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** 15 December 2023
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** UK
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** Revealed: how tobacco giants are bankrolling secret pro-vaping campaign (#1)
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** ‘Smoking, alcohol and inactivity’ are Wigan's biggest killers (#2)
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** Illegal vapes worth £41k destroyed in North East Lincolnshire (#3)
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** Link of the week
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** Engagement with the tobacco industry: Guidance for local government (#4)
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** A manifesto for smokefree beginnings (#5)
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** UK
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** Revealed: how tobacco giants are bankrolling secret pro-vaping campaign

Tobacco firms have bankrolled scientific papers playing down the risks of children vaping as part of a secretive lobbying campaign to boost e-cigarette sales and try to block public health measures aimed at protecting young people, a Times investigation reveals.

Doctors, scientists and “independent’ activist groups funded by or linked to multinational tobacco companies who sell e-cigarettes have been at the forefront of efforts to ensure Britain retains its liberal approach to vaping and doesn’t follow other countries in imposing bans, taxes or flavour restrictions.

The investigation reveals:
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** Cigarette manufacturers have funded research papers questioning the risks of youth vaping. They have then been cited as evidence in government consultation responses by tobacco-funded campaign groups.
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** Hundreds of British doctors have attended pro-vaping smoking cessation training sessions run by an NHS doctor who has taken millions in funding from Philip Morris International.
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** Tobacco giant British American Tobacco helped run a “grassroots” campaign that presented itself as the voice of ordinary vapers, which has sought to influence government policy in apparent breach of global rules on tobacco lobbying.
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The World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA) bills itself as a grassroots organisation fighting for the rights of ordinary vapers.

The organisation has toured Europe with a “vape bus”, handing out free e-cigarettes and urging users to write to MPs to push for pro-vaping policies as well as making its own attempts to influence governments.

However, while it presents itself as the voice of ordinary activists, saying it is dedicated to “amplify[ing] the voices of vapers worldwide and empower[ing] them to make a difference in their communities”, the WVA has secretly been funded by large tobacco companies including British American Tobacco.

Scientists, doctors and campaigners with links to the tobacco industry have run training sessions for UK doctors, written scientific papers with favourable results, produced educational materials used by health organisations and taken part in political consultations.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of the anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). said the “activities exposed by the Times are textbook tobacco industry attempts to influence public policy which failed before and will again”.

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** Source: The Times, 14 December 2023
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**
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Read Here ([link removed])


** ‘Smoking, alcohol and inactivity’ are Wigan's biggest killers

Smoking, alcohol and a lack of exercise are the biggest contributors to death in Wigan, health bosses have claimed.

Rachael Musgrave, director of public health for the borough, told the Health and Wellbeing Board that these factors were the leading cause for mortality.

She went on to explain that deprivation and health inequalities in the area that have been going on for generations need to be fixed in order to break this cycle.

According to the latest data, the leading causes of death in Wigan for 2021 were Covid-19, dementia, lung cancer, chronic ischaemic heart disease and acute myocardial infarction – all impacted by smoking, drinking and physical inactivity.

The latest meeting at the town hall heard that more efforts to improve health should focus on the conditions that create good health alongside the provision of high quality and accessible services.

The latest strategy put forward and approved by the board incorporates health into every aspect of residents’ lives. Musgrave explained that the 10-year plan takes time because there have been generations of underlying problems in health that have gone unnoticed.

The chamber heard how Wigan has a higher than average number of smokers (14.7 per cent) and alcohol-related hospital admissions (560 admissions per 100,000 adults). In addition to that, around seven in ten adults are overweight or living with obesity in Wigan (71.3 per cent, in 2021/22), which is significantly higher than the England average (63.8 per cent).

With one third of adults in the borough living in the top 20 per cent deprived areas nationally, health bosses believe they need to tackle health issues at the root cause. Depending on where you live in Wigan, your life expectancy can change by eight years, the town hall heard.

Source: Wigan Today, 14 December 2023
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Read Here ([link removed])


** Illegal vapes worth £41k destroyed in North East Lincolnshire

Thousands of illegal vapes have been destroyed in North East Lincolnshire, council officials said.

Trading standards officers incinerated 3,724 devices seized from businesses as part of a national crackdown on the illegal market.

The vapes had a collective street value of about £41,000, according to North East Lincolnshire Council.

Cllr Ron Shepherd said: "These illegal products are being sold on the cheap and marked to attract children."

Cllr Shepherd, the council's portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities, said the criminality was "contributing to young people becoming addicted to nicotine".

He added: "People who buy illicit vapes are probably not aware of the consequences of their actions. The money you hand over ultimately ends up in the pockets of criminals."

Cllr Shepherd said illegal vapes failed to meet safety standards and were known "to have an impact on the health of children".

Source: BBC News, 14 December 2023
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Read Here ([link removed])


** Link of the week
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** Engagement with the tobacco industry: Guidance for local government

The Local Government Association (LGA) have released a guidanceon how local councils can manage interaction with the tobacco industry, in line with Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

This document builds upon guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the custodians of the FCTC for the UK Government. DHSC and the LGA strongly encourages local councils to use this guidance to support their decision making.

Source: Local Government Association, 13 December 2023
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Read Here ([link removed])


** Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group manifesto for smokefree beginnings

This week, the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group published its fourth national report: a manifesto for smokefree beginnings ([link removed]) . The manifesto reviews the progress made in reducing maternal smoking rates in the decade since the Challenge Group was established and sets out the action needed to deliver a smokefree start for every child. The report includes six high impact recommendations to accelerate progress in reducing rates of smoking during pregnancy.

The manifesto was launched on Tuesday at an event ([link removed]) in Parliament hosted by the All-Parliamentary Party Group (APPG) on Smoking and Health and the APPG on Baby Loss to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Challenge Group. The event was attended by members of the Challenge Group, maternity professionals, and politicians including the Public Health Minister, Andrea Leadsom MP, and the Shadow Public Health Minister, Preet Gill MP. At the event, the Public Health Minister restated the Government’s commitment to creating a smokefree generation and announced that the national financial incentive scheme for pregnant smokers will be extended to cover partners.

Read the press release here - Raise age of sale for tobacco to give every child a smokefree start in life say baby charities ([link removed])
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**
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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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