This Saturday, May 31, is World No Tobacco Day. Each year, the World Health Organization sets a theme that highlights a crucial element of the fight to end the tobacco epidemic. This year, ASH joins the WHO in “Unmasking the Appeal.” Where do we even start? There is just so
Media Contact: Megan Manning manningm@ash.org (202) 659-4310 The Maldives Passes National Phase Out of Tobacco Products WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 23, 2025 – On May 21, Maldives President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu made history by strengthening protections for his 525,994 citizens from the aggressive and deadly tobacco industry. President Muizzu ratified
Media Contact: Megan Manning manningm@ash.org (202) 659-4310 Santa Cruz County’s Cigarette Filter Ban Lights a Global Fire SACRAMENTO, CA – MAY 20, 2025 – In honor of World No Tobacco Day (May 31), Action on Smoking and Health amplifies the global leadership of Santa Cruz County, California which became the
The tobacco industry is relentlessly targeting children in Indonesia, using widespread advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products through all types of media. Involvement of children in tobacco farming also places children in serious health and safety risk. But the truth is far darker: tobacco kills millions, and these tactics
The plastic in cigarette butts is the catalyst for getting rid of all cigarette filters. Dutch NGO Fair Resource Foundation launched a global campaign on May 13, 2025 to ban plastic cigarette filters. ASH is one of the many organizations that signed on in support and collaborated with the Fair
As we move towards a tobacco and nicotine free society it is critical that we assist those who work in the tobacco industry find alternative livelihoods. Article 17 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) emphasizes the importance of promoting economically viable alternatives to tobacco production, but unfortunately
Recently, momentum has been growing around the human rights field understanding the extreme harm caused by tobacco companies. This is made particularly evident by an important win in a technical policy paper – a win that is directly related to advocacy efforts from ASH and our partners in the tobacco
April 22 is Earth Day, the day we recognize that Earth is our only home. Like a house, if we don’t take care of it, clean up messes and fix things when they’re broken, it will become uninhabitable. Unlike a house, we can’t simply collect the insurance and go get
Guest Author: Amos Hausner, Attorney at Law, representing the 7 applicants in application 1416/21 who seek this administrative redress, among them the Clean Air Association and 6 individuals who suffer the harsh consequences of Environmental Tobacco Smoke at home. In a shareholders’ meeting of a major US tobacco company, the
International Day of Zero Waste reminds us that while we should be aware of what we consume, we should be particularly cognizant of what we waste, how we can minimize it, and how to properly dispose of it. The Earth is almost entirely a closed-system, meaning that what we “throw
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Media Contact Megan Manning manningm@ash.org (202) 659 – 4310 Massachusetts Nicotine-Free Generation Bill Introduced: A Sensible Step Toward Ending the Tobacco Epidemic Boston, MA – January 16, 2025 – Today, a new piece of legislation, aimed at phasing out the sale of nicotine products, was introduced in the Massachusetts Senate.
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
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 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
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
Democracy – Big Tobacco’s Achilles Heel When the ball fell at midnight to inaugurate 2024, only one place in the world had implemented a birthdate-based phase-out of the sale of tobacco products: Brookline, Massachusetts. The law had already been in effect for three years. In March, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial
All of ASH’s programs are based on the foundational concept that tobacco violates the right to health of all people. We take a human rights-based approach to tobacco control. Our liability program focuses on utilizing the courts and legal systems to protect the right to health from the harms of
Sunday, December 1, 2024 – Member States met in Informal and Regional Sessions today behind closed doors, without the participation of Observers for the third day in a row. A revised Chair’s non paper text was released late in the day. Cigarette filters made of plastic remain in an optional Annex. Plenary
