February, 2011:

Tobacco is as addictive as heroin (as a mood & behavior altering agent)

Feb 25th, 2011

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25 FEB 2011

university of minnesota

DEPARTMENT OF PERIODONTOLOGY

Tobacco is as addictive as heroin (as a mood & behavior altering agent).

Nicotine is:

1. 1000 X more potent than alcohol

2. 10-100 X more potent than barbiturates

3. 5-10 X more potent than cocaine or morphine

A 1-2 pack per day smoker takes 200-400 hits daily for years. This constant intake of a fast acting drug (which affects mood, concentration & performance).. eventually produces dependence.

Pressures to relapse are both behaviorally & pharmacologically triggered.

Quitting involves a significantly serious psychological loss… a serious life style change.

NICOTINE — Botanical insecticide. Pure nicotine is a tobacco extract highly toxic to warm-blooded animals. The insecticide usually is marketed as a 40% liquid concentrate of nicotine sulfate, which is diluted in water and applied as a spray. Dusts can irritate the skin and are not normally available for garden use. Nicotine is used primarily for piercing sucking-insects such as aphids, whiteflies, leaf hoppers and thrips. Nicotine is more effective when applied during warm weather. It degrades quickly, so can be used on many food plants nearing harvest. It is registered for use on a wide range of vegetable and fruit crops.

Catastrophic brain injury after nicotine insecticide ingestion. Division of Emergency Medicine, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA. Abstract Much attention has been paid to the long-term toxic and carcinogenic effects of nicotine-containing substances, particularly tobacco. Although rare, acute ingestions of large amounts of nicotine can produce rapid and dramatic toxicity. We present a case of an ingestion of a nicotine sulfate solution by a 15-year-old boy resulting in hypoxia and irreversible encephalopathy. The diagnosis of acute nicotine toxicity potentially could be delayed due to the fact that nicotine and cotinine are so commonly found on drug screens that they are considered “normal variants.”

British American Tobacco’s partnership with Earthwatch Europe and its implications for public health.

Feb 23rd, 2011

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Glob Public Health. 2011 Feb 23:1-15. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21347934

Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

PMID: 21347934 [PubMed – as supplied by publisher]

Abstract

This paper explores a partnership between British American Tobacco (BAT) and the environmental organisation Earthwatch Europe (EE)

http://www.earthwatch.org/europe/ and considers its implications for countries implementing Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. We reviewed approximately 100 internal BAT documents, interviewed EE’s former executive director and examined media accounts and BAT and EE websites. We analysed materials by reviewing them iteratively, identifying themes, constructing a timeline of events and assembling a case study. BAT sought a partnership with EE to gain a global ally that could provide entree into the larger non-governmental organisation (NGO) community. EE debated the ethics of working with BAT, resolving them in BAT’s favour and taking a narrow view of its own overall organisational mission. To protect its reputation, EE delayed public disclosure of the partnership. Instead, EE promoted it to policy-makers and other NGOs, extending BAT’s reputation and reach into influential circles. The potential for normalising the tobacco industry presence within government through NGO partnerships and the benefits that accrued to BAT even when the partnership was not being publicised show why governments seeking to protect effective tobacco control policies from industry influence need to consider ways to identify and discourage ‘hidden’ NGO partnerships.

Australia’s plain cigarette packaging debate could have domino effect overseas

Feb 23rd, 2011

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http://www.packagingmag.com.au/news/australias-plain-cigarette-packaging-debate-c–1

Australia’s plain cigarette packaging debate could have domino effect overseas

The Federal Government’s plan to force all tobacco companies to sell cigarettes in plain packaging later this year could have a domino effect overseas.

According to ABC News, the European Union’s latest tobacco products directive is now being revised. Also, researcher Dr Crawford Moodie from Stirling University in Scotland has said that if the push for plain packaging is successful in Australia, other countries will follow.

“Really, the eyes of the world will be on what happens in Australia,” he told ABC News.

The enforcement of plain packaging will mean tobacco companies will not be able to display colours, brands, logos or promotional text on cigarette packets.

Research by Citigroup predicts smoking will die out in Australia by 2030 – only two years before Sweden, and a whole decade ahead of the UK – according to the ABC.

Professor of Health Policy at Curtin University, Mike Daube, said that he hoped cigarettes would no longer be sold in the next decade.

“I think we’re going to see a time where cigarettes can only be obtained from certain sales outlets, and possibly over time only with some kind of sign off that these people are registered smokers,” he told ABC News.

Economic costs attributable to smoking in China: update and an 8-year comparison, 2000e2008

Feb 21st, 2011

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ABSTRACT

Objective To estimate the health-related economic costs

attributable to smoking in China for persons aged 35 and

older in 2003 and in 2008 and to compare these costs

with the respective results from 2000.

Methods A prevalence-based, disease-specific

approach was used to estimate smoking-attributable

direct and indirect economic costs. The primary data

source was the 2003 and 2008 China National Health

Services Survey, which contains individual participant’s

smoking status, healthcare use and expenditures.

Results The total economic cost of smoking in China

amounted to $17.1 billion in 2003 and $28.9 billion in

2008 (both measured in 2008 constant US$). Direct

smoking-attributable healthcare costs in 2003 and 2008

were $4.2 billion and $6.2 billion, respectively. Indirect

economic costs in 2003 and 2008 were $12.9 billion and

$22.7 billion, respectively. Compared to 2000, the direct

costs of smoking rose by 72% in 2003 and 154% in

2008, while the indirect costs of smoking rose by 170%

in 2003 and 376% in 2008.

Conclusions The economic burden of cigarette smoking

has increased substantially in China during the past

decade and is expected to continue to increase as the

national economy and the price of healthcare services

grow. Stronger intervention measures against smoking

should be taken without delay to reduce the health and

financial losses caused by smoking.

ABSTRACTObjective To estimate the health-related economic costsattributable to smoking in China for persons aged 35 andolder in 2003 and in 2008 and to compare these costswith the respective results from 2000.Methods A prevalence-based, disease-specificapproach was used to estimate smoking-attributabledirect and indirect economic costs. The primary datasource was the 2003 and 2008 China National HealthServices Survey, which contains individual participant’ssmoking status, healthcare use and expenditures.Results The total economic cost of smoking in Chinaamounted to $17.1 billion in 2003 and $28.9 billion in2008 (both measured in 2008 constant US$). Directsmoking-attributable healthcare costs in 2003 and 2008were $4.2 billion and $6.2 billion, respectively. Indirecteconomic costs in 2003 and 2008 were $12.9 billion and$22.7 billion, respectively. Compared to 2000, the directcosts of smoking rose by 72% in 2003 and 154% in2008, while the indirect costs of smoking rose by 170%in 2003 and 376% in 2008.Conclusions The economic burden of cigarette smokinghas increased substantially in China during the pastdecade and is expected to continue to increase as thenational economy and the price of healthcare servicesgrow. Stronger intervention measures against smokingshould be taken without delay to reduce the health andfinancial losses caused by smoking.

http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/20/4/266.full.html

Download PDF : China Economic costs 2000-08. TC 11 07

Study

Feb 15th, 2011

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15 Feb 2011

tp://www.earthwatch.org/europe/aboutus/staff/staff_corporate/

Jenny Cousins

Corporate Partnerships Project Officer – Extn: 632

Jenny joined Earthwatch in February 2010 and works within the British American Tobacco Biodiversity Partnership. As a Project Officer, Jenny supports initiatives which embed biodiversity into British American Tobacco’s (BAT) operations, including biodiversity risk assessments, and the development and delivery of training packages on biodiversity for BAT staff.

Previously, Jenny completed a PhD from the School of Environment and Development at the University of Manchester, which explored the role of two contemporary and innovate forms of ecotourism which have rapidly expanded in recent years – private wildlife ranching in South Africa and international conservation tourism. Jenny has produced a number of journal publications from this work. Her thesis is interdisciplinary and broadly grounded in a political ecology approach in that it gives some attention to the role of historical factors, cultural expectations and power relations in shaping conservation. Prior to her PhD Jenny completed an MSc in Biodiversity and Conservation (including research on fruit bats in the Cook Islands and work on ungulates in Kenya), gained a Postgraduate diploma in Freelance Journalism and Feature Writing, volunteered as a research assistant for a cheetah conservation charity in Botswana and at a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Bolivia.

Jenny is interested in many aspects of the natural environment, including environment-society interactions, the challenges of sustainably managing and regulating the use of biodiversity, and innovative strategies for conserving biodiversity. In her spare time, Jenny enjoys horse riding, photography, and generally being out and about in the countryside.

Promoting calls to a quitline: quantifying the influence of message theme, strong negative emotions and graphic images in television advertisements

Feb 2nd, 2011

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ABSTRACT

Objective To understand the relative effectiveness of

television advertisements that differ in their thematic

focus and portrayals of negative emotions and/or graphic

images in promoting calls to a smokers’ quitline.

Methods Regression analysis is used to explain variation

in quarterly media market-level per smoker calls to the

New York State Smokers’ Quitline from 2001 to 2009.

The primary independent variable is quarterly marketlevel

delivery of television advertisements measured by

target audience rating points (TARPs). Advertisements

were characterised by their overall objectivedpromoting

cessation, highlighting the dangers of secondhand smoke

(SHS) or otherdand by their portrayals of strong

negative emotions and graphic images.

Results Per smoker call volume is positively

correlated with total TARPs (p<0.001), and

cessation advertisements are more effective than

SHS advertisements in promoting quitline call volume.

Advertisements with graphic images only or neither

strong negative emotions nor graphic images are

associated with higher call volume with similar effect

sizes. Call volume was not significantly associated with

the number of TARPs for advertisements with strong

negative emotions only (p¼0.71) or with both graphic

images and strong emotions (p¼0.09).

Conclusions Exposure to television advertisements is

strongly associated with quitline call volume, and both

cessation and SHS advertisements can be effective. The

use of strong negative emotions in advertisements may

be effective in promoting smoking cessation in the

population but does not appear to influence quitline call

volume. Further research is needed to understand the

role of negative emotions in promoting calls to quitlines

and cessation more broadly among the majority of

smokers who do not call quitlines.

ABSTRACTObjective To understand the relative effectiveness oftelevision advertisements that differ in their thematicfocus and portrayals of negative emotions and/or graphicimages in promoting calls to a smokers’ quitline.Methods Regression analysis is used to explain variationin quarterly media market-level per smoker calls to theNew York State Smokers’ Quitline from 2001 to 2009.The primary independent variable is quarterly marketleveldelivery of television advertisements measured bytarget audience rating points (TARPs). Advertisementswere characterised by their overall objectivedpromotingcessation, highlighting the dangers of secondhand smoke(SHS) or otherdand by their portrayals of strongnegative emotions and graphic images.Results Per smoker call volume is positivelycorrelated with total TARPs (p<0.001), andcessation advertisements are more effective thanSHS advertisements in promoting quitline call volume.Advertisements with graphic images only or neitherstrong negative emotions nor graphic images areassociated with higher call volume with similar effectsizes. Call volume was not significantly associated withthe number of TARPs for advertisements with strongnegative emotions only (p¼0.71) or with both graphicimages and strong emotions (p¼0.09).Conclusions Exposure to television advertisements isstrongly associated with quitline call volume, and bothcessation and SHS advertisements can be effective. Theuse of strong negative emotions in advertisements maybe effective in promoting smoking cessation in thepopulation but does not appear to influence quitline callvolume. Further research is needed to understand therole of negative emotions in promoting calls to quitlinesand cessation more broadly among the majority ofsmokers who do not call quitlines.

http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/20/4/279.full.html

2 Feb 2011

Download PDF : Cessation. Quitline and TV ads, USA. TC 11 07