Our goal at ASH is to protect everyone from the harms of tobacco. One way we strive to achieve that goal is by reducing health inequities and fighting for everyone’s right to health. In honor of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), here are some of the
Today, 200 million of the world’s one billion people who smoke are women[1] and 2.15 million women die from tobacco use every year.[2] Over 71% of those women live in low- and middle-income countries[3], where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest.[4] While overall, smoking rates are decreasing,
Public health, and more specifically tobacco control, sits at the vortex of many important social issues such as development, human rights, law, and social justice. Tobacco companies have been aggressively targeting African Americans for generations with menthol cigarettes. As a result, over 85% of African Americans who smoke, smoke menthol
February 4th is World Cancer Day. Cancer is the second largest cause of death worldwide, and smoking is the leading cause, directly responsible for 30% of cancer deaths. Cancer takes the lives of about ten million people annually (600,000+ in the U.S.) and costs the global economy about 1.5% of
Oral statement | Action on Smoking and Health | January 31, 2023 Proposed Objective: To protect future generations from the environmental, health and other burdens of plastic pollution. The objective should be simple and avoid qualifiers such as “in accordance with domestic or international law” or “without undue encumbrance on
The year 2022 has seen incredible milestones when it comes to taking measures to protect our collective right to health and right to a healthy environment from the harms caused by the tobacco industry. When we talk about “human rights,” we talk about the rights that have been recognized at
ASH’s work is based on the principle that the behavior of the tobacco industry – producing, marketing, and selling addictive products that kill when use as intended – violates human rights, such as the right to health and right to a healthy environment, that have been recognized at the international, regional,
A Global First: New Zealand Passes Tobacco Endgame Bill Package Changing the Course of the Tobacco Epidemic for the World Media Contact: Megan Manning (202) 390-9513 WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 13, 2022 – Today, the New Zealand Parliament adopted the strongest anti-tobacco law in world history. Once implemented, the Smokefree
NEW YORK CITY, NY – DECEMBER 8, 2022 – Action on Smoking and Health awarded the Project Sunset Award for Courage in Public Health to Christopher K. Leung, the lead attorney in the landmark case forcing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin the rulemaking process to ban menthol
December 5, 2022 – The first of five Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) meetings for the UN Plastics Pollution treaty is finished. The plan is to approve a final text roughly two years from now, which will be handed over to the UN Environmental Assembly for adoption. Then it will be opened
December 1, 2022 – Today, ASH was able to make a second intervention during the plenary discussions on the role of nongovernmental stakeholders in negotiations going forward. Many thanks to our allies in the environmental coalition for their vital input. Here is our intervention, to give you a taste of
November 30, 2022 – Today, several delegations mentioned the need to ensure basic human rights as we hammer out a treaty to end plastics pollution. This got me to thinking. It should be all about human rights. In the discussions leading up to INC-1, as I’ve mentioned previously, “inclusiveness” has
November 29, 2022 – The highlight of today was a three-hour Multi-Stakeholder Forum. If that title sets off your radar, your radar is well-calibrated. The industries that have caused the plastic pollution problem were given the same platform and respect as civil society groups struggling to stop them. Some were
November 28, 2022 – Greetings from Punta del Este. Today is an historic day in the history of environmental protection. At 10:00am local time, the first round of negotiations for the global plastics pollution treaty got under way. Whether it was a good day or a bad is to be
ASH is proud to be a founding and organizing member for the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA), a global coalition of 100 public health organizations who recognize the crucial intersection of tobacco control and environmental health. STPA will actively participate in the UN plastics treaty negotiations from November 2022 through
The Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA) is a global coalition of 100 public health organizations, listed below, who recognize the crucial intersection of tobacco control and environmental health. STPA will actively participate in the UN plastics treaty negotiations from November 2022 through 2024 and remain active to ensure strong implementation of
In 2021, despite operating under the global COVID-19 pandemic, ASH implemented numerous programs to accomplish its Mission, “to advocate for innovative legal and policy measures to end the global tobacco epidemic.” Click here to read ASH’s 2021 Annual Report> ASH’s programs advanced health policy at the local, national, and global
Media Contact: Megan Arendt-Manning (202) 659 – 4310 Decades of Dedication: Dr. Alfred Munzer’s Career in Public Health New Video Commemorates Dr. Munzer’s Extensive Impact on Lung Health WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 25, 2022 – After years of dedicated service as the Chair of the ASH Board of Trustees, Dr.
Nearly every noun in the English language seems to get a day we’re supposed to note or even celebrate. There is a National Pumpkin Day (October 26) as well as a National Pumpkin Spice Day (October 1). Today, October 17th, is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. I
Summer 2022 – ASH staff was fortunate enough to be accepted to participate in an extensive research course called “Tobacco Industry Monitoring, Research and Accountability” hosted by our partners at the Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) through the University of Bath, England. The team at TCRG are experts in investigative
September 2022 – This year, many people and organizations have focused their energy on social justice, and ASH is no exception. As you may know, this summer, ASH led 120 organizations in submitting a report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). The United States was up
Author: Alexa Arejian, ASH Project Assistant August 2022 – This year, the National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) was hosted in New Orleans, Louisiana, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. NCTOH is one of the largest U.S. conferences for tobacco control professionals and focuses on best practice
Guest Author: Dr. Carolyn Dresler, ASH Volunteer The FDA has recently made several exciting announcements, proposing new rules and making decisions about tobacco products. For one, JUUL is to be removed from the market, but, unsurprisingly, the industry sued the next day for a ‘stay’. The FDA just closed a
Tobacco companies have long targeted youth with their products. Adding flavors to tobacco products plays a crucial role in youth and young adult use of tobacco products. Research shows that children and adolescents have more of a preference towards sweet flavors than adults. Nearly three-quarters — 72.7% — of young
July 2022 – ASH staff attended the 7th ENSP European Conference on Tobacco Control (ECTC) in Greece. This was a valuable opportunity to host a workshop, present on the environment, and host a panel on the tobacco endgame, while networking with partners from across Europe. Given that Greece has the
