February 5, 2024 – The in-person portion of the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) began today in Panama City. In a very fitting opening message, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said, “We must continue advocating for
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
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,
By: Laurent Huber, Executive Director of ASH I have now spent over two decades working on UN treaties and international processes with the aim of ending the negative health, social and economic consequences of tobacco products, and I am often asked: why? Why don’t you just concentrate at the local
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
CDC Reports: More Than Half of All Americans Support Ending the Sale of Tobacco Products Research Brief Released in Preventing Chronic Disease Media Contact: Megan Arendt-Manning (202) 390 – 9513 WASHINGTON, DC – February 2, 2023 – A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office on Smoking
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
NEW YORK CITY, NY – DECEMBER 8, 2022 – Action on Smoking and Health awarded the Project Sunset Award for Courage in Public Health to Christopher K. Leung, the lead attorney in the landmark case forcing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin the rulemaking process to ban menthol
July 2022 – ASH staff attended the 7th ENSP European Conference on Tobacco Control (ECTC) in Greece. This was a valuable opportunity to host a workshop, present on the environment, and host a panel on the tobacco endgame, while networking with partners from across Europe. Given that Greece has the
Fighting tobacco product waste: Holding tobacco industry accountable for its environmental footprint June 2, 2022 – Tobacco control experts, including ASH’s Executive Director Laurent Huber, and environmental advocates from around the world join our roundtable discussion, hosted by the World Health Organization, the WHO FCTC Secretariat, and the UN Environment
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
Media Contact: Megan Arendt (202) 659 – 4310 ASH Commends FDA for Finally Starting Process to Save Black Lives Menthol in Cigarettes is a Known Deadly Combination that Must End WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 25, 2022 – After many years of delay and a directive from a federal judge, today
Media Contact: Megan Arendt (202) 659 – 4310 ASH Thanks Outgoing Board Chair and Welcomes Incoming Board Chair A decade of impact and the hope of more progress to come WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 17, 2022 – Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) extends our deepest gratitude to Dr. Alfred
As Susan Sontag once wrote, “Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use only the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify
Written by Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking & Health and WCTOH Advisory Board Member 25 February 2021 In addition to being a Development challenge, the tobacco epidemic is also increasingly being identified as an obstacle to achieving human rights objectives that have been recognized at the highest
Twelve months ago, most of us would not have expected to see the world brought down to its knees by a virus that swept through the year killing more than 1.6 million people and halting local economies. This pandemic has placed the topic of health front and center in the
AUGUST 16, 2019 – This week the Food and Drug Administration announced a comment period for a proposed rule to require graphic health warnings on cigarette packages and advertisements (pictured above). If this sounds familiar then you must be at least ten years old, because that’s how long ago Congress
We hope you’ve had a healthy and happy 2018. Here at ASH, it’s been a productive year. One thing we are very proud of is how much our small staff of 6 people accomplishes. We wanted to share with you some of our achievements this year and the fantastic team
Media Contact: Megan Arendt arendtm@ash.org (202) 659 – 4310 WASHINGTON, DC – November 15, 2018 – This week FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced his intention to begin the process for banning the sale of menthol cigarettes. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) applauds this move. Menthol was left out of
It is with great sadness that we heard of the passing of our friend, mentor and public health hero, Dr. Caleb Otto, former Ambassador from Palau to the United Nations. Dr. Otto not only did not think we were crazy when we asked him to consider the idea to integrate
Landmark case gives governments more discretion in health policies Contact: Megan Arendt, (202) 659 – 4310 Statement of Laurent Huber, Executive Director, Action on Smoking & Health WASHINGTON, DC – June 28, 2018 – In a long-awaited and welcome decision, today the World Trade Organization (WTO) found in favor of
By Laurent Huber, Executive Director The tobacco control community is at a crossroads. The evidence in unequivocal: the most widely consumed nicotine delivery product, combustible cigarettes, an addictive and lethal product, kills more than 7 million people every year, and this number is still rising. The tobacco control community was
Statement from Executive Director Laurent Huber Contact: Megan Arendt, (202) 659 – 4310 WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 30, 2018 – Tomorrow is World No Tobacco Day, a day when we remind ourselves of the epidemic of disease and death that the tobacco industry continues to cause. The vision of a
Tobacco is increasingly being recognized globally as a human rights challenge. This is reflected by the Cape Town Declaration on Human Rights being adopted by the World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH), the International Conference of the European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP), and the Asia Pacific
