Tobacco and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) The inclusion of tobacco control in the Sustainable Development Goals has been in the works for several years. It is due to various advocacy efforts of the Framework Convention Alliance and the support of NGO partners and allied missions in New York and
The more stringent the laws, the better the health benefits, American researchers found Hospital admissions for heart attacks fell by 15%, strokes by 16% and those for respiratory diseases such as asthma by 24% Smoking bans dramatically reduce the number of people hospitalised for heart attacks, stroke and respiratory diseases
Lawyers for major tobacco companies said Monday they do not want the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to touch a panel’s ruling that went against the government’s controversial graphic warning labels requirement. A divided three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit in August ruled against the U.S.
Smoking, which is described as the biggestpublic health disaster in the history of the world with its perpetrators likened to terrorists, will kill up to a billion people worldwide this century unless governments across the world stamp down on the half-trillion-dollar tobaccoindustry, cancer experts have warned. John Seffrin, chief executive
Marketing cigarettes ain’t what it used to be. Gone are the days of Joe Camel billboards and T-shirts or caps branded with cigarette makers’ logos. But Big Tobacco hasn’t given up on getting its message out. A 1999 settlement banned tobacco companies from advertising outdoors or at stadiums but there’s
Nobody lights up like Eastern Europe, where average annual consumption can exceed 2,000 cigarettes per person. The very highest rate is in Serbia (2,861 cigarettes per person per year), according to data from 71 countries compiled by the World Lung Foundation and American Cancer Society. Fourth-place Russia, not far behind
Tobacco company lawyers are challenging the proposed language of public statements that the U.S. Department of Justice wants cigarette manufacturers to distribute to minimize the chance that the companies will make false claims in the future about the health effects of smoking. The companies are required by court order to
A website has been launched that features searchable databases of all campaign contributions and gifts from tobacco lobbyists to state legislators. The website, www.tobacco.money.com, also encourages lawmakers and legislative candidates in Oklahoma to sign a pledge to not accept campaign contributions, meals or other gifts from any tobacco company political
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA (October 1, 2012)A new website with searchable databases of all campaign contributions and gifts from tobacco lobbyists to members of the Oklahoma State Legislature was announced today. The website www.tobaccomoney.com was developed in Oklahoma and is gaining national attention for helping to educate the public on how
A new report comes to some startling conclusions about the up-front economic costs of smoking. Nationwide, the average smoker spends 14% of income on cigarettes. In New York, where taxes are among the highest, low-income smokers spend a staggering 25% of their money on their addiction! Cigarette costs add up
As far as money-draining (and life-shortening) habits go, smoking is a popular example of one to give up. Now there’s a new report that makes an even more dramatic financial case for quitting: In New York State, which levies some hefty taxes on tobacco, low-income smokers are spending roughly one-quarter
Delegates attending trans-Pacific free-trade negotiations in the United States are being warned their countries could end up like Australia if they agree to allow corporations to sue governments in international courts. Australia is fending off a challenge to its plain cigarette packets legislation from Philip Morris International under the terms
At yesterday’s TransPacific Partnership stakeholder event – a bit of political theater set up by the United States Trade Representative to demonstrate the “transparency” of the highly-secretive negotiations – negotiators from other countries eagerly sought us out to hear about how tobacco regulation is threatened by trade law. ASH’s Chris
A handful of business representatives that are closely following the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations have taken new jobs over the last few months. Linda Menghetti, an expert on investment issues who formerly served as vice president of the Emergency Committee for American Trade, left that position at the end of
ISDS stands for Investor State Dispute Settlement. I know, spelling it out doesn’t help comprehension much. It is a term of art for trade law policy wonks. Unlike most unnecessarily long bits of lingo, this one is dangerous, especially for tobacco control. The United States is insisting that it be
Way back in February of this year, more than two-thirds of Californians believed raising more money from tobacco companies to finance cancer research was a good idea. That was before industry money kicked in. Don Blankenship, former chief of Massey Energy, supported Brent Benjamin. In just over three months, opponents
As anyone who follows tobacco-related news now knows, last Friday an appeals court upheld a lower court ruling striking down the FDA’s proposed graphic warnings for cigarette packages. In a 2-1 decision, the court found that the warnings violated “corporate speech” rights. The finding places the rights of tobacco companies
(Sept. 6-15, 2012/Leesburg, VA) The next negotiating round of the Trans- Pacific Partnership will take place in Leesburg, Virginia from September 6-15, 2012. USTR will be hosting a Direct Stakeholder Engagement event on Sunday, September 9, 2012. ASH urges the United States Trade Representative to submit its draft tobacco exception
The Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association PAC received a $200,000 donation from Cheyenne International a North Carolina based company and maker of Decade cigarettes. The donation is to help fund the opposition efforts to the Proposition B proposal that would add 73 cents to the cost of a
The latest survey of tobacco use among young people brought good news about the prevalence of cigarette smoking, but highlighted a disturbing trend on the use of cigars and smokeless tobacco. The 2011 National Youth Tobacco Survey, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that cigarette smoking
Opponents of the tobacco tax increase on the Nov. 6 ballot got a big boost this week when Cheyenne International, maker of Decade cigarettes, gave $200,000 to fight the measure. The donation from the North Carolina firm more than doubled the money available to the Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience
(PHAI Blog) Three key issues were taken up at the 2012 Reynolds American Inc. (RAI) Annual Shareholders Meeting in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on May 3rd. First, the issue drawing the most public attention was the company’s dealings with groups representing farm workers who toil under dangerous conditions and provide the
