At next Wednesday’s meeting of Oldham Council, Lib Dem Councillors Howard Sykes and Rod Blyth will be proposing a motion for curbs on electronic (or so called e-) cigarettes.

Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, Cllr Sykes said:

“The World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report in August warning about the dangers associated with e-cigarettes. The WHO also remains to be convinced that e-cigarettes are an effective way to stop smoking.

“In Oldham we have many former smokers who have moved to e-cigarettes either because they think they are ‘healthier’ or as a means to quit. We wanted to highlight the fact that e-cigarettes still contain nicotine, and so continue to pose a danger to public health, but also that they are unregulated, meaning many of these products contain unidentified ingredients of dubious quality.

“The WHO called on Governments to introduce regulation in the industry to stop these products being marketed to young people and first time smokers and to carry out more research into their ingredients and their efficacy as a means to quit.”

Since 2005, the e-cigarette industry has grown to an estimated £2 billion global business with 466 brands. Many manufacturers are unregulated cottage industries in China, but this is a business in which the established tobacco industry is gaining an increasing market share.

E-cigarettes and similar devices are frequently marketed by manufacturers as aids to quit smoking, or as a healthier alternative to tobacco.

The World Health Organisation found that:

· There is insufficient evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers to quit. The organisation therefore recommends that smokers should first be encouraged to quit smoking by using a combination of already-approved treatments.
· The marketing of e-cigarettes with fruit, candy and alcohol-drink flavours makes them particularly attractive to young people, with an estimate that e-cigarette use amongst adolescents has doubled between 2008 and 2012.

· Whilst e-cigarettes are likely to be less toxic than conventional cigarettes, they do contain nicotine so their use can harm adolescents and the unborn children of pregnant mothers, and those in the vicinity of a user are exposed to nicotine and other toxicants.

The World Health Organisation has called for:

• The introduction of international regulations to:
– Impede e-cigarette promotion to non-smokers and young people
– Minimise health risks to e-cigarette users and non-users
– Prohibit unproven health claims about e-cigarettes
– Protect existing tobacco control efforts from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry

• Further research on the impact of e-cigarette use

The report makes several recommendations to national Governments to:

• Establish an appropriate body to restrict e-cigarette advertising, promotion and sponsorship, to ensure that these products are not targeted at young people and non-smokers.
• Enact legislation to end the use of e-cigarettes indoors in public or work places.
• A ban on e-cigarettes with fruit, candy or alcohol-drink flavours to deter take up by young people.
• A ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and the prohibition of vending machines
• Regulate the involvement of the established tobacco industry.

In their motion, the Liberal Democrats are asking for the Director of Public Health to take practical action to educate people about the dangers of e-cigarettes and the UK Government to take action to implement the WHO’s recommendations.

Supporting Cllr Sykes, Cllr Blyth said:

“I know from personal experience how difficult it is to stop smoking. This month it is Stoptober, a month where smokers are being asked to quit. It may seem simple to transfer to an e-cigarette, but there are far more effective ways to stop smoking that are proven and promoted by the NHS. We also want the Council to recruit Community Health Champions from amongst its staff to promote smoking cessation to their colleagues and to residents from across the borough.

“Our motion is also calling on the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to introduce the necessary legislation and regulations to make the WHO recommendations real and to publish the findings of a Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency enquiry into the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as soon as possible.”

Copy of motion below:

Council 22nd Oct. 2014 – Notice of Opposition Business – Motion 1
E-cigarettes
This Council notes the publication in August by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of a report on e-cigarettes.
Since 2005, the e-cigarette industry has grown to an estimated £2 billion global business with 466 brands. Many manufacturers are unregulated cottage industries in China, but this is a business in which the established tobacco industry is gaining an increasing market share.
E-cigarettes and similar devices are frequently marketed by manufacturers as aids to quit smoking, or as a healthier alternative to tobacco.
The WHO has concluded that:
· There is insufficient evidence that e-cigarettes help smokers to quit. The organisation therefore recommends that smokers should first be encouraged to quit smoking by using a combination of already-approved treatments.

· The marketing of e-cigarettes with fruit, candy and alcohol-drink flavours makes them particularly attractive to young people, with an estimate that e-cigarette use amongst adolescents has doubled between 2008 and 2012.

· Whilst e-cigarettes are likely to be less toxic than conventional cigarettes, they do contain nicotine so their use can harm adolescents and the unborn children of pregnant mothers, and those in the vicinity of a user are exposed to nicotine and other toxicants.

The WHO calls for:
· The introduction of international regulations to:

– Impede e-cigarette promotion to non-smokers and young people

– Minimise health risks to e-cigarette users and non-users

– Prohibit unproven health claims about e-cigarettes

– Protect existing tobacco control efforts from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry

· Further research on the impact of e-cigarette use

The report makes several recommendations to national Governments to:
· Establish an appropriate body to restrict e-cigarette advertising, promotion and sponsorship, to ensure that these products are not targeted at young people and non-smokers.

· Enact legislation to end the use of e-cigarettes indoors in public or work places.

· A ban on e-cigarettes with fruit, candy or alcohol-drink flavours to deter take up by young people.

· A ban on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors and the prohibition of vending machines

· Regulate the involvement of the established tobacco industry.

Council notes also the work of the UK Government’s Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency review of the efficacy of e-cigarettes in helping smokers to quit.
This Council resolves to:
· Ask the Director of Public Health to:

– ensure that measures are in place to make Council staff and the public aware of the dangers associated with the use of e-cigarettes

– promote the use of existing proven treatments and support services, rather than the use of e-cigarettes, as the means to stop smoking

– support the recruitment and training of Council employees to become Community Health Champions to help take these messages to their colleagues and to the public

· Ask the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Health, The Rt. Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, asking the minister to:

– adopt the recommendations of the WHO report as part of Government policy, enacting the necessary legislation and regulations as soon as possible

– publish the findings of the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency review at the earliest possible opportunity

Proposed by
Cllr Howard Sykes

Seconded by
Cllr Rod Blyth