News dall’estero 8 marzo 2018

Watchdogs looking to tackle the problem of illegal tobacco in Norfolk are considering using surveillance. Illegal tobacco has been illegally imported and has been a particular problem in Great Yarmouth. Four Norwich shops and one in Yarmouth have had licences revoked because illegal tobacco was found, with the help of tobacco detection dogs. But in the year ahead, 
officers are looking to do more, including working with landlords to evict tenants who sell illegal tobacco. In a report from Norfolk County Council, officers said: “Whilst surveillance is extremely costly, other local authorities have had success in tracing the supply chain of illegal tobacco; leading to seizures of large amounts that have had a real impact on the supply of illegal tobacco in their areas.”

Thousands of smokers in Northumberland are being urged to give quitting a go on No Smoking Day next week – and try to quit at least once a year until they stop for good. The call comes as new figures from the Smoking Toolkit Study from University College London show that in the past 10 years in the North East, around 18.3% of people who tried to quit smoking were still not smoking, compared with 15.7% of people nationally. Fresh, a health charity, is also encouraging Northumberland smokers who have struggled to quit so  far to consider switching completely to an e-cigarette, which is significantly less harmful than smoking and now the most popular way to quit smoking in the UK. Whether or not smokers use an e-cigarette, they are strongly advised to get support from their local Stop Smoking Service – 01670 813135. Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh, said: “Some people do manage to quit first time – but for most it takes many attempts. Don’t get disheartened if you didn’t quit first time, and don’t tell yourself you can’t do it. You can come back more determined and better prepared next time.”

 A campaign designed to tackle the problems caused by the sale of illicit tobacco is being orchestrated by North Yorkshire County Council to mark No Smoking Day. The Keep it Out campaign will put emphasis on raising awareness of the implications of these cigarettes and tobacco being available in the county’s communities and encourages both smokers and non-smokers to report the sale of illicit tobacco through a confidential telephone line.

WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today announced the winners of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control which celebrate the significant strides made by organizations implementing anti-tobacco policies in low and middle-income countries. He made the announcement at the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health. The six chosen honorees highlight the tangible progress to control tobacco and represent the effectiveness of the MPOWER policies, a group of effective demand-reduction tobacco control policies. One award was given in each of the MPOWER categories. MPOWER categories include: Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies; Protecting people from tobacco smoke with smoke-free air legislation; Offering help to quit tobacco use; Warning about the dangers of tobacco with pack labels and mass media; Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and Raising taxes on tobacco. The 2018 Bloomberg Philanthropies Award winners are: The Ministry of Health in Vietnam, Fondo Solidario para la Salud (FOSALUD) de El Salvador, Fundación Interamericana del Corazón México, the Ministry of Health in Senegal, Uganda National Health Consumers’ Organization, and the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Treasury Argentina, and FI in Argentina.

Robeco has followed in the footsteps of BNP Paribas Asset Management to divest from tobacco across its fund range. The extension of the tobacco exclusion across its fund range includes sub-advised funds, but does not extend to client-specific mandates. The exclusion was already in place in its responsible investment funds. The divestment will include all listed companies involved in the production of tobacco or “significant components” of cigarettes. Robecco said in a statement that investing in the carcinogenic product is socially disadvantageous and does not align with its commitment to responsible investing. The statement said although Robeco actively engages with companies it invests in “engagement with the tobacco industry will not lead to fundamental change”.