21 December 2018 
Welcome to New Members! 
The Swedish think tank Tobaksfakta, is a non-profit organisation, formed by Health Professionals against Tobacco and Non Smoking Generation (NSG) in October 2010, and has a number of member organisations. It is a national independent player focusing on different measures to reduce tobacco use. The goal is that Tobaksfakta contributes continuously to reducing tobacco use toward a society free of tobacco by sharing information and experience  and through coordinated activities and projects. The top priority objective is to have the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) better implemented in Sweden.

The International Network of Women Against Tobacco (INWAT) was founded in 1990 by women tobacco control leaders to address the complex issues of tobacco use among women and young girls.

If tobacco use and exposure can be prevented or stopped, women’s health can be vastly improved. An international network of women against tobacco is one of our greatest strengths in achieving improved health and greater equality.

 

Call for Abstracts and Symposia Proposals
for ENSP-SRP
4th International Conference on Tobacco Control
Invitation to European Parliament Debate, 
29 January 2019, Brussels


On 29 January 2019, MEP Cristian Busoi will host, at the European Parliament  in Brussels, the debate: "Where does the parallel trade of tobacco come from? How to end it? ". 

The fight against tobacco prevalence has constituted a priority of the legislature, which is coming to an end in the European Parliament. It resulted in the adoption of Directive 2014/40/EU, the Tobacco Products Directive and in the implementation of its provisions, which will certainly help to better fight against smoking in the 27 Member States.  

In the coming legislature the EU will have to aim further this basic regulation acquired, reason why MEP Busoi initiated a consultation with the main tobacco control associations to be able to formulate new proposals after the upcoming EP elections.  

Following the call for the consultation, conducted earlier by his cabinet,  MEP Busoi  is proposing a seminar discussion on the fight against the parallel trade in tobacco. While everyone agrees to denounce the importance of this phenomenon, there is still a debate regarding the solutions to implement due to a divergence of analysis on the origins of the parallel trade in tobacco. 

To participate in the event and for any further inquiries please contact andreea-snejana.naidan@europarl.europa.eu | elisabeta-ana.covaci@europarl.europa.eu before 10 January 2019.
ENSP Capacity Building in Vienna
ENSP members and partners gathered for the annual Capacity Building Event on 12-14 November 2018. This year it took place in Vienna, Austria and was kindly hosted by the Austrian Academy of Sciences. 

Over 60 participants attended the event in order to discuss the most acute tobacco control subjects: novel tobacco products and the threat they are posing to the smoke-free regulations.
Moreover, the event was marked with the launch of the European Young People Working Group on Tobacco that is led by Sanne Heijndijk from Dutch Alliance for a Smokefree Society

In addition, EPACTT 2 project partners (the ENSP’s Accredited by EACCME Curriculum on Tobacco Treatment) gathered on 13 November in order to discuss the final steps of the project. By now, online learning platform is available in 14 languages with 2 more in progress (Polish and Portuguese).

Learn more...
EPACTT workshops on Treating Tobacco Dependence for Health Professionals: Kosovo, Russia, Slovenia
In 2018 ENSP conducted 3 EPACTT training across project partners' countries. Each workshop engaged over 50 health care professionals with various speacialisations from Kosovo, Russia and Slovenia.

The latest training was co-organised with the Slovenian Coalition for Public Health, Environment and Tobacco Control and kindly hosted by the Slovenian Ministry of Health in Ljubljana. Secretariat cordially thanks tobacco dependence treatment experts Charis Girvalaki, Aggelos Mechili and Antigona Trofor for their contribution to the workshop. 
European projects' Update

TackSHS: Interim Workshop and Consortium Meeting

TackSHS project consortium and invited experts gathered in Barcelona in October 2018 for a meeting co-organised by ICO and ENSP. On 8 October project partners exchanged updates from their WPs and on the following 2 days interim workshop dedicated to the evaluation of the progress and planning for the final year of the project. 

Along with the project consortium, the members of the Project Advisory Board,  External Ethics Advisor, invited experts in tobacco control and representative of the EC participated in the workshop.

The main objective of the meeting was to present intermediate project results to experts in order to receive their feedback before the final stage of the project, especially with numerous scientific publications being in the pipeline.

Learn more about TackSHS...
EUREST PLUS: Final Conference at the European Parliament

The final EUREST-PLUS workshop entitled 'H2020 Funding for Tobacco Control: Scaling up for the prevention of lung diseases in the EU' took place at the European Parliament in Brussels on 18 October, 2018.

The event, sponsored by the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP)  was hosted by MEP Gilles Pargneaux and was attended by more than 60 delegates. Its primary objective was to gather key stakeholders in the field of tobacco control in the EU to enhance innovative joint research collaborations.

The programme encompassed presentations from Vytenis Andriukaitis, the European Commissioner for Health, and representatives of DG SANTÉ and DG RTD, ERS and the ENSP. The second part of the meeting provided the audience with important updates on successful H2020 projects funded by the European Commission under the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) call on the prevention of lung diseases, including:

EUREST-PLUS Coordinator Prof. Constantine Vardavas and Moderator Tamsin Rose facilitated stakeholder discussion that truly embodied the title of the event - the importance of funding for tobacco control research for scaling up the prevention of lung diseases in the EU. 

Read more...

SILNE-R: International Consultation and Final Conference
SILNE-R was a three-year European project (Horizon 2020) involving 7 European countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Finland) aimed to understand how we can effectively prevent smoking of adolescents by policies at (inter)national, local and school levels. 

The general aims of the project have been:

  1. to assess how recent strategies and programs to prevent youth smoking have been implemented at national, municipal and school levels, and how they have influenced smoking behaviour of 16 year old adolescents in seven European countries,
  2. to develop and to disseminate the fine-grained evidence that is needed to support decision makers in implementing strategies to prevent youth smoking in local settings, with due attention for program costs and for inequalities in smoking.
The final conference of SILNE-R project, was hosted by MEP Cristian-Silviu Bușoi at the European Parliament in Brussels, on Wednesday afternoon, 17 October 2018.  

During this closing meeting of the project policymakers, tobacco control experts and relevant stakeholders from different European countries presented and discussed the final outcomes of SILNE-R.  

The discussion focused around such topics as current trends and inequalities in youth smoking, priorities areas for the prevention of youth smoking, how to develop and support national and local policies as well as how to effectively implement policies at local levels.

Learn more about SILNE-R...
SFP infographic on tobacco industry presence in the EU policy-making environment
EU Health Award for NGOs working to prevent
tobacco use 

ENSP congratulates all Award winners and nominees and, furthermore, the European Commission for dedicating this year's Health Award to Tobacco Control!

In 2018, the European Commission rewarded outstanding initiatives by NGOs which have contributed to a higher level of public health in the EU by working on preventing tobacco use. There were 11 candidate NGOs which were considered for the prize. The winners of the EU Health Award for NGOs 2018 were announced on 12 November 2018 at the Award Ceremony hosted during the EU Health Policy Platform annual meeting, in presence of EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis.

Read more..
Danger of Juul for Europe
The New York Times recently reported that Juul is working to develop a pod with lower nicotine content that will deliver the same “hit” by increasing the voltage in the device.  Running at a higher temperature increases nicotine delivery, as well as generation of the other toxic chemicals in e-cigarettes.

This effort to sidestep EU rules on nicotine in e-cigarettes is one more illustration of how Juul is acting like any other tobacco company in working to get around the rules.  The fact that they are modifying the product in a way that increases the risks is especially cynical given that they claim to be interested in harm reduction.

 
Read more...

Tobacco Industry launches a new vaping device in the UK 
BAT is introducing a vaping device in the U.K. that delivers nicotine more efficiently, the latest salvo in a battle to attract smokers to cigarette alternatives amid ever tougher regulations on smoking.

BAT is debuting the new product, dubbed Vype iSwitch, in the face of competition from Philip Morris International Inc.’s IQOS as well as Juul, the industry upstart that started selling e-cigarettes in the U.K. five months ago. As the name suggests, the company hopes the iSwitch will lure more traditional tobacco smokers to start vaping.


Read more...
Results of Global Youth Survey:
Smoking prevalence among children in Ukraine has decreased by 43% over 12 years

On November 15, on the International No Smoking Day, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the WHO Country Office in Ukraine, and NGO Advocacy Center "Life" presented the results of the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) in Ukraine.

The smoking prevalence among young people aged 13-15 years decreased by 23% in comparison with 2011 and by 43% compared with 2005. However, 14.9% of adolescents (17.8% of boys and 12.1% of girls) use tobacco products. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey was conducted in Ukraine three times — in 2005, 2011, and 2017.

Iryna Rudenko, Acting Head of the Public Health Department of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, said, «The prevalence of tobacco use decreased from 26% in 2005 to 14.9% in 2017 and  also the number of those who suffered from passive smoking in public places significantly decreased, the awareness of young people about the harmfulness of smoking has increased.»

 

However, today there are a number of unresolved issues. Іn particular, 18.4% of 13-15-year-old children are current consumers of electronic cigarettes. The reason is that the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors is still not prohibited at the legislative level. In addition, 62.5% of children notice cigarettes’ ads in stores and kiosks. Joshua Abrams, Program Director of the Eurasian region of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said that tobacco displays at the point of sale are a manipulative tactic of the tobacco industry, which targets kids.

Lilia Olefir, Executive Director of the NGO Advocacy Center “Life”, commented, «There are cost-effective legislative measures to prevent youth from smoking initiation.  Therefore, to continue reduction of the smoking prevalence among kids and youth, the Parliament should promote the adoption of anti-tobacco draft laws No. 2820 and No. 4030a that are supported by the general public.»

The draft law No. 2820 prohibits the sale of flavored cigarettes, increases pictorial health warnings up to 65% of the surface of a pack of cigarettes on both sides. It also bans the promotion and sale of e-cigarettes to children and defines clear requirements for content and labeling. The draft law No. 4030a aims to ban tobacco marketing at the points of sale and improve smoke-free policies.

Sweden extends the Smoking Ban
Sweden is banning outdoor smoking in most public places, including playgrounds, outdoor restaurants and train station platforms. 

On 12 December the Riksdagen voted to extend the smoking ban, which currently applies to bars and restaurants, from July next year.

Smoking is currently allowed in designated smoking areas in most workplaces and public places. According to the new law, the goal is to make the Scandinavian country smoke-free by 2025.

Read more...
Snus stays banned from the EU
The European Court of Justice decided against overturning the EU-wide ban on the smokeless tobacco snus.

The ruling displays a political public health motivation, writes Bill Wirtz.  In January last year, the New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) appealed against the 1992 EU-ban on the smokeless tobacco snus. Snus is powdered tobacco, often sold in pre-packed bags of the size of an index finger, which the users place on the upper lip. It is sometimes confused with snuffed tobacco, which is legal.
The ban was defended by counsels for the European Commission, the European Council, the European Parliament, Norway and the UK. Among the arguments presented were that tobacco consumption of all kinds needs to be reduced, and that snus could be regarded as a gateway to conventional cigarettes. Not only is there no scientific evidence for the ‘gateway drug’ claim — it is also bizarre that EU outlaws the gateway, while allowing the sale of cigarettes, a drug it considers more dangerous. Snus advocates suffered a major blow when Danish Advocate-General Henrik Saugmandsgaard Øe concluded that snus remains a health hazard, which legitimizes the ban.  

In a ruling published on 22 November, the ECJ ruled against the re-authorization of snus in the European Union.

Read more...
Update on the Dutch criminal case against the industry
A Dutch appeals court refused to order public prosecutors to open a criminal investigation of tobacco companies, in a major setback for anti-smoking activists.

In a written ruling that upheld an earlier decision by prosecutors not to open an investigation, The Hague Appeals Court said that cigarettes aren’t illegal because they adhere to European Union regulations, “so there is no criminal behavior” by tobacco companies.

“The fact that cigarettes can have an addictive character and can create health risks changes nothing,” the court said.

Dutch lawyer Benedicte Ficq in 2016 sought a criminal prosecution on behalf of ex-smokers and a youth smoking prevention organization. Hospitals, doctors and other groups later joined the call. Ficq called for the prosecution of Philip Morris, British American Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International and Imperial Tobacco Benelux.

 

Ficq’s complaint alleged that the tobacco companies were liable because of “the large-scale, decades-long and ongoing production and sale of addictive tobacco products in the Netherlands.” It also alleged that tobacco companies deliberately misled laboratory tests to gauge levels of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide.

Read more...

Congratulation to Turkey for adopting Plain Packaging
A new law on plain packaging for tobacco products formally came into force on 4 December, six years after the country launched an all-out war against smoking. Starting in 2019, cigarettes and other tobacco products must be sold in uniform packages with a prominent display of health warnings and only a smaller space for the name of the brand.

Read more...
Tobacco consumption in France keeps decreasing
During the third quarter of 2018, the quantities of cigarettes delivered to tobacconists are marked by a sharp decline: -10% for cigarettes and -8% for rolling tobacco. This decrease in sales in the French tobacconist network is still explained by the price increase that occurred on March 1, 2018.

In addition, calls to the tobacco quit line increased, both in the first level (information: + 7%) and in the second level (tobacco specialists: + 11%).


These favorable public health developments, however, need to be confirmed by prevalence data indicating that the decline in smoking observed in 2017 in the Barometer Health Survey is continuing well into 2018.

Take a look at the Dashboard where you can find the Balance Sheet and the Press Release of the French Observatory of Drugs and Drug Addiction (l'Observatoire francais des drogues et des toxicomanie - OFDT) of 2017.
Tobacco Control Playbook
WHO's     Tobacco Control Playbook developed by its Regional Office for Europe aims to provide a single source of information explaining how tobacco industry players proactively misinform the general public, and offers governments as well as the public health community clear evidence-based responses to their deceptive arguments.
To disseminate this important work carried out by WHO Europe,  the Network features key arguments from the Playbook of relevance to ENSP members and stakeholders in the tobacco control community.
Special issue: judicial statements from legal action involving the tobacco industry
  • The tobacco industry has continually and deliberately misled the public as to the harmful and addictive nature of its products, as well as its own marketing practices in relation to those products.
  • The evidence provided by the tobacco industry when challenging tobacco control measures in courts is frequently of low quality and/or misleading.
  • The interests that the tobacco industry seeks to protect in litigation are essentially interests to continue to promote and sell its products in ways that harm public health.
  • The uniquely harmful nature of tobacco products means that the tobacco industry cannot be expected to be treated the same as makers of other consumer products.
  • The tobacco industry has on many occasions attempted to frustrate legal processes to prevent people who have suffered tobacco-related harm from being able to bring claims against the industry.

Read more...

The Eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the WHO FCTC 
The Eighth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP8) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) took place in Geneva from 1 to 6 October. 
The First Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products
The First Session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP1) to the Protocol on Illicit Trade on Tobacco Products also took place in Geneva from 8 to 10 October and it was the first opportunity for the Parties to the Protocol to discuss its implementation.your service. Replace this text with yours.
New published articles

Organizational culture and the adoption of anti-smoking initiatives at small to very small workplaces: An organizational level analysis
Christine M. Kava, Edith A. Parker, Barbara Baquero, Susan J. Curry, Paul A. Gilbert, Michael Sauder, Daniel K. Sewell

Persistent use of hookah smoking among Iranian women: A qualitative study
Shirin Shahbazi Sighaldeh, Azam Baheiraei, Samin Dehghan, Abdurrahman Charkazi

‘Greenwashing’ tobacco products through ecological and social/equity labelling: A potential threat to tobacco control
Frank Houghton, Sharon Houghton, Diane O' Doherty, Derek McInerney, Bruce Duncan

Establishing a community-based smoke-free homes movement in Indonesia
Retna Siwi Padmawati, Yayi Suryo Prabandari, Tutik Istiyani, Mark Nichter, Mimi Nichter

Characteristics of Open Public Hearing Speakers of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee meetings
Craig M. Cooper, Sam Jellison, Matt Vassar

Awareness about effects of tobacco and areca-nut use in school children of Ahmedabad, India: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey

Priya Singh RangeyMegha Sandeep ShethAzizfatema Khan

Tobacco cessation outcomes: The case for milestone-based services
Disa CornishKi ParkMitchell Avery


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