Smoking Out the Ad Industry

Money Talks Last week, after decades of fighting dating back to FDA Commissioner David Kessler’s valiant attempts, the FDA was finally granted authority to regulate tobacco. Congress passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which President Obama is now expected to sign into law.1,2 This landmark legislation controls elements of manufacturing, marketing, and […]

Smoke-Free America

Creating tobacco free campusesIn health care, it can sometimes feel like we’re just spinning our wheels — examples of progress appear few and far between and getting ahead of the disease curve seems just out of reach. But when a ray of hope comes shooting through the clouds, it’s often because good science has met […]

Tobacco Sales at Pharmacies?

An odd combination, but retailers are in it for the moneyA new bill pending in Congress would give much greater government oversight of tobacco and new bold graphic warnings on cigarette packages. That’s great news – if it passes. But while cigarette packaging may look different, tobacco will likely be sold in familiar aisles. And […]

Smoke-Free

On July 1, Iowa went smoke-free — no more smoking in public Just this month, on July 1st, Iowa went "smoke-free." That means no smoking in many public places, including restaurants, bars and even in one’s own car in the parking lot of a school, as the Des Moines Register put it. In some Iowa […]

Tobacco Goes Global

A cloud over planet earth When it comes to tobacco, the facts make their own case. This is true locally, as with the numbers on second-hand smoke induced disease, which have pushed most of the US indoor public space to go "smoke-free." It is also true globally. Here are a few facts: 1. There are 1.3 […]

Tennessee and Tobacco

Earlier this week, I mentioned the conflict that had arisen between Ed Hill, former president of the AMA and long-time resident of Tupelo, Mississippi, and the governor of the state, Haley Barbour. Gov. Barbour vetoed an attempt to raise the tax per pack of cigarettes from $0.18 to $0.80 and in so doing drew the […]

Kudos to Ed Hill, John Seffrin and Sharon Eubanks

The significant ongoing threat of tobacco (and those who profit from it) continues to define courageous leaders from varying sectors of society and reinforce that Americans can no longer accept what is clearly unacceptable. In the past two months, three of these courageous leaders have come to the forefront: 1. Ed Hill. Past president of […]