To b acco industry THE City of Belmont in California has passed an ordinance that will prohibit smoking in rampant in Pacific residential apartments where they share a common floor or ceiling. The ordinance also prohibits smoking in business premises and Island Countries bans smoking within 20 feet of doorways of businesses. (The Cancer Council has a fact ONE of the major messages to emerge from the inaugural Oceania sheet ‘Smoke drift in apartment blocks - What September/October 2007 Tobacco Control Conference held in Auckland New Zealand in early you can do’ if you are affected by smoke drift). September was the increasingly detrimental impact of the tobacco CIGARETTE sales in England fell by 6.9 per industry on public health in Pacific Island Countries. cent in the month after smoking was banned in enclosed workplaces. This is consistent with trends that occurred in Ireland and Scotland In his presentation ‘Regaining Paradise Lost’ Palau’s Senator after those countries’ comprehensive bans Pubs and clubs rule, apparently! Caleb Otto referred to the tobacco industry’s influence in the were introduced. In Ireland, sales fell by 16 per Why political party donations should be regulated in the public interest. region as sinister, insidious and a ‘new form of tyranny’. The cent in six months. result? In Palau, for example, smoking rates among mid school students is 55%. Among high school students the figure rises Killer quotes VIRTUALLY buried towards the end of the Given these decisions and their implications for to 69%. (Contrast this with the 8.4% smoking rate of NSW “Well they make donations, they make Government media release trumpeting the good the broader public interest, The Cancer Council high school students). One of the reasons for the industry’s donations and the ALP office can give news about the NSW public’s massive support for awaits with anticipation the NSW Parliament’s undue influence in the region, according to Senator Otto, is the you all the detail…they’re declared, smoking bans (72.5% support) was the bad news. coming inquiry into electoral and political party overly money-centred national development priorities of Pacific but it’s just nonsense, just nonsense The legislated pseudo-outdoor smoking areas funding. The motion to establish the Inquiry, Island Governments. that propostion.” that allow smoking to occur in public places that which followed rising community concerns about An apparently hyper-sensitive Premier Iemma are as little as 25 per cent open to the elements the millions of dollars in donations to political There were many more enlightening and inspiring presentations responding to a suggestion that hotel sector are set to continue for at least another 5 years. parties from gambling interests, corporations at the Conference, all of which can be accessed on the donations to the NSW ALP may have influenced This is despite overwhelming opposition to this and tobacco companies, passed the NSW Upper the Government decision to allow Keno in deceptive and complex loophole as evidenced by House in June 2007. Conference website at http://www.smokefreeoceania.org. hotels. (Hotels Fill Labor Coffers, Sydney nz/index.html z Morning Herald, 20 September 2007) numerous public opinion surveys and over 1,100 TAG member submissions to the Government’s The terms of reference for the Inquiry require that “We know of about 5,000 constituents in review of the new regulation. the Inquiry Committee investigate: smoke. But as analytical techniques get more and more sensitive as we can see The new definition of an enclosed public place for • all matters associated with electoral funding compounds at lower and lower levels we the purposes of the Smoke-free Environment and disclosure; will find more constituents. Because again, Act 2000, now enshrined in the NSW Smoke-free • the advantages and disadvantages of burning tobacco...creates a very complex Environment Regulation 2007, is the long-preferred banning all donations from corporations, mixture of chemicals. I think there’s thousands and thousands more that still definition of the Australian Hotels Association unions and organisations to parties and haven’t been identified.” (AHA) and ClubsNSW. The hotels sector is the candidates; leading financial donor to the NSW Labor Party. The • the advantages and disadvantages of Dr David Townsend, Vice President, RJ Reynolds sector now donates more to the NSW Labor Party introducing limits upon expenditure in (tobacco company) stating under oath the results of some of Reynolds research on its than the trade union sector, traditionally the major election campaigns; own products. (Floyd J Kenyon Snr & Florence single source of financial support for the party. (The • the impact of political donations on the Kenyon v. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, registered clubs sector also represents a significant democratic process, and any related Hillsborough County Courthouse Tampa, Florida, source of financial support for the Labor Party). matters. 26 November 2001).

Tobacco Control 2007;16:298 ‘The publisher of Vogue even sent In recent months the NSW Government has More information on the Inquiry can be obtained on Copyright © 2007 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. back a huffy reply that made it sound made a number of decisions that appear to have the NSW Parliamentary web site at http://www. as though asking a fashion magazine served the interests of the hotels sector. These parliament.nsw.gov.au/partyfunding We will not to run cigarette ads was like asking decisions include extended trading hours (up to inform TAG members when the Inquiry’s Select TAGlines is a newsletter for the NSW Tobacco Action Group (TAG). The New York Times not to run the 24 hours), greater numbers of gaming machines Committee issues a request for public submissions. TAG is made up of concerned members of the community who Pentagon Papers.” At odds with the allowed, allowing particular hotels to establish support The Cancer Council’s efforts to reduce tobacco’s burden of basic fabric of our country’s value outdoor gaming areas and allowing Keno in hotels. For good background information on the issue death and disease. system,” was one phrase.’ The Government’s decision to adopt the pubs and of political donations listen to the Saturday For further information on newsletter content or to give your feedback From a Newsweek report on the response of clubs preferred definition of an enclosed public Extra (Radio National) examination of the topic fashion magazines to requests from members place would appear to be yet another decision at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/saturdayextra/ contact the Editor, Greg Soulos or Production Coordinator, Lian Yiow: of the US Congress that the magazines not serving the interests of the sector. stories/2007/2063219.htm z The Cancer Council NSW Email: [email protected] run ads for the female-targeted brand Camel No 9. (Anna Quindlen,. Killing the Consumer. PO Box 572, Kings Cross NSW 1340 Tel: (02) 9334 1900 Newsweek, 1 October 2007). Government announces ban on festival Smoking and Bad cop Kyle’s tobacco sales....again health reports bad science

LONG-TIME TAGlines readers will be well the past decade there is no room for complacency. Newborns’ blood pressure raised RECENT on-air comments by radio personality aware that tobacco companies are very adept Smoking among 20 to 29 year olds is higher than and Australian Idol judge Kyle Sandilands at exploiting legislative loopholes. And so it is in any other age group. In 1989 the Philip Morris by smoking in pregnancy have done no favours for impressionable young with both Commonwealth and NSW legislation company identified “young adults” as its key A Dutch study of 456 two month-old full term babies audience members of 2DAY FMs “good cop, bad intended to limit the promotion of tobacco. target group, no doubt recognising that there is found that the average systolic blood pressure in cop act”, the Kyle and Jackie O show. those whose mothers smoked during pregnancy was In response to a caller, Melanie, who wanted to 5.4 points higher than those whose mothers did not talk about “that smoking thing”, Sandilands stated smoke. z that “not everyone that smokes get these lung cancer and all these things (sic)”. After questioning official Government statistics on tobacco-related Passive smoking reduces deaths, Sandilands further commented: adolescent academic achievement “We know that it slightly increases your risks AN analysis of data from the British National Child ’cause everyone’s flying the flag. Always Development Study found that exposure to second- blaming the smokers but everyone that’s on the hand smoke was a significant predictor of academic grog out there, I’m pretty sure, well, we’ll check test failure. Other predictors of failure at the O-Level it, I’m pretty sure that the alcohol is the bigger (Ordinary Level) were teen smoking, female gender killer... and lower socio-economic status. Factors were the Even after he was given the official tobacco-related z same at A-Level (Advanced) apart from gender. death statistics he continued to trivialise the issue. Philip Morris smoking tent with models, seating, tobacco on sale and display - Parklife, Moore Park Sydney, September 2007 To set the record straight for the benefit of Epidemic of once-rare lung cancer Sandilands and other tobacco and health Tobacco company subversion of the spirit of such still opportunity for young adults to be influenced denialists, here are a few salient facts: legislation has taken numerous forms in recent to begin smoking or continue after the age of 18 caused by filtered cigarettes years. One of the most persistent strategies and that young adults often serve as role models • Tobacco’s impact on health is the most THE study of the medical records of US 307,000 lung adopted by the companies has been to target for children and teenagers. comprehensively researched subject in the cancer patients has revealed that the market growth youth-oriented music festivals such as the Big Day history of medical science. of filtered cigarettes in the 1950s and 1960s led to a Out, Splendour in the Grass and Parklife. The tobacco industry does not rest in its efforts to • In 2003 in Australia 15,511 people are massive increase in the once rare adenocarcinoma of At these festivals the companies provide ensure its future economic viability. Governments estimated to have died as a result of tobacco the lung. The filter vents in filtered cigarettes allow attractive, comfortable, curiosity-arousing and need to continually match the tactics of the use and 3,430 as result of alcohol abuse smokers to take deeper puffs thus inhaling smoke sometimes fantastically themed “chill-out” tents industry. z • Tobacco use is a cause of 13 different types of into the far reaches of the lungs. Adenocarcinoma is where tobacco products are sold and consumed. cancer and almost fifty other health conditions. now the most common form of lung cancer. Tobacco • One in two long-term smokers will die as Thus it was with tempered enthusiasm that The What you can do: companies long promoted filtered cigarettes as safer a result of their smoking. About a quarter Cancer Council greeted the announcement by than non-filtered. z of these deaths will be in middle age with NSW Minister for Health (Cancer) Verity Firth Write to Minister Firth congratulating her on devastating emotional and economic effects in September that the Government was to ban the announcement that the Government will Girls exposed to second-hand smoke on often-young families. mobile tobacco sales, including those at music ban mobile selling of tobacco products. Yo u Kyle Sandilands has a right to express his festivals. We say “tempered” because this is not may wish to include some of the points made of parents more likely to miscarry opinions but he really should make some effort the first time the Government has promised action in the above article. The Minister’s contact A US study of 2,200 non-smoking pregnant women to be a little better informed when he does, on this problem. In April 2006 the then Health details are as follows: has concluded that there is an 80% increased especially when lives are at stake. Minister John Hatzistergos announced such a ban The Hon. Verity Firth risk of miscarriage among women who were but no further action was taken. We therefore Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer), exposed to their parents smoking as children. The (View ABC TVs Media Watch report on Sandiland’s strongly encourage Minister Firth to follow Level 33 Governor Macquarie Tower, more the women were exposed to second-hand on-air comments and the ramifications for 2DAY through on her commitment. 1 Farrer Place, smoke in childhood, the greater the risk. Tobacco FM at http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/ z SYDNEY NSW 2000 smoke contains many chemicals that are known or transcripts/s2016729.htm) While it is encouraging that overall smoking rates suspected to affect reproductive health. z have continued to decline in all age groups during E-mail: [email protected]