Proterrence, rule illegitimacy, and the ban on tobacco smoke in Amsterdam's coffeeshops

This article examines the concept of proterrence: scaring people into doing something to stop others from doing something bad. This contrasts to deterrence, which involves threatening persons to not do something bad. The tobacco ban in Amsterdam coffeeshops and, more specifically, coffeeshop personnel's reaction to it is used as the empirical vessel to examine proterrence. Proterrence permits examination of the interface between order maintenance and social control against a backdrop of perceived sanction illegitimacy. It also permits exploration of the process by which formal sanctions thread through informal mechanisms—where that threading is enforcement rather than consequence-based and where rule implementers face the brunt of the sanction that a third party violates. Data are based on in-depth fieldwork in Amsterdam coffeeshops. The wider applicability of proterrence is discussed.

Alcohol and Tobacco Use in a Tuberculosis Treatment Cohort during South Africa’s COVID-19 Sales Bans: A Case Series

Background: South Africa temporarily banned alcohol and tobacco sales for about 20 weeks during the COVID-19 lockdown. We described changes in alcohol and tobacco consumption after implementation of these restrictions among a small number of participants in a tuberculosis treatment cohort. Method: The timeline follow-back procedure and Fägerstrom test for nicotine dependence was used to collect monthly alcohol and tobacco use information. We report changes in heavy drinking days (HDD), average amount of absolute alcohol (AA) consumed per drinking day, and cigarettes smoked daily during the alcohol and tobacco ban compared to use prior to the ban. Results: Of the 61 participants for whom we have pre-ban and within-ban alcohol use information, 17 (27.9%) reported within-ban alcohol use. On average, participants reported one less HDD per fortnight (interquartile range (IQR): −4, 1), but their amount of AA consumed increased by 37.4 g per drinking occasion (IQR: −65.9 g, 71.0 g). Of 53 participants who reported pre-ban tobacco use, 17 (32.1%) stopped smoking during the ban. The number of participants smoking >10 cigarettes per day decreased from 8 to 1. Conclusions: From these observations, we hypothesize that policies restricting alcohol and tobacco availability seem to enable some individuals to reduce their consumption. However, these appear to have little effect on the volume of AA consumed among individuals with more harmful patterns of drinking in the absence of additional behavior change interventions.

Observed Circumvention of the Gutka Smokeless Tobacco Ban in Mumbai, India

Objectives: Gutka is industrially manufactured in India and some Indian states have instituted bans on the sale of manufactured gutka as a public health initiative. We explored whether gutka was still available for purchase after the ban and also sought to observe methods of ban circumvention. Methods: We visited 5 different markets at different locations separated by at least 15-20 km around the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) area, consisting of Mumbai and its satellite towns in Maharashtra, India during August- September, 2019. In each location, purveyors were queried as to the availability of gutka. Results: Tobacco purchases were made in 5 locations/sections of MMR. At all markets, banned gutka was not displayed, and could only be purchased after requesting from the shopkeeper. Three methods of ban circumvention were observed: (1) packages marked 'export only'; (2) use of twin packaging in which pan masala and tobacco are sold together for immediate mixing to create gutka; and, (3) non-descript packaging without mention of 'gutka'. Conclusions: Although not readily displayed in shops, gutka is readily available in MMR, despite a statewide ban in Maharashtra. Marketers have used multiple methods to circumvent the statewide gutka ban.

Sale and promotion of tobacco products to youth around schools in a metropolitan city : A shoe leather survey

Objectives: Tobacco causes 6 million deaths globally and India accounts for one-sixth of the world’s tobacco- related deaths; 37.9% of children begin tobacco use by the age of 10 years in India. Our objective was to document tobacco retailers’ prevalence, point of sale (PoS) add and their attitude toward selling tobacco around educational institutions in Chennai metropolitan city. Materials and Methods: All the educational institutions in Mugappair, Chennai city were shoe leather surveyed in May 2014. A total of 26 institutions and all the retailers within 100 yards were surveyed for PoS, advertisement, no sale to minor signage, and institutional sign regarding ban on sale of tobacco within 100 yards of premises. Retailers also filled a self-administered questionnaire on their attitude toward selling tobacco. Results: A total of 57 retailers within 100 yards of the institution were surveyed. About 94.7% sold tobacco, of which 31 were shops, 15 were cafes, and 8 were temporary settlements meant only for sales of tobacco. About 73% were located within 10 m from the institutions. Only one institution displayed tobacco ban and one retailer had ban on tobacco sale to minor signage. About 47.3% did not want to stop selling tobacco, 68.4% reported tobacco sale profitable, and 78.9% suggested stopping production of tobacco to improve compliance (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Unrestricted availability, access to tobacco among the youth, and enactment nonfeasance toward tobacco control laws were widely prevalent. Our observations can help formulate specific programs to counteract tobacco epidemic prevalent among youth of this nation.

Impact of the Spanish smoke-free laws on cigarette sales, 2000–2015: partial bans on smoking in public places failed and only a total tobacco ban worked

In January 2006, the Spanish government enacted a tobacco control law that banned smoking in bars and restaurants, with exceptions depending on the floor space of the premises. In January 2011, further legislation in this area was adopted, removing these exceptions. We analyse the effect produced on cigarette sales by these two bans. We approach this problem using an interrupted time series analysis while accounting for the potential effects of autocorrelation and seasonality. The data source used was the official data on legal sales of tobacco in Spain, from January 2000 to December 2015 (excluding the Canary Islands and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla). As confounder variables, we use the log-transformed average prices for manufactured and hand-rolled cigarettes (or the average minimum excise tax as a proxy), and log-transformed real-household disposable income. The implementation of a total smoke-free ban in Spain was associated with an immediate reduction in cigarette sales between 9% to 11%. In contrast, in the period immediately following the partial ban, no such reduction was detected, beyond the trend already present. Our results indicate that, in Spain, partial bans on smoking in public places failed, and that only a total tobacco ban worked.