Tobacco taxation: survey highlights effect of government policy

The following won't come as a surprise to readers of this blog but it's interesting nonetheless.

According to the Tobacco Manufacturers Association:

A survey of over 12,000 adult smokers released today reveals how consumers avoid paying the excessive taxation on tobacco products in the United Kingdom.

It found almost one third (29 per cent) of smokers are now buying tobacco products from ‘non-shop sources’ due to the excessive costs in the UK. The term ‘non-shop sources’ refers to purchases from abroad, online, from friends of family, in pubs, in the street, at car boot sales, in vans, at work and in ‘fag houses’ (private houses selling tobacco).

This surge in ‘non-shop’ sources has caused the Treasury to lose an estimated £2.1 billion of tax revenue every year because of the shift to non-UK duty paid products. A further £500 million is lost to cross border shopping each year. Collectively, this is the second largest loss to the Treasury after VAT avoidance and could have funded more than 110,000 additional police officers.

The survey found that the primary reason smokers were buying non-UK duty paid products was due to the high prices in the UK – the highest of all 28 EU member states.

Almost one in five smokers (17 per cent) now regularly buys their tobacco from abroad to avoid paying UK duty and eight in ten (78 per cent) smokers said they had no objections to buying non-UK duty paid tobacco as long as it was from a legal source.

Eight in ten (80 per cent) of respondents suggested the reason they bought ‘non-shop’ products was related to the high cost of tobacco products in the UK.

Stock piling large amounts of tobacco bought on holiday was not an issue for 68 per cent of smokers.

The survey also highlighted a significant rise in the trend of buying online, which increased by 70 per cent in just one year. When buying from a ‘non shop source’, smokers were found to buy large quantities, with a quarter (23 per cent) buying at least 200 cigarettes every time.

The cost of cigarettes in the UK is up to sixteen times more expensive than in other European countries. In Belgium smokers pay £4, in Spain £3.80 and in Moldova just 57 pence for a packet of 20 cigarettes.

More here: Smokers use holidays to dodge soaring UK cigarette prices (Forest Online).

Vapefest – a breath of fresh air

"What did you do during the war on tobacco, Grandad?"

Momentary pause.

"I went to Vapefest. I was only there for an afternoon but I really enjoyed it."

The weather helped. I was advised to bring wellies and an umbrella but they weren't needed because it was a warm and sunny day in Shropshire.

Vapefest began in 2010, the same year I toyed with the idea of an event called Smoke In The Park.

Sadly it never got off the ground. Vapefest however has gone from strength to strength.

This year's event took place in a showground on the edge of Shrewsbury. Participants camped in an adjoining field or booked in to local hotels and b&bs.

I arrived at one o'clock. The first thing I noticed was the sweet, slightly sickly smell that tickled my nostrils every time someone walked past vaping.

It wasn't unpleasant – we were outside, for goodness sake – and it quickly passed, but it was noticeable.

The second thing was the number of people – predominantly male – who were wearing black t-shirts with slogans like 'Keep Calm, Kill A Zombie'.

After 30 minutes I tweeted: 'Vapefest is what I imagine it might be like holed up in a candy floss factory with fans of Black Sabbath.'

In the outer area were the commercial tents selling every conceivable flavour of e-liquid from apple pie and custard to citrus dew, Boston cream doughnut, grandma's lemonade and RY-whore.

I counted three mobile bars plus vans selling hamburgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, fish and chips and "succulent pulled pork".

Within the inner paddock there were marquees occupied by Planet of the Vapes ('the UK's leading vaping community') and UK Vaperz ('the Ohm of vaping'), and a much smaller tent occupied by Vapers in Power.

VIP's Liam Byran stood for parliament at the general election and it was he who invited me, Dick Puddlecote and several others to give a series of short talks.

Dick and I decided in advance to join forces and do a joint session on why smokers and vapers should stick together and why vapers should be wary of all tobacco control campaigners.

We sat on garden chairs and a small but friendly audience sat on the grass in front of us. We had to compete with what sounded like a sound check for the evening's entertainment, an AC/DC tribute band, but it added to the fun.

I'd written some notes but didn't need them. Perhaps it was all that vapour going to my head but I felt unusually relaxed.

The unexpected bonus is that I met some really nice people. Dick's was the most familar face but I also chatted to Simon Thurlow whose Save E-Cigs campaign has been extremely active in Wales; ECITA's Katherine Devlin; Lorien Jollye and Sarah Jakes of the New Nicotine Alliance; and Russell Ord, another e-cig campaigner and an occasional commenter on this blog.

In terms of its friendly atmosphere, Vapefest reminded me, a little bit, of an event that took place in Seville in 1999.

'Smokepeace' was billed as a meeting of European smokers' rights activists and to say I wasn't looking forward to it is an understatement.

I expected to be met by hard core libertarians exhaling huge plumes of smoke. Instead I met ordinary men and women from all over Europe – kind, courteous smokers who just wanted to be left alone to enjoy their habit.

Unlike Vapefest 'Smokepeace' featured a programme of speeches and policy making but it was the social events that really impressed me.

Smoking, eating and drinking in the bars and restaurants of Seville was hugely convivial. There was no fuss or drama. Why would there be? This wasn't politics, it was life.

Vapefest had a similar feel but without the political agenda. In some ways I applaud that because it created an extremely relaxed environment.

People sat on the grass, at tables or on bales of hay, talking and vaping. They wandered around, checking out the vendors.

But I sense that most vapers, like the majority of smokers before the smoking ban, are in denial. Are they aware that vaping could soon be banned in many public places? Do they know that some of the products or devices they take for granted could be outlawed or severely restricted?

I'm told the New Nicotine Alliance wasn't allowed to share a tent with Vapers In Power because the organisers felt one advocacy group was enough.

I can understand why they don't want Vapefest to become a 'political' event but vapers must be mobilised, if at all possible, and fast.

Online forums aren't enough. The vaping community must learn, quickly, from the mistakes smokers have made. But it's difficult when the consumer is largely ignorant of current affairs.

It's not easy to motivate people to get involved in 'political' campaigns. I know too how hard it is to bring everyone together under one banner in one movement, but if the vaping community doesn't do that vaping will go the same way as smoking.

Vapers In Power had the smallest tent in the entire show ground and when Dick Puddlecote and I spoke you could have counted the audience on the fingers of our four hands.

But I loved the informality and what I really liked was the positive feeling that we really are in this together and everyone present shared the same aspirations.

I will continue to take a pop at vapers and e-cig advocates who denigrate smoking and, by extension, smokers for their "dirty, smelly" habit.

However, having rubbed shoulders with some of the leading e-cig advocates at Vapefest, I'm more convinced than ever that what smokers, vapers and tolerant non-smokers have in common is far greater than our differences.

Vapefest was a breath of fresh air. Thanks to Liam Bryan for the invitation.

How others see us

I was in London yesterday for a series of meetings.

One was an interview for Austrian television about smoking on Brighton beach. As luck have it the deck chairs were out in Victoria Tower Gardens adjacent to the Houses of Parliament, and so I was filmed strolling through a sea of deck chairs wearing a suit and feel totally out of place.

I told Eva, the Austrian TV reporter, how much I liked Vienna and how much I enjoyed the fact that it was still possible to smoke in Austrian cafes and bars.

After that I was interviewed by Calatina Balan (below).

Catalina wrote to me a few weeks ago. She's Romanian but is currently studying digital documentary at Sussex University in, where else, Brighton:

For my dissertation film I am investigating smoking and cigarettes from an emotional and psychological perspective, with the indention to create a documentary film that also discusses smokers' rights and liberties.

I have been a smoker for 12 years and just decided to take a break from smoking and have started to analyse what cigarettes represent to me beyond the addiction to nicotine.

Being a smoker, especially in the UK one does feel segregated and perhaps patronised by all the rules and regulations, unquestionably more so than when involving industries such as alcohol or food (junk).

Below: filming in London with Catalina Ballan

Consequences of banning smoking in hospital grounds

So, did you respond to the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Bill consultation survey?

The deadline was yesterday.

The Bill will introduce restrictions on the sale of nicotine vapour products (NVPs) such as e-cigarettes and shisha pipes. These restrictions will include; a minimum purchase age of 18, prohibiting the sale of NVPs via vending machines, requiring NVP retailers to register on the tobacco retailer register, prohibit ‘proxy-purchasing’ for under 18s, restrict domestic advertising and promotions, implement an age verification policy for the sale of NVPs and ban staff under the age of 18 from selling tobacco and NVPs. The Bill would also make it an offence to smoke in parts of hospital grounds.

On behalf of Forest, I submitted a seven-page letter. Here's a taste:

The NHS has a duty of care to protect people’s health but that doesn’t include the right to nag, cajole or bully smokers to quit. Many smokers are in hospital for reasons that have nothing to do with smoking. Why should they be told they cannot go outside and have a cigarette in the open air?

It’s heartless to ban patients or staff from smoking anywhere on hospital grounds. Tobacco is a legal product and many people smoke to relieve stress. A cigarette break at work or while they are in hospital is something many people look forward to. For some patients may be one of the few pleasures they have while in hospital.

Driving the proposal to make smoking in hospital grounds an offence is a degree of bullying that is unacceptable in a tolerant society. People are no longer educated about the health risks of smoking. Today they are patronised, insulted, made to feel like lepers or, worse, threatened with prosecution and fines. The public health industry is engaged in a campaign of creeping prohibition. Banning smoking in the open air, even in hospital grounds, is a step too far.

On the potential consequences of banning smoking on NHS sites, I wrote:

In June 2007 the Daily Telegraph reported, 'A trainee accountant obsessed with serial killers has been found guilty of murdering a nurse as she took a cigarette break. Cheryl Moss, 33, was stabbed and slashed 72 times as she stood in parkland at the back of St George's hospital, Hornchurch, Essex, in April, last year.'

Although this was a tragic and isolated incident, can we be sure it will never happen again? Had it not been for a ban on smoking in the grounds of St George’s Hospital, Cheryl Moss would probably be alive today. The NHS has a duty of care to all its patients and staff. Why put anyone at risk unnecessarily by banning smoking across all NHS sites and forcing smokers off the grounds? The risk to patients, visitors and staff may be small but it is a risk nonetheless.

By all means restrict smoking in the area around entrances to hospitals, but making it an offence to smoke on the entire site is unreasonable and excessive. It is the firmly held opinion of Forest that banning smoking on the entire site of any NHS hospital is inhumane and demonstrates a staggering lack of empathy for patients, staff and visitors who take pleasure from smoking or find it a comfort in stressful times.

On the threat to make it an offence to knowingly allow anyone to smoke on hospital grounds, I wrote:

In theory, this part of the legislation could result in a member of staff, with many years of dedicated service behind them, being prosecuted simply because, with the best of intentions, they turned a blind eye to a patient who wanted to smoke outside, a patient whose immediate well-being could be helped by a quiet smoke in the hospital grounds.

Over the years there have been many anecdotal examples of staff taking patients who want to smoke outside so they can light up. How dreadful if this Bill was to lead to the prosecution of a dedicated doctor or nurse, not to mention the catastrophic impact that may have on their career.

I also addressed some of the issues concerning electronic cigarettes. You can download and read the full response here.

Note: I've been sounded out about giving oral evidence to the Scottish Parliament's Health and Sport Committee next month. I'll keep you posted.

Another day another 'consultation'

Consultation alert.

The Scottish Parliament's Health and Sport Committee is currently inviting written evidence on the Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc, and Care)(Scotland) Bill.

Part 1 of the Bill relates to restrictions on nicotine vapour products (NVPs) and smoking in "parts" of hospital grounds, which will become an offence.

Specifically the Committee wants answers to the questions:

1. Do you support the Bill’s provisions in relation to NVPs?
2. Do you support the proposal to ban smoking in hospital grounds?
3. Is there anything you would add/remove/change in the Bill with regards to NVPs or smoking in hospital grounds?

Deadline for submissions is tomorrow, August 5.

If you're short of time there's an online survey. It takes no more than a few minutes to complete and it's anonymous. Click here.

See also: Hospital smoking ban "inhumane" and "impossible to enforce" says Forest

Public health: another day, another silly costume

I was on BBC Radio Stoke this morning.

They wanted to talk about the local council's new tobacco control strategy that includes six "strategic priorities":

1. Helping tobacco users to quit
2. Helping young people to be tobacco free
3. Establishing ‘smokefree’ as the norm
4. Tackling cheap and illicit tobacco
5. Effective communications for tobacco control
6. Influencing change through advocacy

Specifically "one of the most important strategies in reducing the uptake of youth smoking is to reduce the rates of adult smoking in the city".

To achieve that children will be encouraged to ask (nag?) their parents to quit. In addition 'voluntary' smoking bans will be implemented in children's play areas and other public spaces.

Now that local authorities have been given the power to tackle 'public' health issues many more councils will undoubtedly follow suit.

Some already have. On Wednesday it was reported that:

The Take Seven Steps Out initiative has been launched by Norfolk County Council in a bid to reduce the risks of second-hand smoke to youngsters.

Bizarrely the campaign featured a man dressed as a giant kangaroo but that's par for the course.

Writing in today's Guardian, public health consultant Dr Lisa McNally admitted:

My team always tries to ensure that our campaigns involve me dressing up in something silly. Recently, my work outfits have included everything from an orange wig (anaphylaxis campaign) to a full length cigarette suit (Stoptober).

Is it just me or are most public health campaigns an extension of children's TV, frequently patronising and more than a little infantile?

More interesting perhaps was the confirmation that 'public' health is now firmly in the grip of local politicians and all the baggage that brings.

According to McNally:

Evenings will often see me in the council chamber. Since public health moved from the NHS into local government, I now work for politicians, and I’ll go along and face the scrutiny of my elected members.

Naturally, she finished her article with an ill-disguised plea for more funding:

There’s more we could be doing to improve people’s health, if only we had the time and resources. There is more that could be achieved through public health work and I constantly feel that we’re only scratching at the surface of that potential. Still, there’s always tomorrow. Another day – and another silly costume.

If 'public' health campaigners are "only scratching at the surface" of what can be achieved to change our lifestyles that's quite a terrifying, Orwellian thought.

The good news is that instead of a '1984' Big Brother type figure, Big Government will in future be disguised as an oversized cuddly toy or puppet.

That's the way to do it.

PS. McNally also wrote:

While this ‘big P’ politics part of my job can be scary, it’s not half as bad as the small ‘p’ politics. Public health operates today within the context of the nanny state debate, which at times can get fierce and personal. Once, after writing an article in a national newspaper about protecting people using mental health services from second-hand tobacco smoke I received a tide of hate mail. One chap called me a ‘left-wing, do-gooder, fascist bitch!’.

As readers know I don't condone such language but who created this climate of intolerance and abuse? 'Public' health campaigners have a lot to answer for.

Control freaks

Stoke-on-Trent city council is the latest local authority to jump on the anti-smoking bandwagon.

The report (Stoke-on-Trent City Council approves Hanley smoke-free plans) includes a quote from Forest.

That headline, btw, is inaccurate. If I read the report correctly, the council has approved plans for a consultation. It hasn't (yet) approved plans to extend the smoking ban to outdoor areas, one of which is Hanley bus station.

Then again, we all know where this is heading.

It reminds me of the three or four year period before MPs voted for a national workplace smoking ban.

Prior to the 2005 election the Labour government showed very little desire to introduce a comprehensive, nationwide ban. Instead it was rumoured Tony Blair was happy to leave it to local authorities to decide their own policy.

One day therefore I would find myself addressing a council committee in Plymouth. A few weeks later I'd be doing the same in Middlesbrough, then St Albans, and so on.

A decade or so later we're facing a similar situation, but the issue now is outdoor smoking.

The question is, how soon will it be before an MP or minister (Jane Ellison perhaps) tries to drive through legislation for a national ban on smoking in outdoor public spaces.

Don't give them ideas, I hear you cry. Don't worry, I'm sure someone has already thought of it.

Should our beaches be smokefree (sic)?

I'm back in the UK but took the day off yesterday.

First, I had to take my son to the station so he could catch a train to Devon where he's working on a farm for six or seven weeks. Good luck with that.

I then had to drive my daughter to Heathrow to catch a flight to San Diego where she's staying with friends while working as an intern in a local theatre until September.

The downside for me is that I'll have to walk the dog far more than usual – at least once a day. Thankfully it's been raining hard all day in Cambridgeshire and I can't possibly take the mutt out in that weather. Have you ever seen a cockapoo when it's soaked to the skin?

Instead I've been catching up on media coverage of the Brighton beach smoking ban proposal. I particularly liked Chris Snowdon's appearance on Sky News opposite Deborah Arnott of ASH.

In many ways it was a masterclass. I loved the little digs and jibes directed at ASH. I loved too the inevitable moment when Deborah raised the issue of tobacco funding (of the IEA) and, momentarily, Chris had a 'problem' with his earpiece.

When the issue was put to him again by the presenter he brushed it off, suggesting he was only on the programme because he was a local resident. Genius! (I mean that.)

I've also had a chance to see Rob Lyons (Action on Consumer Choice) on Good Morning Britain, which I couldn't while I was in Ireland.

Rob was featured twice on the programme. Click here and go to 0:20:00 and 01:26:00 (approximately).

In addition to a large number of news reports I was quoted in the Guardian which published what I thought was a well-balanced feature headlined Is Britain ready for outdoor smoking bans?.

Forest ("a for smoking group") was even mentioned on CBBC, the pre-teen channel, which broadcast a report on Newsround. (See Brighton looking into banning smoking on beaches.) Naturally the report focussed on the views of several young children who, as we all know, are experts on public health.

Everyone from Deborah Arnott to Daniel Yates, chairman of the Health and Wellbeing Board, is adamant that nothing has been banned and it's only a consultation but we all know how consultations work (Chris put it very eloquently on Sky News) and the chances are the decision will be made not by the public but by the usual public health elite.

Needless to say we're going to fight this all the way because if we don't outdoor smoking bans will spread like wildfire.

What's interesting is the way we are consistently being asked to consider the worst case scenario rather than the every day reality of visiting a beach or public park.

For example, the image most frequently used is a crowded bank holiday beach. How often are beaches that busy? Not often.

On Good Morning Britain the presenters kept referring to an imaginary situation in which a smoker sits next to a non-smoker on the beach and puffs away, with smoke drifting over the non-smoker. Seriously, how often does that actually happen in real life?

Anyway, the consultation to consider extending "smoke free places" in Brighton was published yesterday. I suggest you visit it here.

And talking of outdoor smoking bans, Tobacco Free Futures (formerly Smokefree North East) has launched its own Smokefree Summer (sic) campaign in the North West.

Yesterday I was on BBC Radio Manchester and it was interesting to hear TFF's Andrea Crossfield say, quite definitively, there is "no risk from secondhand smoke in outdoor areas".

She then went on to say "I don't believe in banning things" (!) despite the fact that she supports the indoor smoking ban and will welcome, I am sure, any further restrictions on smoking (voluntary or otherwise) in outdoor public places.

Duplicitous or genuine? You decide.

To hear the interview in full click here (Smoke free family events). It begins around 01:06:40.