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HEADLINES |
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Totally Wicked’s Managing Director agrees to step down after inappropriate e-mails |
| Jason Cropper, founder and CEO of Totally Wicked E-Liquid, has agreed to resign from the multimillion-pound global business that he created.
Mr Cropper has on a number of occasions made direct contact with Ms Linda McAvan MEP, lead Rapporteur of the EU ENVI committee, and Mr Jeremy Mean of the MHRA. In these communications, Mr Cropper has called into question the legitimacy and motivations of these two individuals and the organisations that they represent. Business Development Director, Fraser Cropper, will assume the role of CEO. |
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St Ives newsagent in court for smoking |
| Smoking at work has cost a newsagent more than £500 after he was caught by a council official investigating a complaint by a member of the public.
Christopher Whateley had already received three warnings about smoking at the shop, magistrates at Huntingdon heard. |
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Smoking ban is hailed a success by pub landlords |
| Six years ago a ban prohibiting smoking in public places was introduced across the country.
While some pubs have seen some negative effects, many have hailed the ban as a success. There was initial outcry from landlords and pub regulars alike when the ban was first enforced but many have since adapted to the changes in the law. See also: |
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Dutch pension fund blacklists tobacco companies |
| A Dutch pension fund has sold its stakes in tobacco companies and put them on its investment blacklist amid child-labor allegations and concerns over worker conditions in the sector.
PFZW, a pension fund for health-care workers, said it shed some 600 million euros ($780 million) in stakes in several tobacco companies, including Malboro-maker Altria. and British American Tobacco. The pension fund said it decided to sell the stakes after the companies failed to address its concerns about the alleged use of child labor and labor conditions in general. It also cited objections to the way the companies market and sell tobacco products to young people. |
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Greece: Tobacco smuggling ‘soars’ |
| According to the Center of Planning and Economic Research (KEPE), a survey done by AC Nielsen in Greece in April 2013, estimated that tobacco trafficking consists 18.6% of the total consumption, compared to 7.3% at the end of the year 2010. |
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Australia: PM’s overseas trip linked to tobacco group |
| Prime Minister Kevin Rudd accepted international flights and hotel accommodation from a German foundation that controls a key part of the international tobacco industry, despite his earlier declarations that “cigarettes kill people”.
Mr Rudd’s declarations of interests lodged with the federal parliament reveal that in October last year he was given return international tickets and two days accommodation in Berlin from the Korber Foundation, a German non-profit foundation that is the sole owner of the world’s leading supplier of machines for the production of filter cigarettes. The Prime Minister’s acceptance of this benefit would appear to be at odds with the Federal Labor Party’s long standing policy of not accepting political donations or any other benefits from the tobacco industry. |
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June, 2013:
ASH news
Tobacco measures ‘save 7.4m lives’
http://www.expressandstar.com/business/uk-money/2013/06/30/tobacco-measures-save-7-4m-lives/
June 30, 2013 11:30 pm
Tobacco measures ‘save 7.4m lives’
Tax rises on cigarettes save more lives than smoking bans, according to a global study which shows tobacco control measures averting seven million deaths by 2050.
A new study shows tobacco control measures could prevent seven million deaths by 2050
Scientists looked at the effects of six anti-smoking policies introduced in 41 countries, excluding the UK, between 2007 and 2010. Projections of the number of premature deaths the measures were likely to prevent by 2050 produced a figure of 7.4 million.
Increasing taxes on cigarettes to 75% of their price in 14 regions had the biggest impact, which was greater than legal smoking bans. Tax rises prevented 3.5 million smoking-related deaths while “smoke-free air laws” in 20 of the countries studied averted 2.5 million.
Lead researcher Professor David Levy, from Georgetown University Medical Centre in Washington, US, said: “It’s a spectacular finding that by implementing these simple tobacco control policies governments can save so many lives.”
The evidence-based measures, known by the acronym MPOWER, were identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2008. They consist of monitoring tobacco use, protecting people from tobacco smoke, warning about the dangers of tobacco, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and raising tobacco taxes.
The study targeted 41 countries known to have implemented at least one of the policies at the highest impact level. In 2007, almost 290 million people living in the countries smoked.
The UK, US, France and Germany were not in the list which included countries in Africa, Asia, South America and eastern Europe. Of the total, 33 countries had put in place one of the measures and eight had adopted more than one. Computer modelling was used to predict the life-saving potential of the policies.
Turkey was one of the countries most affected by anti-smoking policies. There, tax rises alone were predicted to save more than 1.5 million lives and smoking bans around 880,000.
The findings, published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organisation, also forecast a total of 700,000 deaths averted by health warnings, 380,000 by cessation treatments, and 306,000 by restrictions on tobacco marketing.
Prof Levy added: “In addition to some 7.4 million lives saved, the tobacco control policies we examined can lead to other health benefits such as fewer adverse birth outcomes related to maternal smoking, including low birth weight, and reduced healthcare costs and less loss of productivity due to less smoking-related disease.”
Thiruvananthapuram walks the talk, to become tobacco free city
Thiruvananthapuram walks the talk, to become tobacco free city
Laxmi Ajai Prasanna, TNN Jun 30, 2013, 04.50AM IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The capital city is all set to declare itself ‘Tobacco free’ soon. A statewide drive was launched a month ago warning shops and vendors who fail to remove illegal tobacco advertisements by June 15 of punitive action.
“After removing illicit tobacco advertisements, the shops and vendors are supposed to exhibit health warnings such as ‘Tobacco Causes Cancer, ‘Tobacco Kills’ written prominently (20 x 15 cm measurement) in black letters on white background on the top edge of the board,” assistant director of Health Services Dr Pradeep Kumar told TOI.
It is mandatory as per Section 5 of Cotpa (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution Act) that prohibits display of brand pack shots and brand name of the tobacco products in the point-of-sale boards and allows only listing the type of tobacco products, he said.
The statewide drive was launched on World No Tobacco Day on May 31 . “Health officials in all districts have begun the mission and among them Thiruvananthapuram district has taken the lead,” Dr Pradeep said.
In the district, over 160 shops have been issued legal notices as they had failed to comply with the mandate of the law to exhibit health warnings against tobacco and instead displayed illicit advertisements promoting tobacco sales, district health officials said.
In the first 17 days of the drive in the city, as many as 657 boards were removed from various shops and vendors, the officials said. In total more than 800 advertisements from shops across the city have been removed and they have been issued warnings not to display advertisements promoting tobacco sales, the health officials said.
Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies head Dr K R Thankappan has infomed that tobacco use causes about 40,000 deaths every year in the state.
PM’s overseas trip linked to tobacco group
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/pms-overseas-trip-linked-to-
tobacco-group-20130628-2p360.html
PM’s overseas trip linked to tobacco group
Date June 29, 2013
Philip Dorling
EXCLUSIVE
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd accepted international flights and hotel
accommodation from a German foundation that controls a key part of the
international tobacco industry, despite his earlier declarations that
“cigarettes kill people”.
Mr Rudd’s declarations of interests lodged with the federal parliament
reveal that in October last year he was given return international
tickets and two days accommodation in Berlin from the Korber
Foundation, a German non-profit foundation that is the sole owner of
the world’s leading supplier of machines for the production of filter
cigarettes.
The Prime Minister’s acceptance of this benefit would appear to be at
odds with the Federal Labor Party’s long standing policy of not
accepting political donations or any other benefits from the tobacco
industry.
In October last year, Mr Rudd attended the 2nd Berlin Foreign Policy
Forum which was hosted by the Korber Foundation, otherwise known as
Korber-Stiftung.
Mr Rudd, then a backbench MP, used the Berlin conference to highlight
his international standing as a former prime minister and called for
Europe to engage more closely with Asia, especially China, saying that
“if Asia goes wrong and Asia becomes a rolling security nightmare the
impact on the German economy will be massive.”
The Korber Foundation, which promotes international political,
scientific and cultural exchanges, has for the past twenty years been
the sole owner of Korber AG, a German-based engineering and
manufacturing conglomerate that includes Hauni Maschinenbau, the
world’s leading supplier of cigarette making machines. The company’s
global turnover exceeded €780 million ($1.1 billion) in 2011 — more
than 40% of Korber AG’s overall activity.
Hauni Maschinenbau describes itself as “the world’s leading supplier
of technologies as well as technical and consultancy services for the
international tobacco industry.” The company manufactures high-tech
machines for all stages of cigarette production “from tobacco
processing to the production of filter rods, cigarettes and special
products through to final quality measurements”.
The Korber Foundation’s website and promotional information does not
disguise its connection with and reliance on revenues from the Korber
AG group including its prominent position in the international tobacco
industry.
The Foundation’s reliance on profits from its tobacco industry
business has been the subject of considerable controversy in Germany
and Europe more broadly. German and other European politicians
involved in Korber Foundation events have been criticised for being in
breach of World Health Organisation guidelines warning against
political figures and government officials being involved with the
tobacco industry.
The Australian Government has moved to tighten restrictions on tobacco
industry advertising including the enactment of the world’s first
plain packaging tobacco legislation and has stepped up anti-smoking
health advertising.
In announcing a sharp rise in taxation on tobacco products in April
2010, Prime Minister Rudd said “Cigarettes are not cool. Cigarettes
kill people. Therefore the Government makes no apology whatsoever for
what it’s doing.”
In February this year the Future Fund announced it would exclude
primary tobacco producers from its investment portfolio. The Labor
Government has also been sharply critical of the Liberal and National
Party’s continuing acceptance of political donations from tobacco
companies.
A spokesperson for the Australian Medical Association yesterday
affirmed that the AMA considers that a prohibition on contributions to
political parties from tobacco companies and related entities “should
extend to individual MPs.”
A spokesperson for Mr Rudd highlighted the attendance of British
Foreign Secretary William Hague and the German Foreign Minister Guido
Westerwelle at the Berlin Conference.
She said Mr Rudd’s trip was declared on the register of MP’s interests
at the time.
On being told of Mr Rudd’s acceptance of flights and accommodation
from the Korber Foundation, a spokesperson for Health Minister Tanya
Plibersek did not reaffirm Labor policy against political donations
and benefits from the tobacco industry and hastily suggested that
other ministers such as Finance Minister Penny Wong might be asked to
comment instead.
Mr Rudd’s acceptance of international flights and accommodation from
the Korber Foundation is but one of numerous gifts and benefits listed
in his 71 pages of parliamentary interests declarations since the
2010 federal election.
He has accepted overseas travel and accommodation from companies and
institutions that include Hony Capital, China’s leading private equity
investment firm; the China Council for the Promotion of International
Trade; the Asia Inc Forum; the Chinese People’s Institute for Foreign
Affairs; the Chinese Ministry of Education and Beijing Municipal
Government’s Beijing Forum; the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (associated
with the German Social Democratic Party); the Deutsche Bank’s Alfred
Herrhausen Society, the EBG Group, the London School of Economics; the
United Kingdom based International Institute for Strategic Studies
(which also provided a $10,000 honorarium; the Business Council of
British Columbia and the Governments of Canada, the United Arab
Emirates and Dubai.
Mr Rudd’s declarations also show he and his wife Thérèse Rein have
received a dozen international and more than twenty domestic flight
upgrades, and some forty hotel room upgrades in the past three years.
Mr Rudd has also received numerous complimentary tickets to rugby
league and Australian rules matches and other events including two
Cirque de Soleil tickets provided by consulting firm KPMG in August
last year.
THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY DOCUMENTS
download PDF : TI_manual_content
Shenzhen to get tough on tobacco sale to minors |Society |chinadaily.com.cn
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-06/27/content_16673213.htm
Shenzhen to get tough on tobacco sale to minors
Updated: 2013-06-27 15:32
Tobacco sales to minors may result in fines of more than 30,000 yuan (US$4,858), as Shenzhen People’s Congress, the city’s top legislative body, sought public input for a draft amendment on anti-smoking at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress on Wednesday, New Express Daily reported.
According to a survey, 61 percent of people support fines of more than 20,000 yuan (US$3,238) for tobacco sales to minors, while Shenzhen People’s Congress sought comment through questionnaires.
The report recommended that “liability of the seller” needs to be modified, and fines for sellers of tobacco to minors should be at least 30,000 yuan (US$4,858).
In addition, the report recommends setting a three-year grace period on limiting smoking areas.
The report recommends a standard enforcement body, and an institution that can assist the police in enforcing the law.
TobaccoTactics
TobaccoTactics.org is a ground-breaking new online academic resource, launched by the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath.
TobaccoTactics.org provides up-to-date information on the Tobacco Industry, its allies or those promoting a pro-tobacco agenda. The website explores how the industry influences and distorts public health debates, using a whole raft of lobbying and public relations tactics.
Investigating the activities of the main tobacco industry players and the links between the organisations and people involved, TobaccoTactics.org maps the echo chamber of the industry and charts its influence on contemporary public health debates.
So whether you are interested in the current debate on plain packaging of cigarettes, concerned about smuggling, or whether you want to know more about often hidden links between the tobacco industry and seemingly independent groups or about the importance of the pack, TobaccoTactics.org reveals how the industry manipulates public policy.
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MSPs roll up £1m of pension fund in tobacco firms
MSPs roll up £1m of pension fund in tobacco firms
Scottish Political Editor
Sunday 28 October 2012
MORE than £1 million of MSPs’ pension cash is invested in big tobacco companies, despite Holyrood passing multiple anti-smoking laws in recent years, the Sunday Herald can reveal.
MORE than £1 million of MSPs’ pension cash is invested in big tobacco companies, despite Holyrood passing multiple anti-smoking laws in recent years, the Sunday Herald can reveal.
MSPs’ pension cash is being invested in tobacco companies
Custom byline text:
exclusive By Tom Gordon
Another half million is invested in the controversial mining giant, BHP Billiton.
Anti-smoking campaigners last night said the Parliament had a “moral duty” to disinvest in tobacco as it undermined public health policy.
The shareholdings appear in the annual accounts for the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme (SPPS), which were published last week.
<p>With a total value of £36.9m at the end of the March 2012, the SPPS is the dedicated pension scheme for all 129 MSPs, as well as the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General for Scotland.</p>< p>All its investments are in a single pooled fund run by independent manager, Baillie Gifford.</p>< p>The accounts show two tobacco giants in the “top 10″ of the fund’s shareholdings last year.</p>< p>British America Tobacco (BAT) accounted for 1.6% of the fund, and Imperial Tobacco 1.2%, making the SPPS holdings worth just over £1m in total. </p>< p>BAT and Imperial are the second and fourth-largest tobacco companies in the world, and last year sold 1.1 trillion cigarettes between them.</p>< p>The use of tobacco companies by the fund comes as stock markets struggle worldwide. Tobacco is traditionally seen as a “safe haven” for investment.</p>< p>Indeed, some argue pension funds have a financial “duty” to invest in tobacco to maximise returns.</p>< p>The Scottish Parliament led the way in the UK by banning smoking in public places in 2006, and has since passed laws to crack down on the display of cigarettes and tobacco in shops, and on the use of cigarette vending machines.</p>< p>The SPPS has four MSPs as trustees – Tory Alex Johnstone, the SNP’s Gil Paterson, Labour’s David Stewart and its chair, the LibDem Tavish Scott.</p>< p>The Parliament last night said that because SPPS was only one investor among many in a pooled fund, it could not dictate the shareholdings.</p>< p>However, Louise Rouse, director of engagement at FairPensions, the campaign for fair investment by pension funds, said MSPs could lobby the trustees to invest in another kind of fund.</p>< p>”If MSPs were concerned about the investment strategy from an ethical point of view they could raise that with the trustees,” she said.</p>< p>In Australia, the taxpayer-owned Futures Fund, a pension pot for public servants, is currently reviewing whether to end its £140m investment in tobacco firms on ethical grounds.</p>< p>Sheila Duffy, chief executive of the anti-smoking charity ASH Scotland, said: “Tobacco isn’t like any other consumer product, in that when used exactly as intended long-term it will reliably kill one in two of its consumers. </p>< p>”Any investment in tobacco companies is an investment that undermines public-health policies.</p>< p>”We know that tobacco companies are looking to increase their market share and we know that spreads an epidemic of disease and early death, which Scotland has suffered badly from. </p>< p>”I think there’s a moral duty to disinvest in tobacco and I would like to see the Scottish Parliament take a lead in this.”</p>< p>Mining firm BHP Billiton has been repeatedly criticised over its labour relations and mining operations in developing countries, and is currently expanding into the controversial “fracking” method, for extracting for shale gas in the US, </p>< p>A spokesman for the Scottish Parliament said: “The members’ pension scheme is part of a pooled fund run by the independent investment manager Baillie Gifford, which operates in accordance with the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Investment.</p>< p>”The Parliament is only one of a large number of investors in the fund and cannot therefore direct where investments are made.”</p>
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With a total value of £36.9m at the end of the March 2012, the SPPS is the dedicated pension scheme for all 129 MSPs, as well as the Lord Advocate and Solicitor General for Scotland.
All its investments are in a single pooled fund run by independent manager, Baillie Gifford.
The accounts show two tobacco giants in the “top 10″ of the fund’s shareholdings last year.
British America Tobacco (BAT) accounted for 1.6% of the fund, and Imperial Tobacco 1.2%, making the SPPS holdings worth just over £1m in total.
BAT and Imperial are the second and fourth-largest tobacco companies in the world, and last year sold 1.1 trillion cigarettes between them.
The use of tobacco companies by the fund comes as stock markets struggle worldwide. Tobacco is traditionally seen as a “safe haven” for investment.
Indeed, some argue pension funds have a financial “duty” to invest in tobacco to maximise returns.
The Scottish Parliament led the way in the UK by banning smoking in public places in 2006, and has since passed laws to crack down on the display of cigarettes and tobacco in shops, and on the use of cigarette vending machines.
The SPPS has four MSPs as trustees – Tory Alex Johnstone, the SNP’s Gil Paterson, Labour’s David Stewart and its chair, the LibDem Tavish Scott.
The Parliament last night said that because SPPS was only one investor among many in a pooled fund, it could not dictate the shareholdings.
However, Louise Rouse, director of engagement at FairPensions, the campaign for fair investment by pension funds, said MSPs could lobby the trustees to invest in another kind of fund.
“If MSPs were concerned about the investment strategy from an ethical point of view they could raise that with the trustees,” she said.
In Australia, the taxpayer-owned Futures Fund, a pension pot for public servants, is currently reviewing whether to end its £140m investment in tobacco firms on ethical grounds.
Sheila Duffy, chief executive of the anti-smoking charity ASH Scotland, said: “Tobacco isn’t like any other consumer product, in that when used exactly as intended long-term it will reliably kill one in two of its consumers.
“Any investment in tobacco companies is an investment that undermines public-health policies.
“We know that tobacco companies are looking to increase their market share and we know that spreads an epidemic of disease and early death, which Scotland has suffered badly from.
“I think there’s a moral duty to disinvest in tobacco and I would like to see the Scottish Parliament take a lead in this.”
Mining firm BHP Billiton has been repeatedly criticised over its labour relations and mining operations in developing countries, and is currently expanding into the controversial “fracking” method, for extracting for shale gas in the US,
A spokesman for the Scottish Parliament said: “The members’ pension scheme is part of a pooled fund run by the independent investment manager Baillie Gifford, which operates in accordance with the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Investment.
“The Parliament is only one of a large number of investors in the fund and cannot therefore direct where investments are made.”
news
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How seeing just 10 tobacco adverts can boost risk of teenagers … You +1’d this publicly. Undo Daily Mail–21 Jun 2013 Seeing 10 adverts for tobacco can increase teenagers’ risk of taking up smoking by almost 40 per cent, a new study has today claimed. + Show moreShow less |
3. Pakistan Observer–19 hours ago
4. Georgia offers web and phone rehab for tobacco users
5. Rome News Tribune–21 Jun 2013
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Hungarians fume over revealing tobacco scandal You +1’d this publicly. Undo 台北時報–45 minutes ago Originally, last year, the slashing of the number of outlets allowed to sell tobacco products from 42,000 — including gas stations and … |
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Thirdhand Tobacco Smoke Damages Human Cells You +1’d this publicly. Undo Environment News Service–21 hours ago “Tobacco-specific nitrosamines, some of the chemical compounds in thirdhand smoke, are among the most potent carcinogens there are,” |