• WTO Decision Forces U.S. Hand in Menthol Cigarettes

In July the US lid out its plan to come into compliance with a WTO dispute settlement panel finding that the U.S. ban on clove cigarettes violated the trading rights of Indonesia. The ban on clove and other flavorings for cigarettes was part of a landmark 2009 Family Smoking and Prevention and Tobacco Control Act which also gave the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over tobacco products for the first time. But, menthol flavoring was exempted from the ban, in order to give FDA time to consider how best to ban a product used by about 30% addicted U.S. smokers. Read ASH’s full press release on the issue here>

• Obama Goes to Bat for Big Tobacco in the TPP

The Obama administration backed down from a proposal revealed 17 months ago to protect health from Big Tobacco under the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the pending free trade agreement with 11 other countries. Read ASH’s full press release on the issue here>

• E-cigarette use: The CDC Report

E-cigarettes have been surging in popularity and a new CDC study suggests this effect is trickling down to U.S. teens. New findings from a national survey on youth tobacco use showed that the percentage of middle and high school student using electronic cigarettes doubled from 2011 to 2012. Read the full article on the issue here>

• Success of the CDC’s graphic tobacco ad campaign

A graphic anti-tobacco campaign starring former smokers has helped nearly 100,000 Americans kick the habit permanently according to researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). ASH Director Laurent Huber was recently interviewed by Fox 5 News on the topic explaining that there is still much work left to do to combat the global tobacco epidemic. Watch the video here>

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