More and more people support smokefree laws in England with 83% of respondents in favour; while it was endorsed by 78% back in 2007 when the ban was implemented. The report by ASH, Smokefree: The First Ten Years, states that this increase is explained mainly by growing support by smokers themselves (from 40% to 55%). Moreover, the report clearly demonstrates a switch in the mindset of smokers towards stronger support for further tobacco control measures such as a licensing scheme for tobacco retailers and a levy on the tobacco industry to pay for measures to reduce smoking prevalence.

Read more about the 10 year anniversary celebrations in France, Finland and Denmark (National languages).

Congratulations to the awardees of the ENSP 20th Anniversary Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Tobacco Control. The Awards were most recently presented to Aurelijus Veryga, Minister of Health of the Republic of Lithuania and former ENSP Board member and Elisabeth Tamang, member of INWAT and former ENSP President.

Download ENSP 20th Anniversary Monograph.

The summit of ministers of finance, governors and directors of tax administrations of the region, "Regional Financial Stability in a New Global Environment" was held from 16 to 17 June in Bečići in Montenegro. The summit became a tobacco industry platform for lobbying against effective public health policy and cost-effective tobacco control measures and as a result, media reports following the event warned about the "negative effects" of tobacco taxation in Western Balkans and the "need to slow down the increasing excise duties on tobacco in Bosnia".

PROI has already sent appeals to Bosnian officials and on 12 July 2017 the association sent a letter of concern regarding violation of FCTC Article 5.3 to World Bank officials, urging them to address the inappropriate situation and take the necessary steps to uphold the spirit and principles of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC in decisions regarding participation in future events and conferences. PROI was supported by 54 public health and tobacco control organisations from across Europe, many of the ENSP members and friends. Thank you all for your support.

Read the full letter.

Among the negative consequences of illicit trade are:

1. Severe risks to public health
2. Support of organised crime
3. Significant economic harm and loss in government revenue
4. Destroyed fair trade
5. Negative ecological consequences

Track and trace systems of tobacco products will become obligatory in the EU by 20 May 2019 due to the implementation of Art. 15 and 16 of the Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU) (10). They are also due for implementation globally based on Art. 8 of the WHO FCTC Illicit Trade Protocol.

Prof Josseran would like to increase the amount of activities at European level in order to benefit from international expertise and to share French experiences. The exchange of knowledge and information between France and the rest of Europe will be vital to progress together towards stronger and better tobacco control.

Read the full interview with Prof Loic Josseran.

A network is only as strong as the members holding it together. That is why the ENSP board and Secretariat would like to extend our thanks to all members and friends of the ENSP network for your contributions to a tobacco-free Europe, and introduce you to each other, your organisations and current priorities in tobacco control in a series of interviews with ENSP members from across Europe.

This month we are pleased to share a bit of information about Sanne Heijndijk and her work within Alliantie Nederland Rookvrij!, the Tobacco Control Alliance in the Netherlands.

What are the biggest challenges in tobacco control in the Netherlands?

Levels of awareness of the health risks of (passive) smoking are relatively low in the Netherlands. The addictive nature of smoking is not well-known. Hence, the idea that smoking is a free choice and therefore a behaviour that the government and others should not intervene with (especially as far as adults are concerned), still features rather prominently in public opinion and political debates. As is the case in many other countries, another huge challenge is to really make tobacco control work for society as a whole, including those with a lower socioeconomic status. Smoking prevalence is higher in this group and expected to decrease less than among those with a higher socioeconomic status.

What are you proud of (your achievements)?

In the past couple of years, we have seen some positive changes in the Netherlands. Whereas in the early 2010s we were confronted with a Minister of Health that reversed several tobacco control measures, we are now getting back on track. It is great to see so many parties in the Netherlands taking their role and working towards a Smokefree Generation. Public support for initiatives to protect children is increasing and, during the last years, the Dutch government has taken various measures to advance tobacco control (incl. increased efforts to implement article 5.3 FCTC and full implementation of the TPD). Just last week, the government published its proposal for banning the display of tobacco products at practically all points of sales.

What are the next steps/projects?

We have had general elections in March. Negotiations on a new coalition are still ongoing. We hope that the new government will join the social movement towards a Smokefree Generation and take the initiative for a comprehensive plan to get there, in cooperation with local governments and civil society.

Thank you Sanne!

Read more about the work Alliantie Nederland Rookvrij! here

The final TOB-G Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High-Risk Populations are now published and available for download.

The guidelines were released and disseminated to particpants of the 2nd ENSP International Conference on Tobacco Control 2017, held in Athens, Greece in May 2017. At the occasion, the guidelines and the TOB-G. project was presented in the round table “TOB-G & Tobacco Dependence Treatment in Special Populations”, with presentations by TOB-G researchers Sophia Papakdakis and Antigona Trofor, along with other leading international experts in tobacco dependence treatment. Read more about the TOB-G presentation.

The Tobacco Cessation Guidelines for High Risk Populations is the main result of the TOB-G partnership, coordinated by the Hellenic Center for Disease Control & Prevention and partners ENSP, CMT Prooptiki, Anlet Med. and TFRI Ireland. During the autumn of 2017 the TOB-G e-learning platform and training course will be launched. Read more about the TOB-G project here.

Using DNA blood samples drawn in 1991–1994 from individuals in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, representing the Danish general population, researchers followed 9234 individuals for COPD exacerbations, lung cancer and all-cause mortality, and found that the marker of smoking behaviour ( AHRR cg05575921 hypomethylation) strongly predicted risks, also after adjustment for self-reported smoking behaviour at the time of blood draw.

Researchers note that the results of the study of the novel objective marker of long-term smoking behaviour could be of clinical value if included in the risk calculation algorithms identifying high-risk smokers for screening or other interventions.

Read the full article.

In the 2014–2015 PASSI survey, the ongoing Italian behavioural risk factor surveillance system, 6112 adults who smoked and made at least one quit attempt in the previous 12 months, were categorized into three groups according to the method used in their most recent quit attempt: e-cigarette only, no aid, other quitting methods (medications; programmes delivered in smoking cessation services; other unspecified methods). The primary outcome was self-reported abstinence for a period ≥ 6 months, adjusted for potential confounders.

One out of ten smokers who attempted to quit in 2014–2015 in Italy used e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes users were as likely to report abstinence as those using no aid, but were less likely to report abstinence than users of established quitting methods. Further studies are needed to understand the relationship between e-cigarette types used to quit and abstinence rates.

Read the full article.

Researchers at Dartmouth Norris Cotton Cancer Center have found that electronic cigarette use increases the risk of cigarette smoking in youth.

For the study, published June 26 in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers analyzed several published studies beginning with non-smoking youth, aiming to identify whether initial e-cigarette use increased the risk of transition to tobacco cigarette use.

The study showed a greater risk between initial e-cigarette use and later cigarette smoking. Of the 17,389 adolescents and young adults aged 14 to 30, e-cigarette use was associated with an increased risk of future cigarette smoking initiation.

Researchers theorized that e-cigarette use leads to regular cigarette smoking both because e-cigarettes mimic smoking behavior and because the aerosol contains nicotine, initiating nicotine addiction.

Read the full report.

In order for manufacturers to have time to change the packages, there is a transition period of one year for products already on the market. New product variants are not covered by the transitional period and should have standardised packaging from the time they are introduced on the market.

After 1 July 2018 all cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco products and snus sold in Norway must be in plain packaging.

Read more...

There have been claims over the years that people with mental illness benefit from smoking, do not want to or cannot quit, and that this is not a priority area for action.

Key messages explaining why reducing smoking prevalence among people with menthal illnesses is crucial and certainly possible:

• Action to reduce smoking among people with mental illness should be a very high priority, whether through health systems or by clinicians. There is nothing that would do more to reduce the life expectancy gap.
• High rates of smoking among people with mental illness bring devastating consequences to their mental and physical wellbeing, and are the largest single contributor to the massive life expectancy gap for this already disadvantaged group.
• People with mental illness want to quit as much as other smokers and can do so with appropriate help and support.
• When properly planned and implemented, bans on smoking in mental health facilities work well and do not result in the negative consequences that some predict.
• Action to reduce smoking in people with mental illness should be a very high priority, consistent with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and human rights treaties including the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which state that everyone has a right to health without discrimination.

Read more in the WHO Tobacco Control Playbook.

This year ERS International Congress will take place in Milan, Italy on 9–13 September, 2017.

Continuing the standards of previous years and retaining the position as the world’s largest meeting for respiratory physicians, scientists and allied health professionals, the program will feature over 350 scientific sessions, around 75 educational sessions. This edition will also welcome the return of the award-winning live endoscopy.

This year’s event promises something for everyone and will provide all the latest advancements in the respiratory field.

Visit the Congress website to find out more about the registration options and browse the advance programme.

Earlier this year European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker presented a white paper on the future of Europe, outlining 5 scenarios for the organisation and scope of the European Union. In these scenarios, the option to “do less” on some policy areas is contemplated possibly leading to less EU action on health after 2020.

39 organisations have teamed up to express their concerns in a letter to European Commission President, Jean Claude Juncker. All European and International organisation in health and tobacco control are invited to support the call to action, to increase attention on the need for EU action on health. Read more and sign the petition here.