ACOSH were honoured to attend the Heart Foundation’s launch of their new WA local advisory board. The event was held on Give With Heart Day, 14 September, and featured a stirring speech by Heart Foundation National CEO, Mr David Lloyd, on his plan for the organisation’s future.

“I want the generations of Australians who turn 50 in 2050 to have the lowest rates of heart disease and the least risk of dying from it of any generation before them,” he said.

In his speech, he pointed to tobacco control as one of the critical measures to achieve this goal, with smoking being one of the largest contributors to heart disease. He said he was hopeful of achieving a tobacco-free future in Australia.

Quitting helps local businesses and reduces alcohol use

A study by Deakin University’s Institute for Health Transformation and Quit Victoria compared household spending of smokers and people who have quit and found quitting not only had health and financial benefits for the individual, but also for their local community.

Research shows tobacco is damaging health two generations later

A new study by a team of Australian, British and Sri Lankan researchers found that children are more likely to develop asthma if their father was passively exposed to tobacco smoke when he was growing up. They’re at even greater risk if their father was a smoker.

WA AMA calls for pharmacy transparency on vape deals

The WA AMA has called on the State’s Pharmacy Guild to be transparent around their relationship with tobacco firms after leaked documents exposed Philip Morris’s attempt to incentivise chemists to sell their VEEV e-cigarette products.

One in five 15-year-old girls in England vape

Frightening new statistics in the UK show the proportion of 15-year-old girls using e-cigarettes has doubled since 2018, and is 7 percentage points higher than boys of the same age. Vaping among secondary schoolchildren has now reached record highs.

Juul to settle youth vaping investigation for $438 mil

Earlier this month, e-cigarette maker Juul agreed to pay US$438.5 million to 33 states to settle a lawsuit over targeting teenagers with their e-cigarette marketing. This piece by the Conversation explains why.

Tobacco control news

• LGBTQ people don’t see tobacco use as most imminent threat, but it’s a smoldering issue – Michigan Live
• Video exposes disgusting innards of trendy vaping devices – NY Post
• Is air pollution worse than smoking? – Make Smoking History
• Vaping the venom: oral cavity cancer in a young adult with extensive electronic cigarette use – American Academy of Pediatrics
• Single phone-based outreach strategy can help engage low-income smokers to try quitting tobacco – News Medical Life Sciences
• New Health Secretary voted to repeal smoking ban in anti-tobacco legislation stance – Mirror UK