By: Chris Bostic, ASH Policy Director Some rays of light in a cloudy world: “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.” These lines are a personal mantra and emotional survival tool.
Is a future where no one dies because of commercial tobacco products within our reach? Yes! What once seemed like an impossible goal is now within our reach. 2025 has taken us several steps closer to this goal, and ASH is proud to have been a leader in realizing this
The Eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP11) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) adopted a series of key Decisions including FCTC/COP11(5) Forward-looking tobacco control measures (in relation to Article 2.1 of the WHO FCTC). ASH is a proud supporter of this Decision adopted by the COP, the
Guest Author: Niels Them Kjær, Chief Consultant, Danish Cancer Society After several months of planning, nine Danish organizations launched their tobacco endgame vision on September 10, 2025, with the ambition of setting an end date – 2035 – for the sale of tobacco and nicotine in Denmark. We placed full
On July 14, 2025, I had the pleasure of joining local advocates at the hearing of the Joint Committee on Public Health at the Massachusetts Statehouse. On the docket: a state Nicotine-Free Generation law (House version; Senate version). The bill would prohibit the sale of [certain – House version] tobacco
June 25, 2025 – Just before the World Conference on Tobacco Control began in Dublin, Ireland, ASH hosted the 2025 Global Tobacco Endgame Summit. With approximately 150 attendees, including representatives from governments, intergovernmental agencies, academia and advocacy groups, and over 25 speakers, the Global Summit was intended to inform the
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 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
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
This week, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a Report on “Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities.” This is the 35th Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health since 1964, a series of instrumental reports that inspired the name of our organization: Action on Smoking and Health. ASH welcomes this report,
ASH launched the Tobacco Endgame Policy and Advocacy Training Course in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University Institute for Global Tobacco Control in August 2023. This free virtual training course is specifically designed to educate participants on topics surrounding the growing momentum toward phasing out the sale of commercial tobacco
April 18- 19, 2024, ASH hosted the first National Tobacco Endgame Summit in Washington, DC. It was the culmination of over a year of planning and comes at an opportune and exciting time as endgame policies are being implemented worldwide, with three Massachusetts towns joining Brookline in implementing Nicotine-Free Generation
Stoneham and Wakefield become the second and third towns in Massachusetts to pass Nicotine-Free Generation In February 2024, the quest to end the tobacco epidemic suffered a blow when the new government in New Zealand rescinded their world-beating endgame law. But before the doors closed, the endgame horse had already
This has been another fast-paced year in ASH’s fight to protect society from the harm caused by the tobacco industry. A year where we have seen much progress, reached new milestones, and marked major anniversaries though, unfortunately, also a year where we faced painful setbacks as the tobacco industry does
By: Chris Bostic, Policy Director at ASH Ending the tobacco epidemic is not only my job but a personal mission in life. William Lloyd Garrison, the “Golden Trumpet” of the abolition movement in the 19th century, said “That which is not just is not law.” I would modify it for
New Zealand Plans to Gut Public Health Policies on Tobacco Sales Statement from Laurent Huber, Executive Director, Action on Smoking and Health November 29, 2023 Last week, New Zealand led the way in ending the tobacco epidemic with the most progressive and hard-hitting tobacco policies in the world. This Monday,
Statement from Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health, Supporting British Prime Minister’s Smoke-Free Generation Proposal October 4, 2023 Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) welcomes and applauds the announcement by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak detailing his government’s plans to introduce a bill forever banning the
August 1st is World Lung Cancer Day. Like most special days, World Lung Cancer Day is a recent addition to the calendar; the first was in 2012. Unlike the topics of many special days – for example, World Kitten Day (July 10th, sorry we missed it) – lung cancer is
As a surgeon for 21 years, I’ve seen the extensive, heartbreaking toll tobacco products take on the human body. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the world, claiming the lives of 480,000 Americans each year. Smoking is directly linked to over 13 different human cancers,
The year 2022 has seen incredible milestones when it comes to taking measures to protect our collective right to health and right to a healthy environment from the harms caused by the tobacco industry. When we talk about “human rights,” we talk about the rights that have been recognized at
A Global First: New Zealand Passes Tobacco Endgame Bill Package Changing the Course of the Tobacco Epidemic for the World Media Contact: Megan Manning (202) 390-9513 WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 13, 2022 – Today, the New Zealand Parliament adopted the strongest anti-tobacco law in world history. Once implemented, the Smokefree
On October 17, 2022, the Massachusetts Superior Court granted a motion to dismiss filed by the City of Brookline against a lawsuit challenging their Tobacco-Free Generation (TFG) rule. Read the memo and order here> This first-in-the-nation TFG law disallows the sale of tobacco products to anyone born this century. This
There are only two examples of the Tobacco-Free Generation (TFG) policy in the world – Balanga City, Philippines (the law is enjoined pending a tobacco industry lawsuit) and Brookline, Massachusetts (not enjoined but also being sued by the industry). This represents a population of around 160,000; not a terribly large
Groundbreaking Tobacco Endgame Proposal from FDA on Reducing Nicotine in Cigarettes ASH Welcomes Biden Administration’s Announcement on Reducing Nicotine WASHINGTON, DC – June 22, 2022 – Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) applauds President Biden and FDA Commissioner Califf for beginning the process to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive
