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“
The Federal Government has been urged to end
stockpiling of old tobacco packets carrying out-of-date health
warnings – after a survey showed 70% of Sydney shops still sold
products with old warnings, 16 months after laws mandating new graphic
ones. All
tobacco packets manufactured from March 2006 must by law display
pictorial health warnings - alerting smokers and potential smokers to
the full range of diseases and disabilities caused by tobacco
products, and how to get help with quitting. But
a survey carried out in late July this year by Action on Smoking and
Health (ASH) Australia this month found that 70% of Sydney tobacco
retailing shops were still selling some tobacco products with
text-only warnings – 16 months after the graphic warnings were
introduced. ASH
surveyed 40 shops (10 supermarkets, 10 convenience stores, 10 petrol
stations and 10 tobacconists) in the city, northern, eastern, inner
southern and inner western suburbs. At
28 shops, ASH was able to purchase* either cigarettes or roll-your-own
or cigars with the old warnings – including from all ten of the
tobacconists, eight of the convenience stores, and five each of the
supermarkets and petrol stations.
In the big supermarket chains and petrol stations where
turnover was high, there was less evidence of stockpiling.
Says
Professor Simon Chapman, ASH Board member: “The tobacco companies
fought long and hard to delay and downsize the more effective graphic
health warnings. Now by stockpiling the old warnings, they’re still
delaying giving smokers the full picture about the diseases and
disabilities caused by their products.” “Another downside of allowing
stockpiling,” adds Anne
Jones, Chief Executive of ASH Australia, “is that it can
be used by the industry to create doubt over accuracy of declines in
smoking prevalence figures that are based on self-reporting.” ASH
says the government was warned about the dangers of stockpiling, and
that legislation could and should require withdrawal of stock with old
warnings by a certain date. “This
is a product that kills nearly 16,000 Australians a year and needs
much tougher regulation to protect smokers - and potential smokers,
who are mostly children,” says Anne Jones. *
see photo of packets purchased at
www.ashaust.org.au/Pictures/OldWarns0707.jpg
Comment:
Prof Simon Chapman, ASH board member
m. 0438-340-304
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Page last updated 1/8/07 |
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