Friday 11 March 2011

Electioneering starts but public increasingly interested in anti-smoking money trail

The Scottish general elections will take place this May. Scottish Liberal Democrats chose the occasion of No Smoking day to address the nation. How can they fail to win enormous numbers of seats with a message like this? All available resources must be used to help people stop smoking? Is this really a national priority? It's nice to know that Mr Finnie took his role on the Health & Sport Committee so much to heart though.

In another neck of the political woods Big Brother Watch discusses 'The vested interests of the anti-smoking lobby', and speculates about the money trail that sustains the likes of Action on Smoking and Health and ASH Scotland. There is no doubt that there is an enormous conflation of interest between those who campaign to restrict smoking and those who stand to benefit from the sales of nicotine cessation medicines. Look no further than this website: those giving the presentations, the delegates, the sponsors (and check the archive pages from last year), all have a career interest in anti-smoking. We were outside the hotel in Glasgow as the delegates emerged last year, over 600, mostly publicly paid anti-smoking careerists, sporting a memento jute UKNSCC bag for their briefing papers and notes, and travelling from all four corners of the UK.

The money spent on this exercise is formidable, and let us remember that some of those who receive this public money think nothing of excluding ordinary members of the public like Mr Gilligan from public health policy discussions, simply because their path in life took them into a sales role instead of public health. It's a case of some being more equal than others.

The money trail does need to be more widely understood. At the bottom is a battle between drug companies and the general public. Drug companies seek a monopoly position and they compete against tobacco for the same customers. The state and the World Health Organisation help them out, even though their track record is compromised. Why is the state taking sides with pharmaceuticals against their own people, and why is the World Health Organisation doing exactly the same thing?

Why is everyone saying that the bastards running the tobacco companies are beyond comparison rent seeking and careless of public health, when disregard for public health goes with the territory of many big companies – and small ones – in all walks of life.

In the words of detective novelist Ian Rankin: 'We spend most of our time chasing something called "the underworld", but it's the overworld we should really be keeping an eye on.'

13 comments:

Xopher said...

I make a comment and am accused of being a pawn of or in the pay of Big Tobacco but I am one of those who provide the cash they depend on to pay their mortgage.
Bastards (with an expressive hard A 'cos I'm a Northerner) the lot of them.
It's interesting that Cameron is quite happy to ignore the will of the people and the majority of his Party faithful by declaring that there will be no EU referendum because HE thinks Britain is better off in the EU but it will be even more interesting to see how many of his MPs change their minds from from their opposition votes and support his newly announced, illiberal smoking policies.
It's time to bin them all and vote, without AV, for Independents and Farage.

Anonymous said...

On last nights Scottish Television News there were a number of MSPs supporting a demonstration outside the Scottish Parliament about the planned closure of the BLINDCRAFT factory in Edinburgh.

It was stated that £1Million would be needed and that ways of finding the money would be given further thought.

THE ANSWER IS EASY, TAKE AWAY THE £1Million given by the Scottish Government to ASH Scotland and give it to BLINDCRAFT.

Anonymous said...

"There is no doubt that there is an enormous conflation of interest between those who campaign to restrict smoking and those who stand to benefit from the sales of nicotine cessation medicines."


WHO LAUNCHES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY TO HELP SMOKERS QUIT - 1999

"The strength of the Partnership Project lies in the fact that it has brought together three major pharmaceutical companies, Glaxo Wellcome, Novartis Consumer Health and Pharmacia & Upjohn, all manufacturers of treatment products for tobacco dependence, to support a common goal that will have a significant impact on public health."
http://www.who.int/inf-pr-1999/en/pr99-04.html

2001 Letter from ASH UK to Glaxo

"ASH has worked closely with Glaxo and SmithKline Beecham staff and always welcomed the active collaoration. I hope to continue this with the merged company. We have worked with GSK under the aspices of the WHO-Europe Partnership Project on tobacco dependance and at various one off opportunities.

ASH was instrumental in securing greater government commitment to smoking cessation products in the NHS National Plan and we have helped with both Zyban and Niquitin CQ."

"There are several negative aspects to Mr. Bonham on the GSK board.Most contribute to strong reputational risk"

"Should this link between tobacco and pharmaceuticals become widely known in the general public, there is a grave risk to the public understanding of smoking cessation."

"ASH has a small shareholding in GSK and I will be attending with others to question you and Chairman on this situation."
http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_635.pdf

Anonymous said...

ASH applauds 40th ratification of global treaty and calls for immediate ratification by the UK Government.

"In a letter to Tony Blair, ASH urges the government to honour its commitment to ratify the global tobacco treaty without further delay.

In addition, ASH is seeking clarification on what planning mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that the UK complies with the FCTC's requirement of a comprehensive national tobacco control strategy."
The FCTC contains most of the measures that countries need to take to reduce tobacco consumption. The FCTC obliges countries to:

. enact a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, marketing and promotion;
· place large, graphic warnings on cigarette packs;
· ban the use of misleading descriptors such as “light”, “low-tar” and “mild;”
. raise tobacco taxes significantly;
· provide smoke-free public spaces and workplaces;
http://www.ash.org.uk/media-room/press-releases/ash-applauds-40th-ratification-of-global-treaty-and-calls-for-immediate-ratification-by-the-uk-government

Tony Blair's 10 Years Of Tobacco Control - 2007

""The Comment concludes: "Blair promised much for tobacco control but required considerable pressure before he delivered."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/75557.php

Anonymous said...

"There is no doubt that there is an enormous conflation of interest between those who campaign to restrict smoking and those who stand to benefit from the sales of nicotine cessation medicines."


WHO LAUNCHES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY TO HELP SMOKERS QUIT - 1999

"The strength of the Partnership Project lies in the fact that it has brought together three major pharmaceutical companies, Glaxo Wellcome, Novartis Consumer Health and Pharmacia & Upjohn, all manufacturers of treatment products for tobacco dependence, to support a common goal that will have a significant impact on public health."
http://www.who.int/inf-pr-1999/en/pr99-04.html

2001 Letter from ASH UK to Glaxo

"ASH has worked closely with Glaxo and SmithKline Beecham staff and always welcomed the active collaoration. I hope to continue this with the merged company. We have worked with GSK under the aspices of the WHO-Europe Partnership Project on tobacco dependance and at various one off opportunities.

ASH was instrumental in securing greater government commitment to smoking cessation products in the NHS National Plan and we have helped with both Zyban and Niquitin CQ."

"There are several negative aspects to Mr. Bonham on the GSK board.Most contribute to strong reputational risk"

"Should this link between tobacco and pharmaceuticals become widely known in the general public, there is a grave risk to the public understanding of smoking cessation."

"ASH has a small shareholding in GSK and I will be attending with others to question you and Chairman on this situation."
http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_635.pdf

Anonymous said...

"There is no doubt that there is an enormous conflation of interest between those who campaign to restrict smoking and those who stand to benefit from the sales of nicotine cessation medicines."


WHO LAUNCHES PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY TO HELP SMOKERS QUIT - 1999

"The strength of the Partnership Project lies in the fact that it has brought together three major pharmaceutical companies, Glaxo Wellcome, Novartis Consumer Health and Pharmacia & Upjohn, all manufacturers of treatment products for tobacco dependence, to support a common goal that will have a significant impact on public health."
http://www.who.int/inf-pr-1999/en/pr99-04.html

Anonymous said...

2001 Letter from ASH UK to Glaxo

"ASH has worked closely with Glaxo and SmithKline Beecham staff and always welcomed the active collaoration. I hope to continue this with the merged company. We have worked with GSK under the aspices of the WHO-Europe Partnership Project on tobacco dependance and at various one off opportunities.

ASH was instrumental in securing greater government commitment to smoking cessation products in the NHS National Plan and we have helped with both Zyban and Niquitin CQ."

"There are several negative aspects to Mr. Bonham on the GSK board.Most contribute to strong reputational risk"

"Should this link between tobacco and pharmaceuticals become widely known in the general public, there is a grave risk to the public understanding of smoking cessation."

"ASH has a small shareholding in GSK and I will be attending with others to question you and Chairman on this situation."
http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_635.pdf

Anonymous said...

ASH applauds 40th ratification of global treaty and calls for immediate ratification by the UK Government.

"In a letter to Tony Blair, ASH urges the government to honour its commitment to ratify the global tobacco treaty without further delay.

In addition, ASH is seeking clarification on what planning mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that the UK complies with the FCTC's requirement of a comprehensive national tobacco control strategy."
The FCTC contains most of the measures that countries need to take to reduce tobacco consumption. The FCTC obliges countries to:

. enact a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, marketing and promotion;
· place large, graphic warnings on cigarette packs;
· ban the use of misleading descriptors such as “light”, “low-tar” and “mild;”
. raise tobacco taxes significantly;
· provide smoke-free public spaces and workplaces;
http://www.ash.org.uk/media-room/press-releases/ash-applauds-40th-ratification-of-global-treaty-and-calls-for-immediate-ratification-by-the-uk-government

Tony Blair's 10 Years Of Tobacco Control - 2007

""The Comment concludes: "Blair promised much for tobacco control but required considerable pressure before he delivered."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/75557.php

Anonymous said...

[post split to enable posting]

ASH applauds 40th ratification of global treaty and calls for immediate ratification by the UK Government.

"In a letter to Tony Blair, ASH urges the government to honour its commitment to ratify the global tobacco treaty without further delay.

Belinda said...

[post split to enable posting: follows two previous posts]

ASH applauds 40th ratification of global treaty and calls for immediate ratification by the UK Government.

"In a letter to Tony Blair, ASH urges the government to honour its commitment to ratify the global tobacco treaty without further delay.

Belinda said...

[ctd]
In addition, ASH is seeking clarification on what planning mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that the UK complies with the FCTC's requirement of a comprehensive national tobacco control strategy."
The FCTC contains most of the measures that countries need to take to reduce tobacco consumption. The FCTC obliges countries to:

. enact a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, marketing and promotion;
· place large, graphic warnings on cigarette packs;
· ban the use of misleading descriptors such as “light”, “low-tar” and “mild;”
. raise tobacco taxes significantly;
· provide smoke-free public spaces and workplaces;
http://www.ash.org.uk/media-room/press-releases/ash-applauds-40th-ratification-of-global-treaty-and-calls-for-immediate-ratification-by-the-uk-government

Tony Blair's 10 Years Of Tobacco Control - 2007

""The Comment concludes: "Blair promised much for tobacco control but required considerable pressure before he delivered."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/75557.php

Belinda said...

[last four posts belong together but the anonymous posting was too long: I got the notification but the post didn't go up so I've split it up. Thanks Anonymous, a very informative post.]

Anonymous said...

Sorry if I've missed something here, but hasn't the UK Government already ratified that dreadful FCTC treaty? And with the forthcoming display ban, won't it have enacted all the mechanisms outlined? What exactly are ASH asking for here?