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The public smoking ban could be extended to cars in which children are travelling, under plans for a private bill by Labour’s public health spokesman.

Dr Richard Simpson is proposing to introduce legislation at the Scottish parliament to prevent children being exposed to second-hand smoke in private vehicles.

While smoking is banned in commercial vehicles, such as lorries, and on public transport, cars are currently exempt.

Simpson, who was instrumental in pushing forward the current ban on smoking in enclosed public places while Labour was in power at Holyrood, said there was cross-party support for it to be extended. Similar measures have already been introduced in countries including America, Australia, Canada and Puerto Rico.

“The important thing at this stage is to encourage the government to undertake research. We can then assess the effects of implementation,” he said.

The former GP said he would introduce a member’s bill if the measure is not included in Labour’s manifesto for next year’s Holyrood election. Simpson, the MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife and a member of Holyrood’s health and sport committee, said a ban could be introduced as early as 2014.

However, he added that he would not support a total ban on lighting up in vehicles because there was no evidence that it contributed to dangerous driving. “We should not interfere with people’s liberty unless what they do harms other people,” he said.

A report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) earlier this year concluded that across the UK at least 22,000 new cases of asthma and wheezing in children are linked to the effects of secondhand smoke.

In addition, the report found that more than 20,000 chest infections, 120,000 cases of middle ear disease and 200 cases of meningitis in youngsters are also thought to be linked to second-hand smoke.

Simpson’s proposal has won the backing of Professor John Britton, chairman of the RCP’s tobacco advisory group.

In addition, ASH Scotland, the anti-smoking campaign group, said there was strong public support for a ban.

However, Shona Robison, the public health minister, said that although the Scottish government was examining the evidence, it had no current plans to extend the ban.

“The Scottish government is conscious that private cars are now one of the main places for exposure of children to second-hand smoke. We are continuing to do all we can to highlight the risks,” she added.

Source: The Times, 9 May 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/cPDF8L

Two men have pleaded guilty to charges of selling cigarettes to children from an ice cream van.

James Fisher, from Cardiff, who rents a Signor Rossi ice cream van and employee Mark Gabriel, from Hengoed, were fined £1,130 by Cwmbran magistrates.

Torfaen trading standards was told children as young as 11 years old were being sold cigarettes from the van.

Test purchases involving 14 and 15 year olds were carried out at the van which operated in the Pontypool area.

On three different occasions the teenagers were never challenged to prove their age, said trading standards.

Torfaen councillor Gwyneira Clark, executive member for housing and public protection, said: “This case should serve as a warning to businesses in Torfaen that we are constantly on the lookout for illegal sales of cigarettes and we will take action against anyone we catch in the act.

“We’re determined to protect the health of our young people, and stopping businesses selling cigarettes to underage people is a big part of this.”

She added: “The sentence shows how seriously the courts view these sales and this should serve as an example to others who might break the law and risk children’s health.

“Selling one packet of cigarettes to a child, which might have made him less than £1 profit, has now landed these traders with a £1,130 bill and a criminal record.”

Source: BBC News, 11 May 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/99cOyy

Ferrari’s 2010 car no longer features a controversial ‘barcode’ livery on its engine cover.

The Italian team last week angrily rejected reports the signage was subliminal advertising for its tobacco sponsor Philip Morris.

Even Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo slammed the suggestion, insisting the claims were “ridiculous”.

But in the team’s Barcelona pit garage on Thursday, the barcode was gone, replaced by a white rectangle with a red background.

However, the clothing worn by team members including drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa in Spain still features the barcode.

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro said the decision to remove the signage from the livery of the F10 was made “together with Philip Morris International”.

“This decision was taken in order to remove all speculation concerning the so-called ‘barcode’ which was never intended to be a reference to a tobacco brand,” added the team.

source Motorsport – 6 May 2010
Link: http://bit.ly/bAfzcn

Eurosport have reported that Doctors have urged governments to launch an enquiry into alleged ’subliminal’ tobacco advertising on Ferrari Formula One cars, according to The Times.

..It is claimed the red, white and black bar code on Ferrari cars and overalls is intended to remind viewers of Marlboro cigarettes branding.

EU law bans tobacco sponsorship at sporting events, and the first European round of the 2010 F1 season takes place in Spain next weekend.

A spokesman for the European Public Health Commissioner he suspected subliminal marketing by Marlboro, who have a $1 billion (£650m) partnership with Ferrari, and asked the British and Spanish governments to investigate.

Subliminal advertising is a technique whereby consumers are reminded of a product without actually seeing it, and an expert said the Ferrari bar code had come increasingly to resemble a Marlboro packet.

John Britton, a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and director of its tobacco advisory group, told The Times: “The bar code looks like the bottom half of a packet of Marlboro cigarettes. I was stunned when I saw it. This is pushing at the limits. If you look at how the bar code has evolved over the last four years, it looks like creeping branding.”

Gerard Hastings, director of the Centre for Tobacco Control Research, added: “I think this is advertising. Why a bar code? What is their explanation?”

A spokesperson for the BBC, which broadcasts Formula One, said: “We are confident that Formula One, and as a result our coverage of Formula One, is fully compliant with regulations.”

A Ferrari spokesman said: “The bar code is part of the livery of the car, it is not part of a subliminal advertising campaign.”

Philip Morris, whose financial backing of Ferrari is in place until the end of next season, said: “We are confident that our relationship with Ferrari does not violate the UK 2002 Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act.

“The Formula One Grand Prix in the UK does not involve any race cars, team apparel, equipment or track signage carrying tobacco product branding. The same is true for all other Formula One races across the world.”

Source Eurosport http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/29042010/58/ferrari-spotlight-subliminal-tobacco-ads.html

Following protests from fans and anti-smoking groups, an Indonesian cigarette company has pulled its sponsorship of a Kelly Clarkson gig in Jakarta.

Kelly Clarkson has stated that she was unaware that the adverts for the gig showed a logo for cigarette brand LA lights, but that she intended to perform despite the criticism refusing  “to cancel on my fans”.

When the sponsorship deal was publicised, Clarkson was accused of being a spokesperson for the tobacco industry by anti-smoking groups in Indonesia and the United States.  She countered this by writing her blog that she was being used “as a political pawn”.

“My morning began with finding out that I am all over billboards, TV ads, and other media formats alongside a tobacco company who, unbeknownst to me, is sponsoring my Jakarta date on my current tour,” she wrote.

Clearly stating that she  is “in no way an advocate or an ambassador for youth smoking”, Clarkson was unaware of the sponsorship and is not a smoker herself. Although there were discussions to cancel the gig, it was decided that the fans were too important, and that eventually a “final agreement” was made to cancel the deal by Djarum.

Unlike the in UK, tobacco advertising is allowed in o advertising is allowed in Indonesia, where cigarettes sell for around $1 (65p) a pack.

Young people came together at a Network Event to learn about the practices in the tobacco industry.
Topics discussed were Child Labour, Industry profits and Marketing.
There were also workshops for making digital flyers, chanting, how to handle the media and Grafitti painting.

Young people have hit back with a new film campaign to highlight the negative practices of the tobacco industry at a red carpet launch event at The Cornerhouse Cinema in Manchester this evening.

Three students from the North West are the first in the UK to tackle these issues using short films they have created with the help of former Hollyoaks actors Matt Littler & Darren Jeffries along with Hollyoaks’ creator Phil Redmond.

Students, Mo Iqbal, 18, Michael Burlison, 18 and Joe Washington, 15 were the star guests at the premiere of their own films, as winners of the Smokefree North West Smoke & Mirrors short film competition. Hundreds of young people from across the region took part in the campaign to help protect future generations from exposure to tobacco.

The three winning films, ‘TRD’ (Tobacco Related Deaths), ‘The Machine’ and ‘Don’t Fall For It,’ will be screened for the very first time at The Cornerhouse Cinema in Manchester and have been produced as 90 second viral films which will be live on line from 6.30pm.

The Smoke & Mirrors short film competition was open to all 14-18 year olds across the North West with a brief to send in ideas for a short film which would expose negative tobacco industry practices, such as deforestation and child labour, as well as issues surrounding the marketing of cigarettes towards young people, to help others see through the tobacco industry’s illusion that smoking is glamorous.

Mo explores the negative practices in the marketing of cigarettes and the depiction of smoking in the media in his film, ‘TRD (Tobacco Related Deaths), which is filmed in a spoof style detective drama, starring former Hollyoaks actors, Matt Littler and Darren Jefferies and Hollyoaks star, Carly Stenson, as well as former Atomic Kitten singer, Natasha Hamilton.
Scenes include those shot at Runshaw College in Leyland where he is studying and represent how the tobacco industry appears to market tobacco products to young people in order to replace those dying or quitting.

Talking about his experience, Mo comments: “My film has a hard hitting message. I hope other young people can clearly see how my film highlights the importance of seeing through the illusion that smoking is glamorous.”

‘The Machine,’ written by Michael, from Barrow-in-Furness and a student at Edge Hill, emphasises just how powerful bright vending machines can be in attracting young people to purchase cigarettes and other tobacco related products. Going inside ‘The Machine,’ Michael’s film explores the real cost of a cigarette and highlights negative tobacco industry practices including child labour and deforestation. The film also delivers a crucial message supporting and reinforcing the Health Bill amendment to remove cigarette vending machines.
Michael comments: “I’ve learnt so much during the making of this film. I hope I encourage more young people to think about the negative practices of the tobacco industry.”

Joe’s film, ‘Don’t Fall For It’ highlights how the tobacco industry targets potential new smokers and creates a rallying cry for young people to take a stand against the tobacco industry. Scenes include those shot at his school Our Lady’s Catholic High School in Preston and on the Hollyoaks production set. The final frame turns the film on its head and challenges the audience to take a stand against the tobacco industry.

Joe said: “I’m so pleased with my finished film. I’ve really enjoyed seeing it come together and working with director, Mike Cockayne. I hope it helps encourage more young people to take a stand against the negative practices of the tobacco industry.”

Dr. Janet Atherton, Chair of Smokefree North West explains: “The Tobacco Industry needs to recruit new customers to replace those that have quit or died. Smoking is a childhood addiction – 80% of smokers start before they are 19. The young people taking part in the competition have created high quality films that highlight very effectively some of the negative ways in which the tobacco industry works. Smoke & Mirrors is an exciting opportunity for more young people to get involved in creating a tobacco free future for themselves and to protect others from the harm caused by tobacco. Just by challenging the negative practices of the tobacco industry, the young peoples’ films help de-legitimise the industry and the glamorization of smoking amongst young people.

“Inspired by the anti-tobacco youth advocacy work which is already underway across the region, Smoke & Mirrors is an exciting opportunity for more young people to take back control of their right to choose a tobacco free future and engage in youth advocacy directed towards achieving healthier communities, protecting children and young people from exposure to tobacco. “
Ian McCartney MP, in support of the campaign said: “I welcome the new direction and strength of the Smoke & Mirrors films which directly challenge the negative practices of the tobacco industry. This is a life and death issue. Every day of every week in 2009 tobacco industry products have killed around 227 people, around 83,000 this year. If there were any natural or unnatural disaster on this scale it would be front page news. These films speak up for the victims of tobacco industry products – the tobacco industry is unique in that its products injure and kill half of their regular consumers. Importantly Smokefree North West’s work will stop some young people starting to smoke, saving thousands of lives in years to come.”

Young people are being urged to log on at seethroughtheillusion.co.uk to view the virals, pass them on and consider campaign actions they would like to take.

Young people from across the North West today voted to put cigarettes out of sight in shops and remove cigarette vending machines in support of proposals being voted on today in the House of Commons.

Around 100 young people aged 14 to18 came together at a celebrity-packed youth campaign weekend – Smoke & Mirrors – to expose the negative practices of the tobacco industry.

Eighty per cent of the young people voted in agreement that cigarettes should not be openly displayed in shops and almost 90% voted that cigarettes should not be available from vending machines.

These issues will form a key part of today’s vote in the House of Commons on the tobacco elements of the Health Bill, which could see an end to cigarette vending machines and the display of tobacco in shops.

Jean King, Director of Tobacco Control at Cancer Research UK, said: “Young people are the future. Politicians must listen to them and act to protect their interest by voting to put tobacco out of sight and out of mind.”

The weekend was also the culmination of a young people’s short film competition, which has been created with the support of Hollyoaks producers Matt Littler, Carley Stenson and Darren Jeffries.

Students were asked to create short film ideas that focused on getting across important messages on how cigarettes are extensively marketed to young people despite existing advertising restrictions on the tobacco industry.

Andrea Crossfield, Director of Smokefree North West, said: “It was inspirational that so many young people decided to take part in this weekend’s activities and have put so much effort into making it a success. Young people are keen to see an end to displays of cigarettes in shops and the removal of cigarette vending machines and MPs should listen to what they have to say.”

The young people came from schools and youth groups from across the region, including Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside.

Other supporters on the weekend included Phil Redmond CBE, creator of Grange Hill, Brookside and Hollyoaks, Ian McCartney MP, Jean King from Cancer Research UK, Martin Dockrell, Director of Research and Policy at ASH and leading international expert on tobacco control, Professor Stan Glantz.

The votes have been counted for the Smokefree North West short film competition, ‘Smoke & Mirrors’, and finalists from across the region are now looking forward to a campaign weekend this Saturday – Sunday at Trafford Hall, Chester.

Students were asked to create a short film idea that focused on getting across important messages on the marketing of cigarettes, despite advertising restrictions, and unveiling existing negative practice within the tobacco industry such as deforestation and child labour.

On the panel of judges was Matt Littler and Darren Jefferies who played Max and OB in hit TV soap Hollyoaks, who commented: “We had some great submissions into the short film competition. Some of the stories were extremely creative and forward thinking and we were very impressed by the hundreds of entries – the North West is a very talented region!”

Matt and Darren will be on hand to help get the creative juices flowing during the campaign weekend, along with former Hollyoaks’ Producer Phil Redmond and renowned american anti-tobacco campaigner and Director of the Centre of Tobacco Research and Education, Stan Glantz. The trio will work with the finalists to help craft their short film ideas and broaden their knowledge of the negative practices behind the tobacco industry. The finalised film ideas will then compete in an X-Factor style judging process, where Matt, Darren and Phil will work with Smokefree North West and a panel of young people to decide on the final winner.

The winner will get the chance to see their short film produced and previewed at their local cinema, as well as seeing their film go viral on YouTube as part of Smoke Free North West’s wider campaign. The film will premier on 14 December 2009.

Andrea Crossfield, Director of Smokefree North West, said: “We are thrilled with the number of submissions our short film competition received as it proves that young people from the North West are really thinking about the more serious issues behind smoking, such as the deforestation, and encourage the tobacco industry to take further steps to protect young people.

“Smokefree North West wants to use this campaign weekend to empower young people and support the region’s talented young creatives in encouraging their peers to make their own decisions and invest in the health of their own and future generations.”

As well as entering the Film Competition you can also have the chance to have your say!

Head to HAVE YOUR SAY now to link your video and see Ricky Hatton’s question to the Tobacco Industry and what the celebs are saying about the Smoke and Mirrors campaign!