[Intl-tobacco] Smoking study to laud UK, slam Germany and Czechs

[robert weissman]

Reuters
Smoking study to laud UK, slam Germany and Czechs
Sun October 10, 2004 05:14 AM ET

By Quentin Webb

BRUSSELS, Oct 10 (Reuters) - A Europe-wide study of anti-smoking
policies due out this week will pour scorn on German and Czech efforts
to curb the habit while praising Iceland and Britain for their battle
against tobacco.

Luk Joossens, who co-ordinated the report for the European Network for
Smoking Prevention, told Reuters the dossier would single out Luxembourg
and the Czech Republic for criticism over their cheap cigarettes.

The report, to be released on Tuesday, ranks the European Union's 25
member states, as well as neighbours Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland,
for their progress on a range of anti-smoking measures recommended by
the World Bank.

Iceland comes top as it has taken almost all of the Bank's measures to
heart, Joossens said. Britain also scores highly, particularly for
making cigarettes so expensive with tax.

World Bank research suggests raising prices by 10 percent cuts cigarette
consumption in a wealthy country by four percent.

Data from Philip Morris France, a unit of Altria Group Inc. MO.N , shows
a packet of 20 Marlboro cigarettes cost 6.60 euros ($8.12) in Britain in
January, but 2.90 euros in Luxembourg.

"The UK certainly is doing very well on government spending, on
cessation programmes and on prices, but it's doing very badly on
smoke-free places," Joossens said.

In March, Ireland became the first country to ban smoking in
restaurants, bars and pubs. Norway and Malta have since instituted
similar bans and incoming European Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou
last week urged all EU governments to follow Ireland's example within
five years.

Luxembourg and the Czech Republic both had a "very bad" policy of
keeping cigarettes cheap in relation to wages, Joossens said.

"Germany is certainly lagging behind," Joossens said. "It's in the
lowest 10 countries, so it could clearly do better."

The study marked countries on six anti-smoking measures to calculate a
total score. The criteria include raising tax on cigarettes, smoke-free
policies in offices, bars and restaurants, anti-tobacco advertising and
clear warnings on cigarette packets.

The survey also rated access to treatment for nicotine addiction and
increased government "tobacco control" budgets, which go to fund other
anti-smoking measures.

The World Health Organisation says tobacco is the world's second biggest
killer, claiming some 5 million lives every year.

Joossens said his study, which also examined smoking rates over the last
two decades, showed a decline in adult smoking. But smoking among young
people has not fallen over the last 10 years in most regions.

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