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** 11 December 2023
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** UK
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** Smoking costs billions more than tobacco taxes, says report (#1)
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** Government ‘brainwashed’ by fast-food lobbyists, ex-official says (#2)
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** Dereham vape shop accused of selling to children gets closure order (#x)
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** International
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** US: Lawmakers seek action against Elf Bar and other fruity e-cigarettes imported from China (#3)
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** UK
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** Smoking costs billions more than tobacco taxes, says report

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) has published new figures showing the far-reaching impact smoking has on society on the day the consultation to create a ‘smokefree generation’ closes. The charity says it demonstrates why action to make smoking history is needed and how this will benefit the whole of society.

Smoking costs England £49.2bn each year in lost productivity and service costs, plus an additional £25.9bn lost quality-adjusted life years due to premature death from smoking. The figure for lost productivity is far greater than previous estimates as it includes areas of lost productivity where the impact of smoking has not previously been estimated.

One of the new areas of analysis is the loss to the economy from people spending their money on tobacco, which generates fewer UK jobs and lower profit margins for retailers compared with other products and services people would purchase if they didn’t buy tobacco. This found that if no one bought tobacco in England, the total benefit to the economy in gross value added would be £13.6bn.

Bob Blackman, Conservative MP for Harrow East, said, “The new analysis published by ASH showing the vast damage to the economy due to smoking comes as no surprise to me. As a former local council leader and MP, I’m acutely aware that smoking inflicts damage to the whole local economy, not just the NHS, with people unable to work and needing social care on average ten years earlier because of the diseases and disability caused by smoking. The new figures are a timely reminder to local authorities and the NHS of why the government’s objective of creating a ‘smokefree generation’ must be a priority for us all.”

The government is proposing to raise the age of sale by one year every year so that those born before 2009 will never be legally sold tobacco. Last month, the new administration in New Zealand pledged to repeal a similar law as part of a coalition deal, claiming it would enable them to cut taxes.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, said, “In New Zealand, politicians have made the ludicrous claim that repealing their smokefree generation laws will allow them to cut taxes. The opposite is clearly the case. The cost of smoking to public services and public finances is far greater than the taxes tobacco raises, and there are multiple economic benefits from spending on products that have more value to the economy and create a healthier workforce.

“In England the tobacco tax take is £11.3bn in 2023, but the cost to public finances and the economy is four times greater, so creating a ‘smokefree generation’ is the prudent economic strategy for us, as it is for New Zealand.”

Source: The Dentist, 8 December 2023

See also: ASH press release ([link removed]) and updated Ready Reckoner ([link removed])
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** Government ‘brainwashed’ by fast-food lobbyists, ex-official says

The government has refused to release “confidential” lobbying letters from major food and advertising companies that argue it should scrap policies designed to cut child obesity.

Rishi Sunak delayed plans to ban unhealthy food being advertised on television before 9pm until 2025, raising concerns the policy has been kicked into the long grass.

A request made by The Times for lobbying material from food companies on the policy was rebuffed by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), which said the material was “confidential”.

This comes as an analysis published last week found obesity is costing the UK almost £100 billion a year. More than a third of 10 to 11 year olds are overweight or obese, official data shows.
The fast-food company KFC had challenged at least 43 local council anti-obesity policies since 2017, succeeding in over half of these cases.

Two former Number 10 officials said Downing Street had been assailed by lobbyists from companies opposed to advertising restrictions and limits on buy one, get one free deals for unhealthy food. Both policies have been delayed until 2025 ostensibly on cost-of-living grounds.

“They would target everyone they could get hold of the building with letters, emails and calls,” one former official said of the lobbyists.

“You felt like you were constantly having to push back to various people in Number 10, not knowing how to respond to new questions from companies in this deluge of correspondence.”
Another said food companies drew from the Big Tobacco playbook in lobbying government, using indirect lobbying to create a groundswell of opinion among departments, ministers and the party.

“By convincing party politicians that the policy would be a disaster and put their jobs at risk, this undermines the kind of consensus that is needed to drive through bold policy improvements.”

Mondelez sent an analysis challenging predicted NHS savings, saying “it is not clear that the DHSC modelling/analysis takes into account the cost of treating other diseases that will arise in those patients that live longer lives as a result of this measure.”

It also said “consumers’ loss of enjoyment from reduced consumption of these products” had not been included in the assessment.

Source: The Times, 10 December 2023

See also: Joint report from ASH, OHA, AHA: Holding us back: tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food and drink ([link removed])

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** Dereham vape shop accused of selling to children gets closure order

A shop that police said may have sold illegal vapes to children as young as 11 has been ordered to close.

Norfolk Constabulary said The Green Shop in Dereham was selling vapes containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), illicit tobacco and also nitrous oxide canisters.

The force claimed it was the first closure ruling from the courts for a shop selling illegal vapes in Norfolk.

Norwich Magistrates' Court granted the three-month closure order this week.

The property was visited four times over a seven-month period by Norfolk Trading Standards and police, Norfolk Constabulary said.
Police say thousands of illegal vapes, tobacco, cigarettes, nitrous oxide canisters and THC rolls were seized. The shop also sold strong alcohol while not holding a valid licence to sell any, the force added.

Officers said a man aged in his 20s was arrested after Class C drugs were seized at the address, and on another occasion, police said they discovered a large compartment concealed under the floor filled with illegal products.

The force said it had been told children as young as 11 were sold vapes at the shop.

Source: BBC news, 8 December 2023

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** International
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** US: Lawmakers seek action against Elf Bar and other fruity e-cigarettes imported from China

House lawmakers are demanding information from federal officials on what they are doing to stop the recent influx of kid-appealing electronic cigarettes from China.

Members of a new congressional committee on U.S.-China relations sent the request Thursday to Justice Department and Food and Drug Administration leaders, calling attention to "the extreme proliferation of illicit vaping products."

The letter cites Associated Press reporting on how thousands of new disposable e-cigarettes have hit the market in recent years, mostly manufactured in China and sold in flavours like watermelon and gummy bear.

The FDA has declared all such products illegal. Companies seeking to sell e-cigarettes in the U.S. are required to first seek permission from the FDA, though many of the products imported from China have skipped that step. The agency has only authorized a tiny handful of tobacco-flavoured vapes for adult smokers.

In May, the agency called on customs officials to block imports of Elf Bar, a small, colourful vaping device that is the No. 1 choice among teenagers.

The AP has reported that the company behind Elf Bar has been able to evade the ban by simply renaming its products, which remain widely available in convenience stores and vape shops.

The FDA´s tobacco center has recently stepped up actions against stores selling illegal e-cigarettes following a blistering assessment of the agency's track record earlier this year. Among other steps, the FDA-commissioned report called on regulators to work more closely with other federal agencies to clear the market of unauthorized e-cigarettes.

FDA leaders have pointed out that they rely on the Justice Department to prosecute cases against vaping companies identified by tobacco regulators. But in many instances, prosecutors may decide against filing charges for various reasons.

In their letter, lawmakers specifically ask the head of the Justice Department's consumer protection branch whether he "has sufficient resources or expertise to litigate vapor-related referrals from FDA."

Source: Associated Press, 8 December 2023

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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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