SMOKING

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A lung cancer sufferer has been denied treatment with a pioneering drug because he used to be a smoker. John Wallman was given new hope when doctors told him he would be put on the "magic tablet" Tarceva. Health chiefs at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where John is being treated, told him that because he had smoked in the past, even though he gave up 15 years ago, he was ineligible for treatment. They argued that the drug works better on non-smokers.

Health bosses said the drug was reserved for those "it is most likely to help" and John did not fit into this category, yet 96% of lung cancer victims are smokers or ex-smokers. Cancer research campaigners have condemned the decision, accusing officials of discriminating against smokers, the group of people most likely to develop lung cancer. (Source: Sunday Mirror, Aug/06)

One of the more contentious arguments against smoking, designed to make smokers feel guilty about their habit, is the suggestion that they are placing an unnecessary financial burden on the rest of society because of the cost of treating 'smoking-related' diseases. In fact, when you compare tobacco tax revenues with the alleged cost of health treatment, the former far outweighs the latter. In the UK, for example, tobacco tax revenue currently stands at £7 billion a year compared with the £1.5 billion it allegedly costs to tackle 'smoking-related' diseases. (Taxation revenue should of course be even higher, over £10 billion, but the Government has cleverly 'lost' £3 billion by over taxing tobacco and therefore encouraging smugglers and cross-Channel shoppers to buy the product abroad.)

Nevertheless, these statistics haven't stopped opportunistic politicians and rabid anti-smokers from suggesting that smokers should pay a premium to use the National Health Service. It's an interesting idea, but one which would spell the end of the NHS as we know it if was ever implemented. Why? Well, one of the founding principles of the NHS is that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of their class, creed, financial status or any other factor, including lifestyle. Imagine, for a minute, if someone were to suggest that people who indulge in dangerous sports, promiscuous sex or eating the 'wrong' food should also pay a premium. There would be uproar.

In 1999 the Health Education Authority announced that doctors were to spend three minutes explaining to every patient who smoked why they ought to give up. These mini lectures were to take place even if the reason for the person's appointment had nothing to do with smoking! In 2000 the Royal College of Physicians (which founded ASH in 1971) published a report that declared, "Doctors now need to recognise that nicotine addiction should be a core activity and responsibility, and all doctors should be familiar with the benefits of nicotine replacement therapy ... Doctors should demand comprehensive smoking cessation facilities for their patients affected by nicotine addiction."

Placing GPs at the forefront of the anti-smoking campaign is not something that, in our experience, doctors welcome (not least because 15% of doctors are said to smoke!). The idea of lecturing patients who smoke, especially when the reason for their appointment is something completely unassociated with smoking, is the very essence of cradle-to grave paternalism that so many people abhor. If your doctor treats you like a child and gives you the nanny state treatment you have every right to tell him to mind his own business, and change your doctor to someone with whom you feel more comfortable. Stand up to them unless, of course, you genuinely want to quit smoking in which case accept all the advice they can give, as long as they don't lecture you. (Source: Forest)

Jeanette and Gavin Gordon-Crawley were told council officials were to probe their smoking habits following a complaint from a neighbour. The couple, from Caernarfon, North Wales, received a letter from Gwynedd County Council saying a neighbour had complained about cigarette smoke "permeating into her living room".

A spokeswoman for Gwynedd County Council said, "What people do within their own homes is of no concern to us, as long as they do not affect other people. In this instance we have received a complaint stating that smoking in a house is causing a nuisance to the neighbours and as a local authority we have a statutory responsibility to investigate this complaint." (Source: Mail on Sunday, Jan/07)

Shops will not be allowed to display tobacco from April 6 2012 as new legislation cracks down on cigarettes, although smaller stores will not have to follow the new regulations until 2015. The government also pledged to keep an 'open mind' over plain packaging for cigarettes and other tobacco products and will undergo a process of consultation before the year is out, the Department of Health said. Ministers are hoping to see a drop in the percentage of adults smoking to 18.5% or less by the end of 2015, compared to current levels of 21.2%. It would mean there would be 210,000 fewer adult smokers a year.

They are also targeting a drop in smoking rates among 15-year-olds from 15% to 12%, and in pregnancy from 14% to 11%. The document Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A Tobacco Control Plan for England was released to coincide with national No Smoking Day. The impact of the advertising and promotion of smoking accessories on smoking rates will also be looked at. The document said that despite the total ban on tobacco advertising in 2002 'the tobacco industry continues to find ways of promoting tobacco products, for example through packaging, point of sale displays and through entertainment media, including the internet'.

Ministers also intend to approach the entertainment industry and media regulators to assess the portrayal of smoking, as well as considering whether the internet is being used to market tobacco to young Britons. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said, "Smoking is undeniably one of the biggest and most stubborn challenges in public health." Miranda Watson, head of communications at the British Lung Foundation, said, "Putting tobacco out of sight in shops will go a long way to ensuring that young people are not tempted to start smoking in the first place." (Source: Metro, Mar/11)

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