Mumbai: Cops crack down on shops selling tobacco to minors

The Mumbai police is raiding restaurants, shops and hookah parlours selling tobacco to children. In just a week, the crack down has seen 104 cases filed across the city.

The drive, ordered by Mumbai police commissioner Datta Padsalgikar, has led to restaurant staffers from 17 hookah parlours being arrested this year for serving to minors. They face up to seven years in jail under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

The drive has also identified and fined pan-beedi shops within 100 yards of educational institutions.

READ: Mumbai schools are checking students’ bags for hookah and drugs

“Our main focus is to keep minors away from tobacco products. We also need public participation to make the drive stronger. Citizens can tip us off about such establishments, and we will keep their identities confidential,” said Pravinkumar Patil, deputy commissioner of police, enforcement, heading the crack down since last week.

This year alone, the police have also filed 84 cases against people smoking in public place.

An official from the Special Juvenile Aid Protection Unit (SJAPU), conducting the raids, told HT that the civic body does not recognise ‘hookah parlours’ while giving out licences. “The licences given are for smoking zones, which many restaurant turned into hookah parlours by violating several guidelines. The issue is very serious. W have rescued minors as young as 14 found consuming hookah.”

Narayan Lad who works with Salaam Mumbai, an organisation helping the Mumbai police in its drive said a survey of 200 schools in Mumbai showed about 60% shops within 100 yards of these schools were selling tobacco products. “We want the BMC to take action against the establishments by suspending their licence. Under COPTA (Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act), the police can only fine offenders Rs200. We need a greater deterrent, and more stringent action may by the BMC may help serve the purpose. ”

How you can help: Call if you see tobacco being served to minors

DCP enforcement office - 022 2269 2515

Senior Inspector of Social Service Branch - 022 2262 2775

Assistant Commissioner of Police (SJAPU) - 022 2262 0569
Resource:http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/mumbai-cops-crack-down-on-shops-selling-tobacco-to-minors/story-FbER7T1a4u1et9apcicPXN.html

Hookah Dangers Smolder Beneath New Regulations

Hookah use actually began centuries ago in ancient Persia and India and has recently enjoyed global growth in popularity, with successful smoking lounges popping up in the United States, Britain, France, Russia, the Middle East, and elsewhere.1

Hookahs (also known as narghile, argileh, shisha, hubble-bubble, and goza) are water pipes that are used to smoke flavored tobacco. Smoking hookah is a highly social activity, and generally, the same mouthpiece is passed around among users of a single hookah. An unfortunate consequence of this is, of course, that it can easily spread infections such as hepatitis and herpes.

Perhaps because of the variety of flavors and the pleasing aesthetics of hookah pipes, it’s often overlooked that hookah smoking has many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking. The smoke produced from hookahs is at least as toxic as cigarettes.1 Typically, a 1-hour hookah session involves inhaling 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke from a single cigarette.2 Also, the charcoal used to heat the tobacco can cause health risks by producing high levels of carbon monoxide, metals, and carcinogenic chemicals. Additionally, babies born to hookah smokers are at an increased risk of low birth weight and respiratory illnesses.

Hookah smokers may be at an increased risk of developing some of the same diseases as cigarette smokers including the following:1

    Oral cancer
    Lung cancer
    Stomach cancer
    Esophageal cancer
    Gastric cancer
    Reduced lung function
    Decreased fertility

According to a CDC study, hookah use increased among middle and high school students from 2011 to 2015. In 2015, 2% of middle school students reported that they had used hookah in the past 30 days, an increase from 1% in 2011. Also, 7.2% of high school students reported in 2015 that they had used hookah in the past 30 days, an increase from 4.1% in 2011.3

As of August 2016, the FDA began regulating all tobacco products, including hookah.2 Hookah “components” and “parts” that are regulated include but aren’t limited to the following:2

    Hookah (waterpipe)
    Flavor enhancers
    Hose cooling attachments
    Water filtration base additives
    Charcoal made from wood, coconut shell, or other material
    Bowls, valves, hoses, and heads

Beginning in 2018, all hookah tobacco products must include the following warning statement: “WARNING: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.”

The following FDA rules apply to all hookah and pipe tobacco sales:2

    The photo ID of everyone under age 27 attempting to purchase hookah products must be checked.
    Hookah tobacco can only be sold to customers 18 years of age and older.
    Free hookah samples are prohibited.
    Hookah products cannot be sold in a vending machine unless it’s an adult-only facility.

Pharmacists can play an important role in communitywide education programs regarding the dangers of using hookahs and update other health care professionals on the new regulations. Educating middle and high school students is a great way for pharmacists to help reduce hookah use. Pharmacists should also report any adverse effects associated with hookah use to the FDA.

References

    CDC. Hookahs. CDC website. cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/tobacco_industry/hookahs/.
    FDA. Hookah tobacco (shisha or waterpipe tobacco). FDA website. www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/Labeling/ProductsIngredientsComponents/ucm482575.htm.
    CDC. Youth and tobacco use. cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/youth_data/tobacco_use/.
Resource: http://www.pharmacytimes.com/contributor/jennifer-gershman-pharmd-cph/2016/10/hookah-dangers-smolder-beneath-new-regulations

UK Study Finds a New Way That Tobacco Smoke Can Cause Cancer

LEXINGTON, Ky. (10/17/16) — A recent study led by University of Kentucky researchers illuminates a new way that tobacco smoke may promote the development of lung cancer: inhibiting a DNA repair process called nucleotide excision repair.

The results of the study were published in the journal PLoS ONE.

Many components of tobacco smoke are carcinogens that can damage DNA. This damage must be removed by DNA repair processes to prevent the development of genetic mutations. In this way, DNA repair processes such as NER are crucial for blocking the accumulation of the DNA mutations that ultimately drive lung cancer development.

“It is well established that the carcinogens in tobacco smoke can produce mutations,” said Isabel Mellon, an associate professor in the Department of Toxicology and Cancer Biology at UK and the principal investigator of the study. “But relatively few researchers have investigated the effects of tobacco smoke on DNA repair pathways.”

Mellon and her research team examined the effects of cigarette smoke condensate – a commonly-used surrogate for tobacco smoke – on the function of the NER process in cultured human lung cells. They found that exposure of these cells to CSC significantly reduces NER efficiency. Additionally, the researchers showed that CSC exposure stimulates the destruction of a key NER protein known as XPC. The reduced abundance of XPC that follows might explain how CSC suppresses NER.

The study’s results point to a twofold effect of tobacco smoke on DNA integrity: it not only damages DNA, but it also suppresses a key process that repairs DNA damage.

“Inhibition of NER would likely increase the production of mutations and cancer incidence, particularly in cases of chronic DNA damage induction, as occurs in the lung issue of smokers,” Mellon explained.

If this is the case, then the capacity of cells within the lung of a given person to repair damaged DNA could be used to predict that person’s risk of developing lung cancer as a result of tobacco smoke exposure.

“In the future, we hope to determine how the efficiency of the NER pathway differs among different people,” said Mellon. “We are also continuing to evaluate how the efficiency of DNA repair in people is negatively impacted by exposure to environmental agents. Whether due to genetic or environmental factors, reduced DNA repair could increase a person’s risk for developing cancer.”

SurfKY News
Information provided by Kim Carmony – UK News

Resource: http://surfky.com/index.php/daviess/daviess-county-news/179-news/kentucky/113372-uk-study-finds-a-new-way-that-tobacco-smoke-can-cause-cancer

Virginia Department of Health launches countdown to help tobacco users quit

The Virginia Department of Health is helping tobacco users get ready to quit by sharing tips and resources during “Countdown to Quit Day.” The countdown kicks off October 18 and offers a different tip on VDH’s Facebook and Twitter platforms each day through November 17. Virginia Quit Day coincides with “The Great American Smoke Out” and celebrates the benefits of living tobacco free.

“Helping Virginians quit tobacco is one of the most important steps we can take in our quest to make Virginia the healthiest state in the nation,” said State Health Commissioner Marissa J. Levine, MD, MPH, FAAFP. “The tips provided during the ‘Countdown to Quit Day’ will provide people with the resources they can use to improve their health by quitting tobacco.”

Tips will cover topics such as dealing with cravings, building a support network of family and friends and creating a tobacco free environment. Countdown to Quit Day is not just for tobacco users but also for people who love tobacco users. The tips provided will help them support their loved ones when they make the decision to quit, making it more likely that they will remain tobacco free.

One of the resources available to tobacco users year-round is the Virginia Quitline. This evidence-based model offers support for quitting, including free quit coaching, a free quit plan and free educational materials. Call 800-QUIT-NOW (800-784-8669) or visit www.QuitNow.net/Virginia. Deaf and hearing-impaired TTY is 800-332-8615.

“We are looking forward to helping more Virginians quit using tobacco on the third annual Virginia Quit Day,” said Tobacco Use Control Program Manager Jayne Flowers, MA, CPM.  “The Quitline is a wonderful service to help people avoid the dangerous consequences of tobacco use.”
Resource: http://augustafreepress.com/virginia-department-health-launches-countdown-help-tobacco-users-quit/

Letter: Tobacco tax hike not enough; raise it another dollar (Gazette)

Tobacco tax hike not enough; raise it another dollar

Editor:

As the Gazette opinion page made clear in its recent editorial, the 65-cent-per-pack tax increase on tobacco products passed in West Virginia’s last legislative special session was only an initial step in addressing the state’s serious public health issues. While the increase passed helped address our budget crisis, it wasn’t nearly high enough to significantly impact the fact we have the highest smoking rate in the country. That means our health care costs will continue to rise and we will experience higher rates of preventable diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Despite the latest increase, our state’s tobacco tax is still well below the national average, and that just doesn’t make public health sense. Tobacco may rule the lives of those who are addicted to the product, but it shouldn’t rule the decisions made in Charleston.

If we want to discourage our youth from becoming addicted to this deadly product, we have to make the product much less affordable. Let’s take the next step during the coming legislative session and increase the price of tobacco products by at least another dollar per pack.


Annette Fetty-Santilli

State Lead Ambassador, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

Philippi
Resource: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/gazette-letters-to-the-editor/20161018/letter-tobacco-tax-hike-not-enough-raise-it-another-dollar-gazette

Philly effort to restrict tobacco sellers moves forward

Philadelphia's new health regulations aimed at cutting the number of tobacco sellers in low-income neighborhoods and within 500 feet of schools moved a bit closer to the finishing line with Monday night's Board of Health public hearing.

Some businessmen spoke against parts of new rules that were passed last month but have not yet gone into effect. Several residents and health advocates voiced their support for the new rules.

But the fireworks that likely would have met such an effort in the past were absent Monday.

Alan Karpo, owner of Second Street Wholesalers, 102 N. Second St., asked the board to consider changing the rule that will not allow him to transfer his tobacco permit if he decides to sell his business. Without that, said Karpo, his business loses much of its value.

Ilycia Boatwright-Buffalo, 18, said she supported the new rules.

"I will 100 percent support what these bills stand for," said the Cheyney University student.

As a younger teen, she worked for the city enforcement effort, posing as an underage cigarette buyer. The advertising did not specifically target teenagers, "but we all know who they are going for," she said.

Community activist Jesse W. Brown spoke in favor of the rules and asked the board to add a provision that would bar sales of menthol cigarettes within 500 of establishments that cater to youth, as well as schools.

The new rules, most of which will go into effect early in January, will limit new tobacco-product sales permits to one seller per 1,000 residents in any community planning district, compared with the high concentrations now in some areas, particularly low-income neighborhoods.

In addition, new permits will only be issued to sellers more than 500 feet from a school. The permit fees will raise from $50 to $300 to help fund enforcement efforts.

Businesses that get caught selling to underage buyers three times in two years will lose their permits for a year. They will not be able to get them back if their businesses exceed the density limits or are too close to a school.

Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said the board will be able to consider the comments at its next board meeting on Nov. 10.

rgiordano@phillynews.com

215-854-2391 @ritagiordano
Resource: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20161018_Philly_effort_to_restrict_tobacco_sellers_moves_forward.html

Big Tobacco’s dirty tricks in opposing plain packaging

Tobacco companies want to sell you cigarettes – today, tomorrow and for the foreseeable future. Whether you’re at the tobacco counter or out with friends, glitzy cigarette packaging is a really important part of their sales pitch. Tobacco companies are aware of this. It’s why they are so opposed to their cigarettes being put in plain packaging.

But it isn’t just tobacco companies that are against plain packaging. In the UK, where plain packaging was introduced in 2016, business associations, think tanks and civil society groups publicly campaigned against the policy and academics, research consultants and public relations and law firms variously wrote lengthy reports and lobbied the government.

But why would these organisations lobby against plain packaging? On looking into these opposition groups, our recent research gives a clear answer. Opponents of plain packaging tend to have links to the tobacco industry. So much so that three-quarters of organisations identified in our study had financial links to tobacco companies.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. Decades of research into political activity by the tobacco industry has shown that “third parties” are used to campaign against tobacco-control policies. Health advocates are aware of this. In 2005, the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control committed the countries that signed the convention to protect tobacco policy from interference by the tobacco industry and, crucially, groups linked to them. In response, in 2011, the UK government committed to publishing details of any policy meetings with tobacco companies and the Department of Health routinely requests disclosure of tobacco industry links. So far so good. In doing so, the UK sets a strong example.
Third party interference

But our research shows how “third party” opposition to tobacco control policies extends tobacco industry interference beyond this realm of government. In a three-year period which included the 2012 government consultation on plain packaging, 88% of research and 78% of public communications opposing plain packaging were carried out by organisations with financial links to tobacco companies (see figure 1). And public and retailer campaigns funded by tobacco companies to mobilise opposition to plain packaging generated 98% of the more than 420,000 negative postcard and petition submissions to the consultation.

    In this way, ideas and arguments that come from tobacco companies and their research spill into public spaces. Once there, they can influence the public and political mood on life-saving tobacco control policies and create a misleading impression of diverse and widespread opposition. This is known in the world of political science as “conflict expansion”. And the potential effects are significant. When widespread, these “third party” activities can work to delay and even prevent policies: it took four years to get from consultation to implementation in the UK.

This wouldn’t be so serious if organisations and tobacco companies were open about their relationships. But, in many cases, links were not easy for the research team to detect. Of 150 examples of public communications, less than 20% explicitly acknowledged tobacco industry connections. And, while academics and research consultants tended to clearly report funding sources, “third parties” promoting their research in press releases, news stories and letters to government, frequently did not.

If they were open about their financial relationships with tobacco firms, business and civil society organisations would give the public, politicians and officials the opportunity to scrutinise their arguments and evidence in context. In the case of plain packaging, a lack of openness masked these links and lent credibility to claims that the policy lacked evidence and would increase the trade in illicit cigarettes – claims which have been shown to be unfounded by both peer-reviewed research and by the High Court in Britain. Now, as more countries move to introduce plain packaging, “third party” transparency remains an issue.

In order to help countries guard against tobacco industry interference, awareness can be raised of the effects of their activities on public and political debates. And steps could be taken to make their relationships with tobacco companies clearer. A compulsory register of tobacco companies’ memberships, political activities and associated spending would be a strong first move.

There is strong global commitment to addressing the problem of tobacco industry interference. Parties to the framework convention meet in India in November amid concerns about this issue, and the message to the tobacco industry from the WHO is clear: “The world understands who you are and what you do, and is determined to stamp out the global plague which you do so much to spread.”

Resource: http://theconversation.com/big-tobaccos-dirty-tricks-in-opposing-plain-packaging-66854

Think cigarette sales keep local corner shops open? Retailers say tiny tobacco profits are a burden

A Newcastle shopkeeper says tobacco offers miniscule profits, as a parliamentary report reveals it's a myth that tobacco sales prop up small shops

 File  photo dated 18/06/07 of a pack of cigarettes as nearly one in five shops illegally sold cigarettes to children in an investigation. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Friday August 7, 2015. Teenagers supervised by trading standards officers attempted to buy cigarettes in 352 test purchases in England. Sixty-three illegal sales were made - 17.9% of the total. See PA story POLITICS Cigarettes. Photo credit should read: Martin Rickett/PA Wire

Tobacco sales are not vital to keeping small corner shops afloat, and might actually be harming their profit margins, researchers claim.

A report being presented to parliament today says small shop owners make only small profits from tobacco sales, and many feel they have too much cash tied up in the expensive products.

Newcastle shopkeeper John McClurey joined anti-smoking campaigners in Parliament at today’s launch.

John said he hoped to demolish the myth that cigarette sales are vital to keeping small local businesses afloat.

He said: “I have little choice other than to sell tobacco as many of my customers still smoke.

“But tobacco makes me very little money while tying up plenty of cash in stock. Tobacco is a burden to me, to say nothing of the ill health it imposes on my customers.”

John says he, and many others who run newsagents, would rather put their money into products which turn a high profit.

He said: “I make about 36p on a packet of 20 cigarettes compared to 20p on a pack of chewing gum or 57p on a Sunday newspaper.

“Times are changing and we are seeing fewer and fewer people smoking. Cigarettes have disappeared behind gantry doors, and we are shifting to ‘plain’, standardised packaging.

“The tobacco manufacturers now need us more than we need them. They work hard to keep large tobacco stocks in shops, but it seems outdated now that we still give up so much prominent space at the till to these products.

“The alternative is to reduce stock, shift the cigarette gantry well out of the way and free up space for products that actually turn a decent profit.

“As retailers, we can keep our customers who smoke, improve our profitability and make tobacco truly invisible to the many young people who come into our shops.”

Newcastle shopkeeper John McClurey, who says tobacco sales aren't worth as much to his business as you might think

John might have to keep on selling tabs for now, but says he can’t wait to stop.

“I won’t be able to walk away from selling tobacco any time soon but I look forward to the day when I can,” he said.

“I would rather sell birthday cards to my customers well into old age than sympathy cards.”

The report being presented, commissioned by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), shows nearly 80% of sales in small shops don’t include a tobacco purchase, and smokers don’t spend significantly more in corner shops, outside of their tobacco purchases, than anyone else.

And the average profit margin on tobacco is just 6.6%, compared to an average of 24.1% for non-tobacco products.

Nearly three quarters of shopkeepers questioned said they thought too much money was tied up in smoking stock, while a quarter said they regularly had problems with the cost of stocking up.

ASH chief executive Deborah Arnott said: “Nearly half of smokers buy cigarettes from corner shops, so for the tobacco industry it is essential that it puts a lot of effort into persuading retailers to maintain the profile of tobacco sales in those stores.

“Tobacco is a high-cost, low-profit product and money spent on tobacco is money not available for other more profitable purchases. Our report invites retailers to see the long-term decline in smoking as an opportunity, not a threat.”
Resource: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/think-cigarette-sales-keep-local-12039684

Parliamentarians, Doctors Seek 40% Sin Tax On Tobacco Products

New Delhi:  Parliamentarians, medical experts and health advocates today appealed to the GST Council to levy 40 per cent sin tax on all tobacco products to curb the addiction.

According to a statement, practically all major countries in the world subject tobacco products, including cigarettes, to high rates of consumption taxes with a view to garner additional revenue on one hand and discourage its use on the other.

"The government should make tobacco prohibitively expensive in the GST era. There is no justification for giving any subsidy to a product that kills every second user prematurely," Dinesh Trivedi, a Trinamool Congress parliamentarian, said.

Ashwini Kumar Chaube, BJP MP from Buxar, said: "As a former Health Minister of Bihar, I had banned gutka and raised taxes on tobacco products including bidi. I am sure the GST Council will put tobacco in the highest tax category. It will save millions of lives."

The total direct and indirect cost of diseases attributed to tobacco use was a staggering Rs. 1.04 lakh crore in 2011 or 1.16 per cent of the GDP.

Tobacco-attributable direct medical costs are around 21 per cent of national health expenditure.

"It is shocking that there is no tax on 'bidis' in many states. All tobacco products should be taxed very high in the GST era. I see no logic in giving tax subsidy to 'bidi' (or any tobacco product) in the GST," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, Oncologist at Mumbai based Tata Memorial Hospital.

"With current tax pattern on bidi, consumers and the nation are losers whereas handful of business families are making vulgar profits."

"Most of the bidi industry families wield great political clout. They violate every law related to minimum wages, child labour and healthy workplace. Excise and Tax violation remains rampant in this unorganised industry," said Dr Chaturvedi.

Even as the tobacco industry is opposing the recommendations of imposing sin tax rate of 40 per cent, it is important to note that tobacco taxation in the country is way below global standards.

According to Rijo John, Assistant Professor at IIT Jodhpur, "A recent report from WHO shows that current cigarette taxes as a percentage of retail prices in India are lower than even neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and rank 80th in the world."

"A 40 per cent GST rate plus central excise duty at the current level would just about maintain the current tax burden on tobacco products. It is also important to allow states to maintain their right to impose top-up taxes on tobacco products, in order to actually make tobacco products less affordable over time," he said.

A comprehensive economic reform like GST offers the government an opportunity to tax tobacco at the highest rate and save millions of people from dying prematurely.

"All differentiations should be done away with regards to tobacco products and taxed at the highest slab under the GST, since lower tax rates would contribute to their affordability and end up promoting increased consumption amongst most vulnerable sections of population pushing them below the poverty line," Bhavna Mukhopadhyay, CEO of Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), said.
Resource: http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/parliamentarians-doctors-seek-40-sin-tax-on-tobacco-products-1475484

Eight tobacco sales to underage teenagers

Eight Bay retailers sold tobacco to an underage person during a recent operation conducted by Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service

Another 46 shopkeepers complied with the law by asking the underage teenager for their proof of age and refusing to sell tobacco to them.

The worst result was in Opotiki where three out of seven shops visited sold tobacco to the underage teenager, Dr Phil Shoemack, medical officer of health for Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service said.

"I am very disappointed that across the Eastern Bay there was a total of eight sales of tobacco to an underage teenager. There is clearly much room for improvement. It's against the law. No one should be selling tobacco to anyone under the age of 18."

A Controlled Purchase Operation involved an underage person asking to buy tobacco from retailers under controlled conditions.

The purpose of the operation was to reduce the impact of tobacco related harm, especially in young people, by checking retailers' understanding and adherence to tobacco legislation.

This included not selling to anyone who was under 18 years of age.

Prior to the operation, visits were made to tobacco retailers reminding them of their responsibilities under the Smokefree Environments Act 1990. This legislation prohibited the sale of tobacco to a person under the age of 18 years and also banned smoking in enclosed areas of workplaces, hospitality venues and public buildings.

"It is pleasing to see that the majority of the tobacco retailers visited are meeting their legal responsibilities and refusing to sell to children," Dr Shoemack said.

"The retailers that sold tobacco to someone underage have each been fined $500. This should serve as a caution that Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service takes the matter seriously and we run regular checks across the Bay of Plenty and Lakes districts."

To find out more about tobacco legislation or to make an enquiry, visit www.ttophs.govt.nz/tobacco for more information.
Resource: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/bay-of-plenty-times/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503343&objectid=11731279