Manila urged to ban cigarette vendors - Philippine Daily Inquirer January 14, 2009Tina Santos Tobacco control advocates have asked the Manila government to ban ambulant vendors selling cigarettes in the city. Members of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP) hailed Mayor Alfredo Lim’s directive to rid the city streets of sidewalk vendors, but they urged him to take his move further by banning and arresting ambulant cigarette vendors. But the group likewise called on the mayor to give assistance to the displaced vendors to find alternative means of livelihood. “Sidewalk and ambulant vendors are the most accessible sources of cigarettes. Because they sell by the stick, it makes cigarette products very affordable even to the youths,” said FCAP executive director Dr. Maricar Limpin. Limpin cited the 2007 Global Youth Tobacco Survey which states that one in five Filipino youths between the ages 12 and 18 are smokers or have tried smoking. At least 55.9 percent of the respondents said they bought cigarettes from sidewalk vendors or from variety stores, while 63.9 percent said they were not refused sale despite their age, the survey showed. “Data show that sidewalk vendors make it easy for the youths to take on the smoking habit. If these sidewalk vendors are given alternative livelihood, we can foresee a significant decrease in the incidence of smoking as inaccessibility to cigarettes has been proven an effective way to cut down on the habit,” Limpin pointed out. Likewise, Limpin appealed to Lim to implement the ban on cigarette selling in stores within 100 meters of schools and other places of youth-oriented activities like parks and playgrounds, to discourage students from smoking, as stipulated in Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

Any attempt to tackle tobacco is worth it - Belfast MediaFebruary 13, 2009Smoking is the single greatest preventable cause of premature death and avoidable illness in Northern Ireland, claiming some 2,300 lives here each year. Our smoke-free legislation and the rise in the age of sale to 18 have been extremely positive steps, but the harmful impact of smoking in Northern Ireland is still very real.  As health minister, my aim is to create a tobacco-free society and prevention is most certainly the key, particularly amongst our children and young people. With this in mind, last week I announced my plans to remove cigarette displays in shops and prevent underage access to vending machines. The move is a further step aimed at reducing the level of smoking amongst children and young people in South Belfast and across Northern Ireland.  Following the introduction of the ban on advertising and promotion of tobacco, retail displays have grown in size and prominence. Research has shown that young people are particularly susceptible to tobacco marketing at point of sale and are more likely to take up smoking as a result of exposure to such marketing. I feel that it is time to put a stop to this. Smoking is a life-threatening habit and we should do everything we can to reduce its prevalence. In 2007, almost nine per cent of children aged between 11 and 16 were regular smokers. These children are three times more likely to die of cancer due to smoking than someone who starts in their mid-twenties. My goal is to protect children from smoking and I believe that this is a strong opportunity to do just that. In South Belfast, we are fortunate to have the Cancer Centre on our doorstep with world leading experts providing a highly specialised service. From speaking to these clinicians, I know that any attempt to tackle the uptake in tobacco use is a worthy step. The new measures will also impact on vending machines which are currently a common and easily accessible source of cigarettes for young people. I plan to use the change in legislation to further restrict access to these machines by those aged under 18. Across the world, an increasing number of governments have taken action to prohibit the display of tobacco products.  In these countries, smoking prevalence among young people has fallen by up to 10 per cent. Whilst the proposed changes will primarily benefit children and young people, they will also help those adults who are trying to quit. Following the introduction of smoke-free legislation, we have enjoyed great success with over 21,000 people setting a quit date through smoking cessation services in 2007/08 and this is something I wish to build upon. The cessation services throughout Northern Ireland are doing a fantastic job in encouraging and supporting people in their efforts to quit. The Smoker’s helpline on 0800 858 585 is a freephone service which provides advice and support about stopping smoking.  I would encourage anyone thinking about quitting to contact the cessation services and take the first step. I believe this announcement is yet another example of how a local politician can respond to local issues.  By acting responsibly I know we can make a real difference.

Source: Belfast Media

India is the third largest consumer of tobacco in the world. Its not cigarettes that majority of Indians prefer but bidis, which constitute 70% of the tobacco smoked.

Bidis are more harmful then cigarettes, as they give more toxins like carbon monoxide, ammonia, phenol and hydrogen cyanide and contains more tar and nicotine than conventional cigarettes. So it causes more damage to the body then a cigarette.

Less tax on Bidis, more deaths

Smoking bidi is a growing menace in India with 100 million people smoking bidis, and 6 lakh deaths caused every year. The younger generation try bidi under the belief that its less harmful, since its cheap and has no warning label. Many a times, tobacco used in bidis may be mixed with flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, clove or pineapple to make them attractive to youth.

Bidis are smoked primarily by men, especially in rural areas, and are rolled by women, often in their homes. Since it provides large-scale employment, bidis are under-taxed compared to cigarettes.

A roller can make about 1,000 bidis a day and is paid Rs 40 to Rs 80 for the day’s work. But 10% of all female bidi workers and 5% of all male bidi workers are children under 14, and nearly 50% of these workers ultimately die of tuberculosis or asthma.

Tax on bidis are currently just one-twelfth of the tax levied on non-filter micro cigarettes (purchased by the poor) and just 2% of the tax on more expensive standard filters cigarettes.

But if the price of a pack of bidis was doubled from about Rs 4 to Rs 8, or if the excise duty was at par with other tobacco products it can reduce the consumption of tobacco.

Global Youth Meet on Tobacco Control (Pre-conference Workshop)

To complement the 14th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health, a two day Youth workshop: Global Youth Meet on Tobacco Control (GYM, 2009) will be held on March 6 and 7, 2009 in Mumbai, India. HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth) is collaborating with Salaam Bombay Foundation, one of the hosts of the 14th WCTOH to organize this Youth Conference in Mumbai.

The intent of this youth conference will be:

·    To encourage young people from around the world to get actively involved in Tobacco Control awareness and advocacy.
·    To empower youth delegates with key leadership and advocacy skills.
·    To provide them with networking opportunities to become agents of social change.
·    To provide youth with a platform to discuss and debate these issues.

About 160 delegates (youth and adult chaperones) from 28 countries and 7 states of India will be participating in this workshop. Together with adult facilitators, young people will meet as a group and deliberate on issues related to tobacco control that will directly affect their present and future health. The sessions during this youth conference will focus on empowering youth delegates with key leadership and advocacy skills. Participants will utilize and practice these skills during the main WCTOH conference as speakers in appropriate sessions that will focus on presenting a youth perspective on tobacco control issues. The advocacy events planned during the conference will help to sensitize the general population, policy-makers and opinion-makers on tobacco control. Two days of deliberations will result in recommendations and action plans to be followed by these youth leaders as advocacy activities to be pursued at each country level on return to their countries.