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
When it comes to preventable deaths and disease, smoking is still a top killer in the U.S., says a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Approximately 443,000 people die from cigarette smoking each year, and 8.6 million suffer from a serious illness related to smoking, according
Legislation Includes Provisions to Fight Chronic Disease, Encourage Healthier Communities, Schools and Workplaces, and Improve Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities Legislation introduced today by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, outlines critical public health and prevention initiatives to fight chronic disease,
Many U.S. state governments use little of the money they receive each year from tobacco taxes or legal settlements with cigarette makers to fund programs that could help people kick the habit or prevent them from becoming smokers, according to a new report released on Wednesday. Each year, more than
The Pentagon recently announced a force reduction of 80,000 troops. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the new military will need to be “smaller, leaner, but agile and flexible.” But how do we achieve an agile and flexible force when 30 percent of the force may be off-duty for several days
The superannuation fund for health and community services workers has become the latest fund to dump its investments in tobacco. HESTA chief executive Anne-Marie Corboy confirmed the fund had started removing tobacco investments from its portfolios this year, following a decision by the fund’s board late last year. Ms Corboy
An extra £500 million a year could be raised in tobacco tax if an independent regulatory agency to cap cigarette manufacturers’ profits was set up, academics have said. The creation of an ‘Ofsmoke’ agency to regulate the industry – similar to those in force for utility companies – would increase
California Department of Public Health director and state health officer Dr. Ron Chapman has unveiled new ethnic-market advertisements that will continue to educate Californians on the harmful effects of tobacco use. An anti-tobacco ad from a previous campaign The advertisements, which include radio and print ads for the African American
Philip Morris lobbyist reappointed to committee that should regulate lobbies and revolving doors policy for commissioners. European transparency groups Corporate European Observatory, Lobby Control, and Corporate Accountability International, have lodged a complaint with the European Commission, over the reappointment of a tobacco lobbyist to the Commission’s own ethical committee. Former
The UK government could raise at least £500m a year by capping the amount of profit tobacco companies can make from cigarettes, academics have said. They are calling for state regulation similar to that used to limit the price of water. Writing in the journal Tobacco Control, they say reducing
Last week South Africa became the first country to sign a new international treaty aimed at combating tobacco smuggling. Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, signed the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products at a ceremony held at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on Thursday. Eleven other countries
SMOKING MAY be the world’s greatest global health threat. It kills nearly 6 million people a year around the world — more than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. The United States has done an admirable job of combating this threat within its own borders. But Washington has done embarrassingly little
