If you think the air travel experience generally stinks now, consider what it was like before smoking was banned on domestic flights 25 years ago. Tracy Sear, a flight attendant with US Airways, was looking over some Facebook posts from colleagues recalling those bad old days when a third or
WASHINGTON (AP) — Never underestimate the staying power of big tobacco. In 2006, U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler ordered the nation’s largest cigarette makers to publicly admit that they had lied for decades about the dangers of smoking. The basis for the punishment: Testimony from 162 witnesses, a nine-month bench
The powerful cigarette industry reignited Florida’s tobacco wars Wednesday with a one-sentence bill that would strip away the right of thousands of Florida victims from collecting millions in damages…. But for Bob Wilcox, 49, a Miami-Dade police lieutenant in the homicide bureau, the bill is an “outrageous” attempt to shield
One of the world’s largest tobacco firms has told the Government to immediately halt plain packaging legislation in the Dáil or face a High Court claim for damages. JTI Ireland, owner of the Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut brands, has told Ministers James Reilly and Leo Varadkar that it
Comedian John Oliver took on Philip Morris International (PMI) Sunday night on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight.” ASH Policy Director Chris Bostic was privileged to see the taping in person. It is a hilarious and poignant piece, and the PR folks at PMI must have woken up dazed and
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver exposed Big Tobacco’s international bullying tactics to target new and existing customers with their deadly products. ASH supported their researchers in putting together this episode. Join the conversation online using #JeffWeCan Watch the episode below. Read ASH’s Response here> Watch how ASH responded below.
Drivers in England will be banned from smoking in their cars if they are carrying children as passengers. The move, which will become law on 1 October, follows a similar ban in Wales and aims to protect young people under 18 from second-hand smoke. Scotland is also considering introducing a
The Cambridge City Council passed last week a series of controversial amendments to the Cambridge Tobacco Ordinance, including an increase in the purchase age to 21 years old and limits on smoking in public parks and use of e-cigarettes, our partners at Wicked Local reported Tuesday. The new ordinance won’t
In the past few years, several localities have increased the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21. The first to increase the minimum sales age to 21 was Needham, MA, a suburb of Boston, in 2005. Following implementation of the law, smoking rates among Needham high-school students dropped almost
President Barack Obama’s latest budget is his most populist ever, seeking big tax hikes to pay for ambitious new spending on education and infrastructure in a dare to Republicans to find common ground. Here are the biggest and boldest among his tax proposals. All estimates are for revenue raised or
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California health officials Wednesday declared electronic cigarettes a health threat that should be strictly regulated like tobacco products, joining other states and health advocates across the U.S. in seeking tighter controls as “vaping” grows in popularity. The California Department of Public Health released a report saying
One of the world’s top universities is taking a smoking ban a step further this week, as Stanford University prohibits the sale of tobacco as well as smoking on campus. Campus shops at the Californian university will have to end the sale of all tobacco products from 1 March. Parts
“Health must become a priority. The time is now,” said global tobacco control advocates in the Framework Convention Alliance video. They emphasize the importance of this year, 2015, and that leaders must raise their ambitions for humanity. They also encourage the general public to stand up and speak out. The
One of the strongest arguments in favor of raising the legal age for tobacco purchases inadvertently comes from the tobacco industry itself. In 1986, in a confidential memo, an executive for Philip Morris wrote, “Raising the legal minimum age for cigarette purchase to 21 could gut our key young-adult market
Remarks by the President at Meeting of the Export Council December 11, 2014 The big bugaboo that’s lifted up there is tobacco companies suing poorer countries to make sure that anti-smoking legislation is banned, or at least tying them up with so much litigation that ultimately smaller countries cave. Those
Why charities should not let Big Tobacco use them for marketing. Earlier this month, a journalist caused a stir among health charities by publicizing the fact that the American Red Cross accepts donations from the tobacco industry and allows the Red Cross symbol to be used on industry websites and
Tel Aviv University has backed out of its agreement with the Philip Morris Tobacco Company (Altria Group) that the firm provide scholarships to TAU’s School of Marketing students. The decision was made last week after the Israel Cancer Association (ICA) threatened to cancel its research grants to TAU scientists. The
I watched Mom die from smoking-induced lung cancer. I wrote the piece because I want folks to know that even smoking only a few cigarettes a day can be fatal. You smoke. Oh, not a lot. Seven, maybe 8 a day. Mom was like that. If necessary, you can go
Only about half of Americans are protected from exposure to secondhand smoke, whether in public places or at work. Yet, a growing number of foreign countries have achieved complete protection, often in the face of strong tobacco industry opposition. While every society is different, some of the strategies used offer
New York (Reuters) – The American Red Cross risks damaging the reputation of the global Red Cross brand because of its refusal to stop accepting donations from tobacco companies, a top official with the humanitarian network said. These concerns are prompting the International Red Cross and public health organizations to
Several cities raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21 Increasing the minimum age is very important because 95% of smokers start by their early twenties. The cities that have taken this life saving step include Healdsburg, CA; Englewood, NJ; Melrose, MA; and Evanston, IL. See more about
We’re almost there. This year, tobacco control was included in several key United Nations (UN) documents that will change our future. We know that mentioning tobacco control and tobacco control treaties in UN documents seems only natural, but in the last set of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), tobacco control and
Those requirements have appeared in previous fast-track bills. They sound perfectly reasonable, right? Well, consider this: Australia is a party to the TPP and already has a free trade agreement with the United States. Under Australian law, cigarettes must be sold in “plain packaging.” Health warnings have to cover at
In 2014, ASH succeeded in: Blocking tobacco industry attempts to derail the negotiations of the Tobacco Treaty (FCTC): The global tobacco treaty has been a catalyst for global change, and since its entry into force, many countries around the world have begun implementing its life changing measures. This year, the
Worldwide, tobacco is responsible for 7 million deaths a year. In the United States, nearly 500,000 people die as a result of smoking each year, and approximately 16 million people are sick as a result of tobacco. But the cost to health and lives are not the only costs that Americans are suffering
