planning to expand them, along with banning e-cigarettes. Tobacco companies and smokers have strongly opposed the new measures, which the Legislative Council is planning to vote on this year. But Australian experts have encouraged Hong Kong to go further, using mandatory, unattractive packaging to further discourage smokers.

“France has announced it is [introducing plain packaging],” Chapman said. “Ireland and the United Kingdom have announced they are doing it. I just saw Hungary is likely to do it. South Africa, Brazil, Chile are all talking about doing it.” Chapman said it was only a matter of time until the whole world adopted plain-packaging, as it had with health warnings on packets. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, total expenditure on tobacco and cigarettes in March this year fell to the lowest ever recorded, dropping by A$600 million (HK$3.46 billion) since the introduction of plain packaging, or 15 per cent.

In addition, smoking rates fell from 15.9 per cent to 13.3 per cent of the adult population in 2013.

“The evidence about the impact of plain packaging in Australia is extremely encouraging,” the president of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, Professor Mike Daube, told the Post.

“Research reports in prestigious peer-reviewed journals show that attitudes to smoking and cigarette packs are heading in the predicted directions among adults and young people. “I would strongly recommend plain packaging to governments … as a key component of tobacco control strategies.”

Quitting is so hard

Jul 11th, 2015
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British American Tobacco is ending operations in Chile

Jul 10th, 2015
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July 9 2015

British American Tobacco is closing its operations in Chile because of changes to the country’s tobacco law, the company announced Thursday.

The world’s No. 2 cigarette maker, which produces brands like Dunhill, Lucky Strike and Pall Mall, objects to changes that include banning additives like menthol and adding larger warnings to cigarette packs about the risks of smoking.

The Chilean unit of the company called the toughening of Chile’s tobacco law “unconstitutional and arbitrary.”

“We deeply regret what has been approved by the Senate, a decision that will affect thousands of Chileans who were working legally and responsibly for more than 100 years,” the company said in a statement.

British American Tobacco says the modifications approved by Chile’s Senate this week would affect its business and hurt a “significant number of farmers and workers” who produce and sell tobacco in the country.

The company, which has operated in Chile since 1909, says it’ll start the phase-out by firing 20 percent of its nearly 1,000 employees. It estimates about $400 million could be lost with the menthol ban and warning label changes.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/cb9d0bbdc24746b48fffc00e01bf812e/british-american-tobacco-ending-operations-chile

Smoking tobacco might increase risk of schizophrenia, say researchers

Jul 10th, 2015
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http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jul/10/smoking-tobacco-might-increase-risk-schizophrenia-say-researchers-psychosis

Analysis of studies on smoking tobacco and psychosis, of which schizophrenia is most common type, suggests smoking may be causal factor in itself

Sarah Boseley Health editor

Smoking cigarettes might increase people’s risk of psychosis, say researchers who believe tobacco as well as cannabis could play a part in causing schizophrenia.

It has long been recognised that people suffering from psychosis tend to smoke more than most of the population, but it has generally been assumed they are self-medicating. “Having psychosis is a very distressing thing – hearing voices, having delusions,” said Dr James MacCabe from King’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, one of the authors of a new study.

“The argument goes, why wouldn’t people smoke to alleviate the distress?” They might hope it would help with the symptoms and their impaired thinking processes and possibly counter the side-effects of antipsychotic drugs, he said.

But an analysis of a number of studies on smoking tobacco and psychosis, published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, now shows that smoking may be a causal factor in itself.

The researchers found that daily smokers had an increased risk of psychosis. More than half – 57% – of people arriving at mental health services with their first episode were smokers, which is nearly three times the normal occurrence in the population. Smokers experienced psychosis one year earlier than non-smokers.

“We can’t say that we have proof that cigarette smoking causes schizophrenia,” said Sir Robin Murray, professor of psychiatric research at King’s. “Indeed it is very difficult to point to any particular factor and say it causes schizophrenia. It is a bit like heart disease – there are a number of risk factors. You inherit some vulnerability and … are exposed to various things which increase the risk to your life.”

Cannabis is known to cause psychosis and schizophrenia. The authors say they could not be certain that all the studies they looked at had completely accounted for cannabis use. However, they are certain there is a modest effect caused by tobacco alone.

There are biologically plausible reasons why smoking may be linked to psychosis. “Excess dopamine is the best biological explanation we have for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia,” said Murray. “It is possible that nicotine exposure, by increasing the release of dopamine, causes psychosis to develop.” A number of other drugs can stimulate dopamine production, including amphetamines, cocaine and cannabis.

There are also genetic clues – a small number of DNA sequences (called SNPs) are known to be implicated in both schizophrenia and smoking.

“While it is always hard to determine the direction of causality, our findings indicate that smoking should be taken seriously as a possible risk factor for developing psychosis, and not dismissed simply as a consequence of the illness,” said MacCabe.

Prof Michael Owen, director of the Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences at Cardiff University, said this paper, together with a previous study carried out in Sweden, “make a pretty strong case that smoking is of causal relevance to schizophrenia”.

He hoped that further genetic investigation might help untangle the relationship. “The fact is that it is very hard to prove causation without a randomised trial, but there are plenty of good reasons already for targeting public health measures very energetically at the mentally ill,” he said.

Hong Kong foils smuggling of cigarettes

Jul 9th, 2015
by AdminCTA.
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HONG KONG, July 9 (Xinhua) — Hong Kong Customs announced on Thursday that 100,000 sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes with a market value of about 270,000 HK dollars (about 34,800 U.S. dollars) were seized in an operation on July 7.

Officers of the Customs Marine Enforcement Group in the evening on July 7 intercepted a suspicious fishing vessel towing a small craft in the waters off Cheung Chau, an outlying island of Hong Kong.

After a thorough search, the suspected illicit cigarettes, with a duty potential of about 200,000 HK dollar, were found in the compartments of the small craft and the fishing vessel.

A 65-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman on board were arrested and the vessels were detained.

Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling and buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty on conviction is a fine of 1 million HK dollars and imprisonment for two years. (1 U.S. dollar = 7.75 HK dollars).

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=291656

US Chamber of Commerce Shifts Right As It Courts Tobacco Companies, Climate Change Deniers

Jul 9th, 2015
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https://news.vice.com/article/us-chamber-of-commerce-shifts-right-as-it-courts-tobacco-companies-climate-change-deniers

By John Dyer

July 9, 2015 | 6:15 am

The political Rottweiler of American business, the United States Chamber of Commerce, has been losing fans.

On Tuesday, pharmaceutical mega-chain CVS quit the chamber, citing a recent New York Times expose about its foreign affiliates lobbying against tobacco regulations around the world, from bans on cigarette advertisements to excise tax hikes and restrictions on smoking in public. Last year, CVS stopped selling tobacco, losing $2 billion in annual sales to overhaul its image to be more health-oriented. At the same time, the Rhode Island-based drugstore chain, the second largest in the country, contributed US$750,000 to the chamber as its representatives lobbied against anti-smoking laws in Moldova, New Zealand and Uruguay, reported CNN Money. “We were surprised to read recent press reports concerning the US Chamber of Commerce’s position on tobacco products outside the United States,” said CVS Senior Vice President David Palombi in a statement cited in reports. “CVS Health’s purpose is to help people on their path to better health, and we fundamentally believe tobacco use is in direct conflict with this purpose.”

Related: Public Health Experts Say Tobacco Industry Up to Old Tricks in Pushing E-Cigarettes

The chamber said CVS’s departure was unfortunate and labeled the New York Times’ coverage as part of a misinformation campaign.

“To be clear, the Chamber does not support smoking and wants people to quit,” said a chamber statement. “We promote wellness nationally and globally and we sponsor smoking cessation plans for our own employees. At the same time, we support protecting the intellectual property and trademarks of all legal products in all industries and oppose singling out certain industries for discriminatory treatment.”

CVS acknowledged the Chamber of Commerce’s heft on Capitol Hill, where it represents corporate interests that generally align with conservative Republicans. But Palombi also took a parting shot as he walked out the door.

“We believe the chamber has advocated for many important causes over the years, and we thank them for their leadership on these issues,” said Palombi’s statement. “Given the leadership position we took last year in removing tobacco products from our stores, however, we have decided to withdraw our membership in the chamber.”

The chamber spends almost US$20 million, more on lobbying than any other Washington interest group, underwriting candidates and engaging the resources of massive companies to sway lawmakers and regulators, according to OpenSecrets.org.

For all its vaunted strength, however, the chamber isn’t omnipotent.

In 2009, the Washington Post revealed that the chamber was looking to hire an economist to conduct a study to reach the preordained conclusion — damn the evidence — that the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, was hurting the American economy. “The job qualifications…include the ability to know the outcome of the study before the study begins,” the Post wrote.

Related: Meet the ‘Merchants of Doubt’ Who Sow Confusion about Tobacco Smoke and Climate Change

A few years ago, Yahoo! quit the chamber due to differing positions on intellectual property. In 2009, Apple and a host of other companies left over disagreements concerning the chamber’s support for climate change deniers.

The chamber claims to represent 3 million businesses, but Mother Jones ran a story a few years ago suggesting Donohue has been inflating its membership. The left-leaning magazine estimated the chamber really had around 300,000 members.

“For some reason, the media continues to use that 3 million member figure and it’s just plain wrong,” said the president the nonpartisan Center for Political Accountability, Bruce Freed, in an interview with VICE News. “It allows the chamber to be a blowfish — much larger than it really is.”

It’s clear why CVS left the chamber, said Freed. But he also chided the drugstore chain for not knowing that the chamber was trying to gut smoking rules in former Soviet republics, South Pacific Islands and South America.

“They should have known about it,” said Freed. “The problem is, companies do not request or seek the type of information they need about what their association is doing and how their money is being used.”

Follow John Dyer on Twitter: @johnjdyerjr

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