It's World No Tobacco Day on Tuesday.

It's never been a big event in this country, partly because we have so many other anti-smoking initiatives. ASH however like to promote it as best they can.

Today, for example, they've issued a press release:

Public Health Minister Jane Ellison awarded WHO medal

Public Health Minister Jane Ellison MP has been awarded the prestigious WHO Director-General Special Award to mark World No Tobacco Day. The award recognises her political leadership and determination in overseeing the introduction of a major public health reform, standardised ‘plain’ packaging of tobacco, and her ongoing commitment to tobacco control ...

Responding to the Minister’s award, Deborah Arnott, chief executive of ASH, said:

“Despite relentless tobacco industry lobbying the Public Health Minister made sure that the government proceeded with the introduction of standardised ‘plain’ packaging of cigarettes. Her commitment to tackling the harm caused by tobacco is unquestionable and we are delighted that her work has been recognised by the World Health Organisation.”

Click here to read it in full. (Forest gets a mention, which is nice of them.)

We've responded as follows:

Health minister should decline WHO award, say campaigners

The smokers' group Forest has urged public health minister Jane Ellison to "politely decline" an award she has been given by the World Health Organisation to mark World No Tobacco Day [Monday 31st May].

Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: "No politician should accept an award from any tobacco control organisation.

"In order to be seen to be fair, impartial and objective, Jane Ellison should politely but publicly decline this dubious accolade."

Responding to comments by Deborah Arnott, CEO of ASH, he added: "I'm not surprised ASH are delighted by the award. After all, they receive funding from Ellison's department!"

Full press release here.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't ASH who nominated Ellison for this award. They're pretty good at lobbying government so lobbying WHO to give an award to the minister they lobbied to introduce plain packaging in the UK seems a pretty natural thing to do.

Btw, did anyone else get the irony of "Despite relentless tobacco industry lobbying the Public Health Minister made sure that the government proceeded with the introduction of standardised ‘plain’ packaging of cigarettes"?

Another, more accurate, interpretation is:

"Following relentless lobbying by the tobacco control industry the Public Health Minister made sure that the government proceeded with the introduction of standardised ‘plain’ packaging of cigarettes."

Anyway I'll come back to the subject of World No Tobacco Day later. There are one or two events taking place in Brussels on Tuesday to mark the occasion.

By coincidence I'm going to be in Brussels on Tuesday myself. Perhaps I'll run into Deborah. Or Jane.

Watch this space.

Update: Seems it was Cancer Research UK that nominated Ellison for the award:

"Cancer Research UK nominated Jane Ellison for her personal determination and spirit in fighting the vested interests of the tobacco industry and making the UK the second country in the world to introduce this legislation which will save thousands of lives." Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK