20 December 2011 NZ
Herald.
Very low nicotine content cigarettes help people quit smoking
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/news/print.cfm?objectid=10774271
New research from
Clinical Trials Research Unit, University of Auckland. Note: These
research cigarettes contain under 2 mg nicotine. They will only become
popular if the tax on them is lowered while the tax on high nicotine
content cigarettes is increased annually.
They are not to be
confused with the supermild and ultralow yield cigarettes sold currently
in NZ which contain at least 8 mg of nicotine and which are addictive.
End Smoking
recommends annual increases in tobacco tax of the addictive cigarettes
currently sold, but no further increases in the tax of these very low
nicotine content cigarettes, so smokers will inhale less nicotine.
Smokers need more help to quit - NZ Listener
By Murray Laugesen |
Published on December 17, 2011 | Issue 3736
There is
another price rise on the way for smokers, but smoking policy should be
designed around the needs of puffers.
For more see….
http://www.listener.co.nz/commentary/smokers-need-more-help-to-quit/
How tax exemption
for very low nicotine content cigarettes, nicotine content on the packs,
and nicotine electronic cigarettes can improve the choices and chances
for smokers wishing to quit.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Sharp
rise in cost of smoking: 14.6% increase on 1 January 2012
From January
1, 2012, it
will cost over half an hour at average wage rates to earn 20 cigarettes.
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Data from www.statistics.govt.nz
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The costliness of
smoking has doubled.
As at December 2011,
30 minutes were needed to earn 20 cigarettes as against 15 minutes in
1989 at average hourly wage rates.
Since RYO tax was
increased to bring RYO prices more into line with factory made
cigarettes in 2010, it takes 5 minutes more to earn 20 cigarettes.
From 1 January it
will take longer still:
Cigarette prices
rise 14.6% on 1 Jan 2012
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15 May 2011
Nicotine-free inhaler doubles
quitting effect of standard treatment among the 40% of smokers for whom
cigarette rituals very important
Prof Riccardo Polosa and
team in the European
Respiratory Journal followed 120 smokers on standard treatment
(nicotine patch, Bupropion, counselling) to help them stop smoking, and
randomly allotted to two groups and finally assessed after 24 weeks.
Sixty were given only the standard treatment, and of these, 28% stopped
smoking.
Of the 60 using a nicotine-free inhaler, 20 (one third) overall
stopped smoking; but among the 24 of smokers for whom cigarette-handling
rituals were especially important, 16 (two thirds) quit smoking.
In contrast, those for whom cigarette rituals were less important,
only 4 quit out of 36 quit (11%). For these smokers, their original
motivation to quit was extremely important.
Comment: Nicotine-free
e-cigarettes now on sale could improve results for the many smokers using
standard NRT, for whom smoking rituals are very important.
Conclusion: Polosa's
team have identified a new potential treatment category of quitters. This
will generate a great deal of interest, and may help explain why
e-cigarettes (even without nicotine), are very popular with some smokers
but do little for others.
_________________________________________________________________________
9 May
Electronic cigarettes safer than tobacco, says Ministry
The Ministry of Health has stated
that electronic cigarettes are “far safer” than smoking. E-cigarettes are in a legal grey area and Dr
Laugesen considers the ministry is operating a "virtual ban" on
their sale.
Martin Johnston NZ Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10724283
5 May 2011
Cigarettes released
for sale: lowest in 90 years
Cigarettes released for sale decreased 10 percent, from 1080 per
adult in 2009 to 969 per adult in 2010. In total, cigarette sales
decreased 54% per adult from 1990 to 2010.The number of cigarettes
released for sale per adult is now at its lowest in 90 years, said Dr
Murray Laugesen, chair of End Smoking NZ. In 2009 3697 million cigarettes
were released for sale by manufacturers, decreasing 10 percent to 3368
million in 2010.
“We can thank the record 119 MPs from all parties who voted
in April 2010 to increase tobacco excise”, Dr Laugesen said.
Important factors were the increased excise on hand-rolled cigarettes,
the Maori Affairs Parliamentary Committee’s Tobacco Inquiry, and
the recession. In particular, Associate Health Minister Tariana
Turia’ efforts were noted by all parties, he said.
“This result is
in line with the 15 percent decrease in supermarket sales we reported
after the 12 percent May increase in tobacco excise 12 months ago”,
he said. The decrease in sales now reported up to December includes the
first 8 months at the new tobacco excise rate.
Tobacco excise revenue rose 4.8%, by $53 million to $1150 million
in 2010. The next tobacco excise increase is 1 January 2012.
Table: Estimated releases
of standard cigarettes for sale 1990 to 2010
Cigarettes per
adult Cigarettes,
millions
1990 2071
5349
1995 1575 4492
2000 1460
4353
2005 1151
3706
2009 1080
3697
2010 969
3368
1990-2010 -54%
-38%
Method The
standard cigarette, of 0.7 g tobacco, and taxed at the same rate since
May 2010, reflects less tobacco used in all cigarettes in recent decades.
We converted loose tobacco released since 1990 on this basis. Mean
resident population age 15 and over, and cigarette volumes from 1990 to
2007 were estimated from www.statistics.govt.nz
. From 2008 to 2010 cigarette numbers were estimated directly from
Treasury data, (www.treasury.govt.nz)
dividing excise revenues by the excise rate (34.587 c per standard
cigarette for May-December 2010).
More information: See www.endsmoking.org.nz/tobaccotaxes.htm
______________________________________________________
21
January 2011
Ministry of Health maintains ban
on nicotine ecigs – smokers using nicotine-free ecigs are not
switching off smoking as in the UK
E-cigarettes are not being allowed to show what damage they can do
to tobacco cigarette sales. In the UK, with 3 years of sales of
nicotine e-cigarettes, 3% of UK smokers use ecigarettes. (see
news item
Nicotine ecigarette sales to NZ
smokers in 2010 have been brisk since sales at gas stations starting
December 2010, but sales started from zero.
Starter kits for e-cigarettes without nicotine were sold by New Zealand distributors to
1% of smokers in 2010. Most of
these smokers, have probably reverted to smoking, as repeat orders
for zero nicotine cartridges are uncommon. Others ordered nicotine
e-cigarettes privately off the internet from overseas websites.
Ministry of Health position
The Ministry of Health, having
seen the letter, is likely to re-iterate its position that only the
Medicines Act can deal with (and ban) e-cigarettes. However, the
Medicines Act contains powers at 3(2)(f) to delete certain nicotine
e-cigarettes from its supervision,
thus allowing
the Smokefree Environments Act to
impose its own regulations for quality control. This could easily be done
within 12 months.
The current SFE Amendment Bill
provides an opportunity to make the switch and provide better choices for
smokers.
The Ministry wants to expand the
use of nicotine. Nicotine via e-cigarettes arouses great interest from
smokers and it seems logical to make ecigs available for sale within NZ.
21
January 2011
Nicotine e-cigarette cartridges
can be sold as tobacco products- Letter to NZ MedJ
“End
Smoking NZ, a charitable trust focussed on tobacco policy, has identified
the sale of safer, satisfying nicotine products as a top priority for
greatly reducing smoking.1
Tobacco smoke includes thousands of compounds, including carcinogens, and
lung and cardiovascular toxicants. In contrast, pure nicotine carries far
less risk, and can provide a safer alternative for those too addicted to
yet quit smoking.
Conclusion—The Smoke-free Environments Act
provides a comprehensive framework for governing recreational tobacco and
nicotine, and already permits the import, distribution, and sale of
nicotine electronic cigarettes as tobacco products.
Murray Laugesen, Marewa Glover,
Trish Fraser, Ross McCormick, John Scott Nicotine e-cigarette cartridges can be sold as tobacco products. Letter. NZ Med J. 21 Jan 2011, 124,1328.
NZ Med J 21 January 2011.
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/124-1328/4521/ http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/124-1328/4521/content.pdf
A law
phasing out cigarette sales can annually save 4000 lives and $2 billion
in illness care
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