World No Tobacco Day 2026 arrives at a pivotal moment for global public health. This year’s theme — “Unmasking the appeal – countering nicotine and tobacco addiction” — recognizes a troubling reality: the tobacco and nicotine industry has not abandoned its business model of addiction. It has modernized it. Tobacco and nicotine companies employ candy
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.
Across the United States, more and more communities are taking action to protect their residents from the deadly, manipulative tactics of the tobacco industry. What was once considered an ambitious vision—the tobacco endgame—is rapidly becoming a reality at the local level. In Massachusetts, 19 towns (as of November 5, 2025)
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
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.
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
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
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In February 2024, the quest to end the tobacco epidemic suffered a blow when the new government in New Zealand rescinded their world-beating endgame law.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
