The backpacks have been aired out, the supplies purchased, pencils sharpened, and the kids are now back to school. With young people being away from home and parental supervision, however, moms and dads need to be vigilant.
North Dakota voters in November can deliver a big win for health by approving a statewide ballot initiative to require smoke-free workplaces and public places, including restaurants and bars.
An editorial in The New York Times calls on elected officials and the Food and Drug Administration to close tax and regulatory loopholes that tobacco companies have exploited to keep some products cheap, flavored and appealing to kids.
'Give the tobacco industry credit for ingenuity,' the Times wrote. 'Just when it looked as if federal regulators could block their ability to addict children and young adults, several companies that make cigars and pipe tobacco have sidestepped the barriers by taking advantage of loopholes in federal law.'
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that its unprecedented anti-smoking ad campaign — Tips from Former Smokers (TIPS) — motivated hundreds of thousands of smokers to seek help quitting.
The 12-week campaign, which ended June 10, featured the real stories of former smokers who are suffering the debilitating health effects of their tobacco use.
An editorial in The New York Times harshly criticized the court ruling last week that struck down the graphic cigarette warnings required by Congress under a 2009 law.
In a 2 to 1 ruling, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Friday found that the new warnings violated the First Amendment rights of tobacco companies. The majority opinion ignored the significant scientific evidence demonstrating that graphic warnings are most effective at communicating the health risks of smoking, discouraging children and other nonsmoker from starting to smoke and motivating smokers to quit.
Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, has written an op-ed in The Huffington Post warning against complacency in the fight against tobacco use and calling on elected officials in the United States to finish the fight against the nation’s number one cause of preventable death.
The Lancet medical journal has just published results of the largest-ever international survey of tobacco use, underscoring both the enormity of the global tobacco epidemic and the urgent need for countries to implement proven strategies that reduce tobacco use and save lives. Without strong action, tobacco is projected to kill one billion people worldwide this century.
Delivering an historic victory in the global fight against tobacco, Australia’s highest court has upheld the world’s first law requiring that all cigarettes and other tobacco products be sold in plain packaging, free of colorful logos and other branding. The High Court rejected a challenge by the tobacco industry, allowing Australia to move forward with requiring the plain packs starting on December 1.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new survey results last week showing that youth cigarette smoking continues to fall, but it had troubling news about cigars.
Missouri voters in November can prevent kids from smoking and save lives by approving a ballot initiative to increase the state’s lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax by 73 cents per pack.
A new report released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that tobacco companies are manipulating their products to avoid taxes and regulations aimed at reducing smoking, undermining the fight against the nation’s leading cause of preventable death.
In particular, tobacco companies have mislabeled roll-your-own tobacco as pipe tobacco and increased the weight of many cigars to escape higher tobacco taxes imposed by a 2009 federal law. By keeping the prices of these products low, tobacco companies are attracting kids and keeping smokers hooked.
The Saudi Arabian government has significantly stepped up the nation’s fight against tobacco use by requiring public places to be smoke-free. The smoke-free policy will apply to government offices, restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and shopping malls in addition to airports, which have been smoke-free since 2011. It even applies to water-pipes, or shisha.
The past week brought major progress in the movement for smoke-free air in Wyoming and Ohio.
In Wyoming, Casper's strong smoke-free law will take effect on September 1 after opponents failed to collect the required 2,000 signatures to put the measure on the November ballot. The Casper City Council in June approved the ordinance, which will require restaurants, bars and other public places to be smoke-free.
In a victory for public health, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today rejected the tobacco industry’s attempt to escape any corrective actions despite a judgment that they have violated civil racketeering laws and defrauded the American people for decades.
The Vietnamese government has approved the country’s first-ever comprehensive tobacco control law, marking a public health milestone for the country.
The new law requires smoke-free work places and public places with few exceptions, mandates large, graphic cigarette health warnings, and places strong restrictions on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Across the United States, youth are playing critical roles in the fight against tobacco. They’re encouraging their peers to stay tobacco-free, taking on the tobacco industry and its deceptive marketing and urging elected officials to take strong action to protect America’s kids from tobacco.
A new smoking cessation campaign is making waves in Thailand and around the world, spreading a powerful and effective message to quit smoking.
There is growing momentum in India to ban gutka, a form of chewing tobacco flavored with spices and sweeteners that is a major cause of oral cancer in the country. Maharashtra, which has Mumbai as its capital, has become the latest Indian state to ban the cheap, mass-produced product, joining three other states – Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and Bihar – that have done so this year, according to a story by AFP.
In a new segment, ABC News Nightline returns to Indonesia, a playground for the tobacco industry where tobacco marketing is inescapable and kids can easily buy cigarettes right outside their schools.
As Wisconsin celebrates the second anniversary of its smoke-free workplace law, the state is providing the latest evidence that going smoke-free protects health without hurting business.
It's clear that Wisconsin's law has been good for health. The percentage of Wisconsin residents who say they're exposed to tobacco smoke fell by nearly half after the law took effect, according to a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.