Congratulations to Delaware, which on Tuesday celebrated the 10th anniversary of its comprehensive smoke-free workplace law. The law, which applies to all workplaces, including restaurants, bars and casinos, was signed by then-Governor Ruth Ann Minner and implemented on November 27, 2002.
A new study of smoking policies and air quality at the largest U.S. airports has both good news and bad news for travelers heading into the busy holiday season.
The good news: 24 of 29 large hub airports do not allow smoking in any areas accessible to the public, according to the study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Today’s a great day to be a quitter.
The American Cancer Society leads the 37th annual Great American Smokeout — a day for smokers to quit and for those who love them to provide help and support.
Consumers around the world are learning the deadly truth about smoking thanks to the growing adoption of large, graphic cigarette warnings.
Sixty-three countries and territories now require graphic warnings, an 85 percent increase since 2010, according to a report released today by the Canadian Cancer Society. Altogether, these countries have more than 40 percent of the world’s population. A few countries on the list, including the United States, are still implementing their graphic warning requirements.
It’s been a great year in the fight against tobacco in Illinois. Earlier this year, the state increased its cigarette tax by $1 per pack. Now Cook County commissioners have taken another critical step by increasing the county’s cigarette tax by $1, effective March 1, 2013.
The U.S. Surgeon General and other public health experts have found that smoking damages nearly every organ in the human body and harms health at every stage of life. Increasingly, we are learning of the many ways that smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke harm reproductive and child health.
North Dakota and Missouri voters on November 6 will have the chance to deliver big wins for health and save lives in their states.
North Dakota voters can approve a statewide ballot initiative, Measure 4, to require smoke-free workplaces and public places, including restaurants and bars.
Missouri voters can prevent kids from smoking and save lives by voting yes on Prop B to increase the state’s lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax by 73 cents per pack.
Philip Morris International (PMI) has scored a well-deserved nomination to Corporate Accountability International's 2012 Corporate Hall of Shame for its legal bullying of countries that have adopted strong measures to reduce tobacco use.
The world's largest multinational tobacco company with billions of dollars in profits at its disposal, Philip Morris in recent years has used lawsuits and international trade disputes to fight bold tobacco control policies in Australia, Norway, Uruguay and other countries.
Earlier this year, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and our partners issued a report showing how tobacco companies have enlisted convenience stores as their most important partners in marketing cigarettes and other tobacco products – and in fighting policies to reduce tobacco use.
UPDATE (Oct. 18, 2012): Following Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's speech earlier this week, Russia's Cabinet of Ministers today approved the proposed tobacco control legislation. The bill is expected to be sent to the Duma, or parliament, soon.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev today vowed to enact strong tobacco control legislation in the face of unrelenting opposition from tobacco companies.
Thanks to some of the world’s weakest tobacco control laws, Indonesia continues to be the target of rampant, unrestricted tobacco marketing, including industry-sponsored concerts that are banned in the United States and many other countries. Unfortunately, popular international musicians continue to perform at these concerts, helping tobacco companies market their deadly and addictive products to Indonesia’s youth.
Marking major victories in the global fight against tobacco, Ukraine and Sri Lanka have announced the implementation of graphic warning labels to be required on all cigarette packs sold in these countries.
Sri Lanka will join Australia and Uruguay in implementing some of the largest graphic warnings in the world, covering 80 percent of the front and back of cigarette packages. In Ukraine, warning labels were implemented last week and now cover 50 percent of all cigarette packs.
It’s well-known that smoking during pregnancy is harmful to pregnant women and their babies. But there’s more evidence all the time of how extensive the harm can be – both from smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke is the greatest source of indoor air pollution in China, according to a new study by a civil environmental group.
The study analyzed air quality in 43 restaurants, bars and Internet cafes over a six-month period and found that small particles from tobacco smoke made up 90 percent of the air pollutants. The concentration of particulate air pollution was significantly greater than standards recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). On average, pollution levels were 14 times greater than WHO-recommended levels in restaurants, 19 times greater in bars and 10 times greater in Internet cafes.
A new survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, just published in the American Journal of Public Health, finds significantly higher rates of tobacco use among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans.
Uruguay has some of the world’s strongest laws to fight tobacco use, and a new study published in The Lancet medical journal shows the nation’s efforts have dramatically reduced smoking.
Since 2005, Uruguay has implemented a series of strong measures to reduce tobacco use. These include a comprehensive law requiring smoke-free workplaces and public places, a ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorships (except at the point of sale), and several tobacco tax increases.
The movement to require tobacco-free college and university campuses is gaining steam across the United States.
All told, some 774 college and university campuses now have smoke-free policies, according to Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. Of these, 562 have a 100 percent tobacco-free policy.
Indonesia has the highest male smoking rate among countries surveyed to date, according to results from the nation’s first Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) released today.
The survey underscored the scope of Indonesia’s tobacco epidemic, which is fueled by cheap cigarettes, rampant tobacco advertising and weak government policies to reduce tobacco use. Smoking kills at least 200,000 people in Indonesia each year.
The 2009 increase in the federal cigarette tax achieved the goals of significantly reducing smoking and raising revenue to help fund expansion of children’s health insurance, according to today’s lead story in USA TODAY.
Despite powerful opposition from a billion-dollar industry, India continues to make progress in banning gutka – a deadly form of chewing tobacco that is fueling the country’s oral cancer epidemic.