After two years of debate, Montana State University students will have the chance to vote this week on whether the Bozeman campus should outlaw tobacco.
The referendum on the ballot in Tuesday and Wednesday’s election — to make the campus tobacco-free within two years — only makes a recommendation, and isn’t binding on MSU President Waded Cruzado and her administration. Ream more »
The American Legacy Foundation Monday released a new content analysis study that concludes that kids TV shows have a “high amount” of tobacco use. No, it’s not talking about Big Bird walking a mile for a Camel. Instead, the study looked at the most popular primetime shows with kids/teenagers 12-17 and found that nearly a million were exposed to tobacco ads “whether it was in an ashtray, on a billboard, or in a character’s hands.”
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More must be done to meet the obligations of the WHO Framework Convention and reduce secondhand smoking. Sunday marked the fifth anniversary of China’s ratification of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The treaty requires a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and prohibits smoking in the workplace and public places. Ream more »
Over 50 Moldovan and Ukrainian customs and border guard officers have received training on cigarette anti-smuggling techniques from the EU Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM). The training took place at border crossing points (BCPs) in Tudora, Moldova and Starokozache, Ukraine and was delivered by Galentin Georgiev, a police analyst from EUBAM’s Analytical and Operational Support Unit, with the assistance of Svitlana Prishchenko from EUBAM’s Capacity Building Unit. Ream more »
Ilana Chertok, associate professor of nursing at West Virginia University, has been awarded a grant to study the effectiveness of smoking cessation programs aimed at expectant mothers in Monongalia and Preston counties. The grant, provided by the March of the Dimes Foundation, will fund a program to provide pregnant women with help to quit smoking. The program is called the “5A’s,” and aims to educate midwives with five steps: Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist and Arrange. Ream more »
The average smoker takes five years and seven attempts to give up the fags, a report revealed yesterday.
Researchers studied the behaviour of 3,000 smokers and ex-smokers. They found most quit over fears for their long-term health.
Other common reasons include their smoking being a turn-off to the opposite sex, struggling with breath, and ‘being judged’. Ream more »
Just like a game of Whac-A-Mole, sin tax proposals keep popping up. State voters repealed the 6.25 percent sales tax on alcohol in a November ballot question. Now, health care advocates are pushing for a 50 percent hike in the excise tax on cigarettes. An anti-smoking coalition called Tobacco Free Massachusetts has made increasing the excise tax on cigarettes by $1.25 per pack one of its top legislative priorities this year, and 28 lawmakers have signed on.
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A group of Williston students testified in Bismarck Friday on an anti-smoking bill they hope to have passed by the Legislature.
Four ninth-graders made the trip with Wilkinson Elementary School sixth-grade teacher Nancy Selby.
Austin Anderson, Drey Bratcher, Cambree Billehus and Hailey Bendixson, testified before the North Dakota House Transportation Committee on HB 1150.
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Glendale and Burbank maintained their high marks in 2010 for overall tobacco-control efforts, according to a report from the American Lung Assn. The association released its “State of Tobacco Control” report Thursday, giving Glendale an A and Burbank a B in overall tobacco regulation.
Glendale was one of nine cities in Los Angeles County to receive the highest grade and has maintained that score for a third straight year. Burbank was one of 20 cities throughout the county to get a B in overall tobacco control. Ream more »
Marin cities are not doing well when it comes to tobacco control policies, earning below a “D” grade on average, according to an American Lung Association report card issued Thursday.
“One might say there is room for improvement,” said Pam Granger, a spokeswoman for the association. “But there is some forward movement occurring in Marin.”
Overall grades — which were mostly the same as last year in Marin — were based on three categories: laws to encourage smoke-free outdoor air; smoke-free housing; and reduction in sales of tobacco products.
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