Other
National
Global cancer and tobacco control conferences held
in Washington, DC
More than 5,500 international cancer and tobacco control
leaders representing more than 130 countries met in mid-July
for conferences in Washington, D.C., to address the global
cancer and tobacco burden and a sobering projected increase
in cancer deaths worldwide. The UICC World Cancer Congress
2006, hosted by the American Cancer Society and the International
Union Against Cancer (UICC), was held on July 8-12 and included
an appearance by Former United States President George H.
W. Bush and Former United States First Lady Barbara Bush.
The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health, also hosted
by the American Cancer Society, followed on July 12-15.
This is the first time these two conferences have been held
back-to-back and in the same city. Sweden's Margaretha
Haglund and the United Kingdom's Sir Richard Petowill were
among those honored
for their exemplary leadership of the world's tobacco control
movement. Click here
to learn more. Click here
to view the official conference website.
Surgeon General Richard Carmona resigns post soon
after release of secondhand smoke report
Dr. Richard Carmona, known for his anti-tobacco stance,
has resigned as U.S. Surgeon General. The 17th
Surgeon General's Report, released in mid-July, focused
on the health consequences of secondhand smoke and has far-reaching
implications for legislation to restrict smoking in public
places. Click here
to view a press release from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free
Kids.
Rabbinical Council of America bans use of tobacco
products
The Halacha Committee of the Rabbinical Council of America
has issued a unanimous opinion affirming that, in spite
of its widespread practice even within many rabbinic and
yeshiva circles, the smoking of tobacco products is prohibited
by Jewish law. Click here to learn more.
Seventh-day Adventist Church holds Global Tobacco
Control Summit
The Seventh-day Adventist Church recently held
a summit to reprioritize the church's tobacco control efforts
and recapture the momentum of the early anti-smoking movement
by renovating current stop-smoking programs. Click here
to learn more about their efforts.
American Legacy Foundation names
Eric Asche senior vice president for marketing
Eric Asche has joined the American Legacy Foundation
from advertising ageny GSD&M in Texas. He will serve
as senior vice president for marketing, and brings with
him diverse experience in both advertising and marketing.
Click here
for more information on the appointment.
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States
Florida
Advocates Want Anti-smoking Funding Restored
Health advocates launched a campaign to restore millions
of dollars in funding to anti-smoking efforts - just in
time for next year's 10th anniversary of Florida's historic
$13 billion legal settlement with the tobacco industry.
Click here
to learn more.
Massachusetts
Tobacco treatment services in MA studied for determinants
of sustainability
Researchers from the University of Massachusetts have examined
how the state's tobacco treatment services were sustained
following the termination of state funding. They found
that two key strategies - redefining the scope of services
offered and creative use of resources - were factors that
determined which community agencies were able to sustain
their services at higher levels than others. The study
was published in the American Journal of Public Health.
View the abstract
for more information.
Minnesota
MPAAT Unveils New Name at State Fair: ClearWay Minnesota(SM)
The Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco unveiled
its new name -- ClearWay Minnesota -- at the Minnesota State
Fair. ClearWay Minnesota will remain focused on the organization's
vision of eliminating the harm caused by tobacco through
stop- smoking services, research and protecting Minnesotans
from secondhand smoke. "After talking to Minnesotans
about our organization, we realized that there was a gap
in understanding between the MPAAT name and our vision.
We wanted a name that would reflect our positive aspects,
such as research, cessation programs, community grants and
smoke-free initiatives," said Michael Vekich, ClearWay
Minnesota Board Chair. "ClearWay Minnesota was chosen
because people connect it with all aspects of our organization,
as well as with important traits such as leadership, progress,
helpfulness, accessibility and, of course, fresh, smoke-free
air." Click here
to get the full story.
Tobacco Archive Must be Maintained
Big tobacco companies must maintain a document depository
in Minnesota for another 15 years, under a the ruling of
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler. Kessler also ordered
the tobacco companies to continue to provide documents to
a vast archive located in northeast Minneapolis. That depository
was created as part of the $6.1 billion settlement between
Minnesota and several major tobacco companies in 1998. Click
here
to learn more.
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International
Thailand Anti-tobacco Body Slams US Ambassador
The country's leading anti-tobacco body said Friday that
US Ambassador to Thailand Ralph Boyce had breached the US
State Department Directive on Tobacco Policy Abroad by leading
a group of giant tobacco producers to meet with Public Health
Minister Pinij Charusombat. The group, which included US
giant Philip Morris (Thailand), complained to the minister
about unequal controls on all forms of tobacco products
with cigar and pipe tobacco being less restricted that cigarettes.
The US directive, issued on January 2000 states that the
general policy is that "… the US government will
not promote the sale or export of tobacco or tobacco products
or seek the reduction or removal by any foreign country
of nondiscriminatory restrictions on the marketing of tobacco
or tobacco products". The guidelines of the directive
also state that "[Diplomatic] posts should not promote
the sale or export of tobacco or tobacco products, and should
not assist the efforts of US firms or individuals to do
so. Click here
for additional information.
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