The Defense Department is committed to helping troops, their families and all beneficiaries of the TRICARE health care plan reduce their reliance on tobacco products, a TRICARE official said here today. During an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Paul Fitzpatrick, TRICARE’s “Quit Tobacco” program manager,
President Obama’s proposal to nearly double the federal tobacco tax would help fund a universal pre-K program. And, if history is any guide, it would likely have a marked impact on driving down the country’s smoking rates. “Increasing the price of tobacco is the single most effective way to discourage
California is seen as a shining example of how tobacco taxes can be used to both dissuade smoking and also improve children’s health and readiness for school. Now President Obama is following California’s lead. When he presents his budget Wednesday, the president will outline a similar scheme to fund universal
Smoking cessation drugs now are available at no charge through the Tricare Mail Order Program for service members, military family members and retirees under age 65 who want to kick this unhealthy habit. The free cessation drugs finally are available almost five years after Congress ordered them. The free
The World Health Organization has expressed concern that the Philippines is encouraging smoking by hosting one of the world’s largest tobacco trade shows. The two-day fair called ProTobEx Asia opened Wednesday in the capital’s Pasay city for the second consecutive year. Organizers said they chose the Philippines over other locations
The government has dropped its push for cigarette labels to carry images of diseased lungs and other graphic health warnings, and will craft new anti-smoking ads that do not run afoul of free speech rights. In a letter to Republican House Speaker John Boehner last Friday, Attorney General Eric Holder
For far too long, tobacco use has remained the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. That’s why the President has prioritized protecting Americans from tobacco’s deadly health consequences. From the early months of his first term, President Obama has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to ending
Just days after a judge rejected Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal to ban sales of big soft drinks in New York City, he’s now proposing to ban public display of cigarettes for sale. If New York Mayor Bloomberg has his way, it could be even harder to find a pack of cigarettes
Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed legislation Monday that would prohibit citywide retailers from showing tobacco products, a proposal that would make New York the first city in the nation to ban cigarette displays. Under legislation set to be introduced in the City Council this week, sellers would be required to keep
A Florida Supreme Court decision Thursday is being hailed as a complete victory for smokers who have been litigating against tobacco companies for decades. The opinion preserved anti-tobacco findings from a defunct class action and rejected cigarette makers’ claims that they were denied due process by trial rules and jury
Health advocates in Southeast Asia hope the 16th round of the negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) would acknowledge tobacco products are harmful and cause disease and death. There are 125 million smokers in the ASEAN region and tobacco related deaths are the top killer. Sadly, these deaths
Sean Johnson keeps a pack of Marlboro Reds in a satchel slung across his right shoulder. He tried his first cigarette when he was 11 years old, and started smoking “officially” when he was 17 — around the same time that he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Now 45, Sean
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced the re-issuing of a final rule restricting the sale, distribution, and use of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. The rule was originally issued and made effective on June 22nd, 2010, and is titled Regulations Restricting the Sale and Distribution of Cigarettes and
Check out Gallup-Healthways findings on the US states with the most smokers. Data was compiled from phone surveys of 353,492 people nationwide. Click on the image to access the top 20 states>
Life hasn’t gotten any easier for Big Tobacco. Last week, Russia became the latest country to impose major new restrictions on smoking in public places. Starting in June, Russians will no longer be able to smoke in restaurants, and cigarette advertising will be banned. I have my doubts as to
EU tobacco-producing countries must accept damage to their industry in the drive to stop people smoking, Minister for Health James Reilly has said. Ireland had prioritised a plan to ban flavoured tobacco and stylish cigarette packaging even if this hurt jobs in the tobacco industry in some countries, he said
Fighting the tobacco industry’s tactics in the world’s poorest countries and ensuring the best vaccines get to those most in need are key to cutting the number of cancer deaths worldwide, according to a report by specialists in the disease. Experts reporting from a meeting of cancer organizations across the
If you smoke, you already know you need to quit. It’s bad for your heart, lungs, brain, and even your sex life. But let’s face it: You’d have kicked the habit yesterday if smoking’s ill effects were a bit more obvious. What if each cigarette created a black pockmark on
In our letter to the World Health Organization’s consultation on the future Global Action Plan on NCDs (2013-2020), ASH outlines key provisions member states and WHO should consider for successful strengthening of the Global Action Plan on NCDs. Click on the image below to read the letter. Take Action! Email
This is just one of many key statements made at last week’s conference on “Governance of Tobacco in the 21st Century” held at Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies. To see some of the powerful messages and learn more about the outcomes from this years conference please click on image
C. Everett Koop, the former surgeon general of the United States who started the government’s public discussion of AIDS during the Reagan administration, died Feb. 25 at his home in Hanover, N.H. He was 96. A spokeswoman for the C. Everett Koop Institute at Dartmouth confirmed his death but did
The new form released by the Center for Tobacco Products allows the public to report potential violations of the Tobacco Control Act and its related regulations. In turn this enables the FDA to monitor compliance with laws. Below is a sample list from the FDA’s website highlighting some of the
When Maria Arundel’s husband, Richard, died from lung cancer aged 65, she felt her life was over. Yet she also credits his death as the reason she was saved from succumbing to the same disease. With no screening programme for lung cancer in this country, it was only because she’d
New Zealand is set to become the first country after Australia to pass a law requiring that cigarettes be sold in plain packages. New Zealand’s government will bring in the legislation to cut the appeal of smoking, although it will delay implementation until legal disputes faced by Australia are resolved,
MOSCOW — The lower house of parliament, which has raised the blood pressure of many Russians by banning American adoptions and restricting opposition rights, attempted to lower it to healthy levels Friday as lawmakers moved to pass a bill banning smoking in public places. The idea was championed in the
