Anti-smoking measures beefed up

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDAug 31 2010

Antismoking measures in Tasmania

Tasmanians are looking at one of the tightest tobacco control measures ever adopted. The Tasmanian Government is proposing a no-smoking zone at almost all public places including shopping malls and sporting venues and introducing smoke-free buffer zone around children's playgrounds.

These details emerged in a policy discussion paper revealed by the Minister for Health, Michelle O’Byrne. She emphasized on the twelve proposals to curb smoking in the paper. “The number of Tasmanians who smoke is unacceptable. Clearly if we are to help addicted smokers quit and reduce the number of adult smokers to 10 per cent by 2020, we need to do more… We need to do more to discourage people from starting to smoke and more to encourage them to stop…,” she said.

“…And so these proposals target two areas of legislative reform: increasing restrictions on tobacco sales and displays, and expanding smoke free areas…The expansion of smoke free areas is aimed at protecting members of the public and employees who can’t easily avoid environmental tobacco smoke…Other proposals are about preventing and restricting children from being exposed to tobacco products and images as well as smoke. Exposure can normalize tobacco to children and lead to its uptake…By de-normalizing tobacco, the Government wants to prevent the children of today becoming the next generation of smokers…Previous legislative change in Tasmania included the banning of smoking in cars with children, the restriction of tobacco displays and an increase in smoke-free areas…The proposals contained in today’s discussion paper are possible next steps in ongoing effort to reduce the number of Tasmanians who smoke and save lives,” Ms O’Byrne said.

According to Director of Public Health Roscoe Taylor Tasmania has the highest smoking rates in the country and these measures will help bring the figures down. Based on the 2007-08 ABS National Health Survey, 24.9 per cent of Tasmanian adults were smokers, significantly higher than the national average of 20.8 per cent. He said, “In particular the way children are exposed to the role-modeling behavior of adults smoking in front of them.” Graeme Lynch from the Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance agrees with the policy paper. “If it is enacted it will enable Tasmania to leap-frog all the other state's and territories,” he said. Tobacconists fear that these measures will affect their profits. At present smoking costs the Tasmanian economy up to $900 million each year.

Individuals and organizations are invited to comment on the proposals by 5pm on Friday, 1^st October 2010. Copies of the discussion paper are available electronically from the Department of Health and Human Services’ website at http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au. All submissions will be taken into account in the formulation of recommendations to the Minister for Health. In the interests of openness and transparency submissions will be published on the Department’s website. 

Quitting in Alabama

Reports from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than 20% of the adult population in the United States, are smokers with a 1,000 young people joining every year. Thousands fail at their attempts to quit each year too.

Alabama Department of Public Health has now developed a free web-based support program, alabamaquitnow.com to help people quit and also not start up. The Alabama Tobacco Quitline (800-784-8669) offers free information to anyone interested in quitting tobacco use, or to anyone who wants more information about quitting. The site is available 24X7.

According to Julie Nightingale, who is the service program manager for the Tobacco Prevention Branch of the Alabama Department of Public Health, counseling as well as four weeks of free nicotine patches would be offered by the service. The latter offer stands only if the user agrees to counseling and is medically eligible. “So far we've gotten very good response,” she said. “We're hoping this online service will help us reach more people and help them quit smoking.”

Alabamaquitnow.com is funded through the Alabama Department of Public Health with a grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.