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Women’s Rights Movement’s Impact on Tobacco Control

Recently, with the 20th anniversary of the WHO tobacco treaty (the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, FCTC), the tobacco control community has highlighted the FCTC’s contribution to other subject areas; many of which are taking the lessons learned and best practices and applying them to their fields. However, for International

20 Years of FCTC | Dr. Judith Mackay’s Reflection

Author: Prof. Dr. Judith Mackay, Director, Asian Consultancy on Tobacco Control, Hong Kong The birth of the FCTC I clearly remember the 26 October 1993 when Professor Ruth Roemer from the University of California Los Angeles invited me to breakfast during the APHA conference in San Francisco, and discussed the

20 Years of FCTC | Soon-Young Yoon’s Reflection

Author: Soon-Young Yoon, representative for the International Alliance of Women to the UN What do I think was the most exciting outcome from the WHO FCTC negotiations? My answer is simple. It is a strong support for women’s human rights to health. As the Preamble affirmed….”the Convention on the Elimination

20 Years of FCTC | Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo’s Reflection

Author: Ulysses Dorotheo, MD, FPAO, Executive Director of Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance 20 years: Learning from the past to achieve a tobacco-free future The WHO FCTC has been a global health game changer since its entry into force in 2005. Smoking prevalence has declined globally in these past 20 years,

20 Years of FCTC | Mary Assunta’s Reflection

Author: Mary Assunta, Senior Policy Advisor, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance; Head of Global Research and Advocacy, GGTC   The adoption of the WHO FCTC in 2005 is the most significant action that changed global tobacco control forever. It stopped the tobacco industry in its tracks from applying its “divide

20 Years of FCTC | Dr. Eduardo Bianco’s Reflection

Author: Dr. Eduardo Bianco, Director, Addiction Training Program for Health Professionals 20 Years of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control: A Public Health Milestone Twenty years ago, the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) marked a turning point in global health. As the first global

20 Years of FCTC | Chris Bostic’s Reflection

Author: Chris Bostic, Policy Director, Action on Smoking and Health The FCTC changed the world and my life. I had a strange start to my career in tobacco policy. My very first exposure to that cause and community was not as a local volunteer or through a college internship. It

20 Years of FCTC | Dr. Alfred Munzer’s Reflection

Author: Dr. Alfred Munzer, Director of Pulmonary Medicine Washington Adventist Hospital, Washington, DC; Former President, American Lung Association and Board Member, Action on Smoking and Health I had a long and successful career as a pulmonologist treating many hundreds of patients with lung disease, but lending my voice to the

20 Years of FCTC | Laurent Huber’s Reflection

Author: Laurent Huber, Executive Director, Action on Smoking and Health; former Director, Framework Convention Alliance It has been 25 years since the WHO FCTC negotiations began and 20 years since its entry into force. In May 1999, the World Health Assembly adopted Resolution WHA 52.18, giving the green light for

Honoring 20 Years of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) entering into force. The FCTC is a landmark treaty, the first global public health treaty, and has transformed the global fight against tobacco-related harm. Since its adoption in 2003, the FCTC has been a beacon of

Empower Women, End Tobacco Exploitation in Luxembourg

The tobacco industry is relentlessly targeting women in Luxembourg, using advertisements that portray smoking as glamorous and sexy. But the truth is far darker: tobacco kills millions, and these aggressive marketing tactics violate women’s human rights. We Are Taking Action. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), Fondation Cancer, and Génération

How Advocates and Policymakers can Bolster Tobacco Cessation

Access to robust, evidence-based smoking cessation is essential for improving public health and reducing healthcare costs. Across the U.S. and around the world, cities, states and countries do not provide equal access to nor equal support of the necessary tobacco cessation services. Advocates and policymakers play a crucial role in

WHO flags

Leaving the World Health Organization is Bad for Public Health

Leaving the World Health Organization is Bad for Public Health Media Contact: Megan Manning manningm@ash.org (202) 659-4310 WASHINGTON, DC – January 21, 2025 – Less than a day into his second term, President Trump began the process to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). During his first

Statements on FDA’s Proposed Rule to Limit Nicotine in Cigarettes

Media Contact: Megan Manning manningm@ash.org Statement from Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health January 15, 2025 Action on Smoking and Health welcomes the Biden administration’s proposed rule to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels. Nearly half a million people in the U.S. die each year

2024 Reflection from ASH Executive Director Laurent Huber

The magnitude of the tobacco problem is extremely obvious, and the solutions to address this problem should be simple. The health harm is clear: tobacco is responsible for more than 8 million deaths per year. The environmental impact is also significant as every year the tobacco industry costs the world

ASH’s Accomplishments in 2024

ASH’s work is based on the principle that the actions of the tobacco industry – producing, marketing, and selling addictive products that kill when use as intended – violate human rights, for example the right to health. As such, ASH focuses on 4 key areas of work: (1) Phasing out the

US FDA Proposes Life-Saving Rule to Lower Nicotine in Cigarettes

On Tuesday, December 10, 2024, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took the first step toward a new rule forcing the tobacco industry to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels, by submitting the rule to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in the waning days of the Biden

CHEST: Exciting Opportunities for Tobacco Treatment

Originally appeared in CHEST Physician; reprinted with permission from the American College of Chest Physicians   Unpacking the CMS changes BY MATTHEW BARS, MS, CTTS, CPAHA-TOBACCO TREATMENT, AND EVAN STEPP, MD, FCCP FOR THE CHEST TOBACCO/VAPING WORK GROUP The recent changes enacted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

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