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ASH Scotland comment ahead of Scottish Parliament Health Committee hearings on tobacco control

6 February 2007

Maureen Moore, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland said,

"Tobacco control has taken a huge step forward in Scotland over the last year. The introduction of smoke-free public places has been a great success. Not only has protection from the dangers of second-hand smoke been extended to millions of people in Scotland, but there are reports that thousands of smokers have attempted to quit smoking as well.
ASH Scotland would be disappointed if the committee did not recognise the successes of going smoke-free, which the vast majority of Scots recognise, and instead chose to dwell on the unsubstantiated and anecdotal claims of a vocal minority about declining pub sales⁽¹⁾, increased cigarette sales⁽²⁾ or increased smoking in the home ⁽³⁾ ."

"The legislation is not yet a year old and the official research to measure its impact has yet to conclude. There will be a major conference on the impact of going smoke-free in Scotland this September, so there is little substantive evidence for the Health Committee to look at in its hearings today. It has been generally acknowledged that going smoke-free has been very positive for Scotland."

Going smoke-free is a platform for further action rather than an end in itself. The smoke free legislation was mainly aimed at providing effective protection for second-hand smoke and the continuing agenda is wider. The recent Smoking Prevention Working Group shows what other actions Scotland's politicians should be considering:

Raising the age from 16 to 18, backed up with licensing the sale of tobacco, stronger enforcement of the law and effective education for children about the dangers of smoking.
Introducing out-of-sight sales for tobacco, ending the ever present sight of hundreds of packets of cigarettes that loom over the tills of most of Scotland¿s shops.

ASH Scotland also believes that the Smoking Prevention Working Group¿s agenda should be implemented alongside increased commitment to helping smokers who want to quit. The Scottish Executive has doubled the money available to the NHS for smoking cessation. That money needs to find its way to front line services in a way that is accessible and relevant to the 800 000 people in Scotland that want to quit smoking.

ENDS

For further information please call ASH Scotland on 0131 225 4725 during office hours and 0777 614 2299 at other times

Notes to editors

1. Economic impact of smoking ban

Research published by the International Journal of Epidemiology in January 2007 and authored by Adda, Berlinski and Machin concluded from a telephone survey that there was a 10% fall in sale and a 14% drop in custom in pubs in Scotland compared to pubs in Northern England.

Telephone surveys can be a useful method of obtaining information but they are not a reliable way to account for the precise economic impacts of going smoke-free. Objective data such as tax receipts are needed to gain an accurate account.
After Ireland went smoke-free, subjective phone-based interviews were also used to back up claims about a downturn in the pub trade. Objective data taken from tax returns later demonstrated that going smoke-free had not adversely affect hospitality industry trade after all.

2. ¿5% rise in cigarette sales¿

There were reports in October 2006 that cigarette sales in Scotland had increased by 5% since the implementation of the smoking ban.

This was based on an internal Scottish Grocery Federation (SGF) survey which only sampled 17 stores.
After it was reported in the press, the SGF issued a retraction that admitted their survey should not be used to draw conclusions about cigarette sales.

3. Smoking in the home

There is no published, peer-reviewed evidence to demonstrate that smoke-free workplaces and enclosed public places increase the exposure of children to SHS at home.

A study of a national representative sample of smokers in Ireland found that there was a significant increase in the percentage of smokers who banned smoking in their homes after the law was implemented (from 80% to 85%).

Initial data confirms that in New Zealand, the percentage of people reporting SHS exposure in their home has reduced since smoke-free legislation came into effect (December 2004) by over 5% (from 20% to 14.7%).

In Australia, researchers have been monitoring indicators of SHS policies in home since 1989. The proportion of family homes with smoking restrictions more than doubled (25% - 59%) after smoke-free workplaces were introduced. In households where one adult smoked, the proportion with smoking restrictions rose from 17 per cent to 53 per cent; among those where both adults smoked, it increased from 2% to 32%.

In a survey of adolescents living in Massachusetts, 53% of those living with smokers reported no restrictions on smoking for family members, with 25% reporting smoking bans, and 23% reporting that visitors are not allowed to smoke.

In California, the proportion of children and adolescents living in smoke free homes increased from 38% in 1992, to 82.2% in 1999, one year after all enclosed public places and workplaces became smoke-free state-wide.

After two years of smoke-free public places in New York City, exposure to second-hand smoke in the home had decreased by 35%.

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