National

New legislator orientation
In order to advocate for sustained funding of tobacco prevention and cessation efforts, health promotion practitioners should regularly contact their legislators. To do this, the American Lung Association of California’s Center for Tobacco Policy & Organizing is working with all community programs funded by the California Tobacco Control Program to participate in New Legislator Orientation to educate the 39 newly elected members of the California Legislature about important tobacco control issues.  The Center for Tobacco Policy and Organizing has developed tools to help local program staff and partners schedule meetings with their local legislators. These tools include: Steps for Scheduling a District Meeting, a “Sample Appointment Request Letter, and New California Legislators November 2008, a list of contact information for newly-elected legislators. The tobacco control policy work being done in California is a great example for other states. Click here to read more about New Legislator Orientation, or for additional information about this initiative, contact The Center for Tobacco Policy & Organizing at (916) 554-5864 or by email at vmarvin@alac.org.

Hub enacts strict ban on tobacco sales (MA)
The Boston Public Health Commission voted unanimously in December to tighten the city’s tobacco control laws, and to penalize violators of the rules with larger fines. The new policy, effective in February 2009, will include a ban on tobacco product sales at college campuses, drug stores, and pharmacies. The Commission has also strengthened workplace smokefree laws, and smoking will be banned from hotels, inns, and bed-and-breakfasts, as well as outdoor work areas such as patios and loading docks. In an effort to reduce smoking among young people, no new smoking bars, such as hookah bars, will be permitted (to allow existing businesses to adjust to the policy, preexisting smoking bars may remain open for up to ten years). Smoking cessation resources and initiatives will also be expanded. Click here for more information.

Dallas City Council votes to expand smoking ban (TX)
In a 10-5 vote, the Dallas City Council recently banned smoking in workplaces, including bars, restaurants, and pool halls. When the law takes effect in April 2009, individuals and businesses who violate the law will receive $200 fines. Dallas will become the 21st city in Texas to go smokefree, and will join 24 other states that have implemented comprehensive smokefree laws. The only exemption to the ban will allow smoking in tobacco shops, cigar bars, and hookah bars that derive at least 15% of their revenue from the sale of tobacco products and paraphernalia. Find out more here. Click here to read a statement from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Dallas smoking ban could pressure Legislature
As more localities in Texas are implementing smokefree laws, there may be a new push for state legislators to pass a state smokefree law this year. Several other states have followed the passage of local smokefree laws by passing state laws, in order to “level the playing field” and make smokefree policies uniform for businesses throughout the state. In 2007, two bills for a statewide smokefree policy received bipartisan support in the Texas House, but were never voted on in the Senate. Read more here.

Iowa's smoking ban likely to receive second look (IA)
Lawmakers expect to revisit Iowa’s controversial smokefree law next year, but it is unclear what changes may be on the table. Legislators may strengthen the law by removing exemptions for casinos, but there is also pressure from bar owners to allow business owners to decide whether to allow smoking. Bar owners have complained that their sales have dropped since the law went into effect on July 1; however, a representative from the Iowa Department of Health asserts that it is still too early to assess the economic impact of a smokefree law. Read more here.

Michigan’s smoking ban efforts may be flaming out (MI)
As this year’s legislative session comes to a close, Michigan lawmakers have yet to approve a smoking ban for restaurants, bars, and other workplaces. The Senate and the House have each passed different versions of a smokefree law, but an agreement has not yet been reached on how to reconcile the differences between the two legislative chambers. A clause is currently being discussed that would allow businesses to opt out of the ban, but this concession has been frowned upon by health advocates, who fear that businesses would not willingly adopt a smoking ban. To find out more, click here.

State cuts back anti-smoking budget (TN)
Tennessee will halve its state budget for smoking cessation programs in 2009 from $10 million to $5 million. This announcement was made just as two public health groups issued reports criticizing the state on its already inadequate funding for tobacco control. The American Lung Association gave the state an ‘F’ on tobacco cessation, since Tennessee is one of only six states that do not provide full Medicaid coverage for smoking cessation treatments. The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids ranked Tennessee a lowly 40th in the country on its funding of tobacco prevention programs, as only 2% of the state’s tobacco-generated revenues from taxes and settlement money are devoted to prevention. According to health advocates, the state is overlooking the long-term costs of health problems related to smoking, in order to cut the short-term costs of prevention. Read more here.

Fire-safe cigarettes become law in Minnesota (MN)
By state law, as of December 1, all cigarettes sold in Minnesota must be fire-safe. Fire-safe cigarettes are specially designed to go out on their own if left unattended, a feature that helps prevent accidental cigarette fires. Cigarette fires are the leading cause of fire deaths in Minnesota, and this policy is expected to save dozens of lives in the next decade. After a twenty-year legislative battle, Minnesota became the 17th state to enact fire-safe cigarette legislation. Nineteen other states will follow suit with similar laws once state legislation takes effect. Click here to read more.

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International

Third session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)
Over 600 delegates from 130 countries that have ratified the WHO FCTC met in Durban, South Africa in November to discuss international tobacco control initiatives. Guidelines were adopted to instruct countries on increasing the effectiveness of cigarette warning labels and banning tobacco industry advertising, sponsorship, and promotions. It was agreed that due to the tobacco industry’s “irreconcilable conflict” with the interests of public health, legislative dealings with tobacco companies should be limited to those that are “strictly necessary,” and these interactions should be transparent to the public. Plans to crack down on tobacco smuggling were discussed, and a protocol to this end is expected to be adopted in 2010. The next session of the Conference will be held in Uruguay in 2010. Click here to read a press release from the WHO, or click here to read an article in The Economist on the debate over tobacco industry involvement in tobacco prevention and control. Proceedings from the conference will soon be available here.

U.K. will end cigarette displays (UK)
Based on recommendations from the Department of Health “Consultation on the Future of Tobacco Control” report, the U.K. government will ban tobacco displays in retail stores. With the goal of preventing tobacco use among youths, the bill will also contain a plan to improve age verification for cigarette vending machines. When Canada banned tobacco retail displays, smoking among youths aged 15-19 decreased by 10%, but the effect of similar legislation in other countries has been mixed. The bill will be introduced in 2010, and the retail display ban will be implemented gradually from 2011 through 2013. Click here to read a summary of the policy, or click here for additional background information.

Guatemala, Colombia approve strong smoke-free legislation
In November, Guatemalan legislators approved a smokefree law that will prohibit smoking in workplaces and public places such as bars and restaurants. If the bill is signed by the nation’s president, Guatemala will become a leader of the growing global tobacco control movement. A similar smokefree law went into effect in Colombia in December, banning smoking in restaurants, bars, public transportation and medical and educational institutes. Smokefree laws are catching on in Latin America; other nations with comprehensive smokefree policies include Uruguay, Panama, Mexico, and some areas of Argentina. Click here for more information about the new legislation in Guatemala. Click here to read more about Argentina’s smoke-free decree.

Government postpones implementation of pictorial warnings on tobacco products until May ’09 (India)
The Indian government has announced plans to postpone the December 1 rollout of pictorial warnings on cigarette packaging until June 2009. This means that India will miss the February 2009 deadline set by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) for nations to implement pictorial warnings on tobacco packaging. The effective date on India’s legislation requiring pictorial warnings has been postponed at least seven times due to pressure from the tobacco industry and over 70 legal challenges. Sources at the Health Ministry suggest that the postponement by the group of ministers was politically fueled, in light of upcoming elections. According to India’s Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss, tobacco companies asked for more time to update their packaging to include the pictorial warnings. Read more here.

Russia defies WHO antismoking convention by allowing misleading advertising (Russia)
According to an article in the British Medical Journal, the Russian government is likely to pass guidelines that would allow tobacco companies to make misleading advertising claims about “light” cigarettes, and would allow the tobacco industry to take part in legislative proceedings. This national policy, which was submitted by a tobacco industry lobbyist, is in apparent conflict with the guidelines of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which Russia ratified in early 2008. With the purpose of reducing the global burden of tobacco use, the FCTC restricts tobacco marketing and requires governments to facilitate tobacco control and prevention. Although the proposal still awaits additional hearings, and must be approved by the president, it will likely remain in its current form, as attempts to incorporate the FCTC guidelines have stalled. Click here to read more.

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