Policy

Reports

Americans want smoking off the menu at restaurants
A new Gallup poll shows that Americans have mixed opinions of smoking policies in public venues. A random sample of 1,020 adults was interviewed via telephone to examine how Americans feel about smoking policies being implemented in restaurants, workplaces, hotels/motels, and bars. Support for smokefree policies ranged from 31% in favor of completely smokefree bars to 59% in favor of smokefree restaurants. Most Americans (59%) thought that smoking should not be allowed in restaurants, but a majority also felt that workplaces and hotels/motels should have separate smoking areas to accommodate smokers. Additionally, most thought that smoking should be allowed in bars, with 43% favoring designated smoking areas and 23% indicating there should not be any smoking restrictions in bars. Public support has increased dramatically for smokefree policies of all types since Gallup began asking these questions in their polls in 1987 (2003 for bars). Click here to read more.

TFK fact sheet update – Point-of-purchase or retailer-based marketing of tobacco products
There has been a recent surge of interest about possible state and local initiatives to restrict and regulate point-of-purchase or retailer-based marketing of tobacco products – both to supplement the new FDA restrictions and to take advantage of the fact that the new FDA tobacco law sharply reduced federal preemption of state and local measures to restrict cigarette advertising and promotions. Along those lines, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has updated its fact sheet on tobacco industry at point of purchase. Much of the data and research cited in the fact sheet can help states and localities show the need for new retailer-based restrictions, and provide the evidence necessary to protect any new restrictions from legal challenges. The new fact sheet is available here.

NAQC Policy Playbook – New updates now available
The North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) has updated its Policy Playbook. The Playbook focuses on promoting quitline services to smokers following the enactment of new smokefree laws or the implementation of tobacco tax increases. The topics of the new Playbook content are: approaches for smokefree policy implementation, the impact of tax increases on quitline call volumes, lessons learned and challenges of implementing smokefree laws or tobacco tax increases, and coordinating quitline promotions to coincide with tobacco tax increases. Click here to learn more about the recent updates to the Policy Playbook.

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State

Arkansas Clean Air on Campus Act goes into effect (AR)
On August 1, Arkansas’ Clean Air on Campus Act went into effect, making all higher education campuses supported by public funds smokefree. Passed last April, the Act prohibits students, faculty, staff, and visitors from smoking while on school property. The law is intended to promote healthy living by protecting people from secondhand smoke and encouraging people to quit smoking. Each campus will be left to determine how it will enforce the law, with violators subject to fines ranging from $100 to $500. Smokeless tobacco products are not included in the ban. Click here or here to read more.

New law protecting youth from tobacco products takes effect today (MN)
Minnesota’s Tobacco Modernization and Compliance Act went into effect as of August 1, updating the state’s tobacco laws and taxes to prevent the use of new tobacco products by youth. The law changes the definition of “tobacco product” to include anything that contains tobacco and is intended for human consumption, requires all tobacco products and devices to be kept behind store counters, and prevents the sale of new tobacco products and e-cigarettes to youth. The law is designed to decrease youth access to newer tobacco products, which will translate to decreased use of tobacco products. While youth smoking rates in Minnesota have declined since 2000, there has been no change in the proportion of youth who use other tobacco products, such as cigars or smokeless tobacco. Read the press release from the Minnesota Department of Health and a fact sheet about the law for more information.

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National

Medicare expands coverage of tobacco cessation counseling
This summer, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that Medicare coverage has been expanded to include tobacco cessation counseling for any smoker covered by Medicare. The new benefit will cover two individual tobacco cessation attempts per year, each consisting of four counseling sessions with a qualified physician or other Medicare-recognized practitioner, for a maximum of eight sessions per year. Previously, Medicare reimbursement for tobacco cessation counseling was limited to patients that had already been diagnosed with a tobacco-related disease, with the exception of minimal counseling lasting less than three minutes. Approximately 5.5 million smokers on Medicare will qualify for the new coverage. Read more from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services here.

25 of the 50 states now have at least one public housing authority with a smoke-free policy
The Smoke-Free Environments Law Project has released an updated listing of public housing authorities in the U.S. that have adopted smoke-free policies for at least one of their apartment buildings. As of August 2010, 171 local housing authorities in 25 states have adopted smoke-free policies, almost all of them occurring since 2005. Click here to view the full list, or click here to learn more about the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project. Related: Detroit Housing Commission adopts smoke-free policy for all properties, effective January 1, 2011 (MI) The Detroit Housing Commission (DHC), Michigan’s largest public housing authority, has announced that all fifteen of its multi-unit properties, comprised of 2,118 units, will be smoke-free as of January 1, 2011. Grandfathering will not be allowed, and smoking on these properties will only be permitted in designated outdoor areas, if at all. Read more here (click on “Recent ETS News Stories” link).

Hunter seeks loophole to let troops get smokes
Representative Duncan Hunter (R-CA), a Marine veteran, has introduced legislation that would amend the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act to allow tobacco to be sent to troops in combat zones. The PACT Act is intended to prevent tax evasion, illegal sales, and sales to minors, and restricts the size, frequency, and shipment methods of packages containing tobacco products. The law has effectively prevented the mailing of care packages containing tobacco to soldiers stationed in combat zones. Hunter’s bill, HR 6037, would create a loophole that would allow the mailing of tobacco products to military personnel in combat zones and would waive restrictions on the size or number of packages that could be sent. The bill is expected to be reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee in September. Click here to read more. Related: Tobacco shipments to resume to soldiers overseas The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced that it will now allow shipments of tobacco products to soldiers in combat zones. The new regulations allow shipments to military addresses to be sent through Priority Mail with delivery confirmation. The PACT Act’s sponsor, Senator Herb Kohl, had sent a letter to the Postmaster General asking him to alter the USPS policy. Click here to read more, or read the press release from the USPS.

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International

Canadians, Americans, Britons oppose making smoking illegal
A recent Angus Reid Public Opinion Poll shows that although Canadian, American, and British residents oppose the idea of making smoking illegal, they generally support most laws intended to prevent and reduce smoking. Adult panelists were randomly selected from each country (1,000 Canadians, 1,013 Americans, and 2,023 Britons) to complete an online survey asking whether they agree or disagree with specific smoking-related policies. Most respondents in all three countries supported the following measures: prohibiting smoking in indoor public spaces, in vehicles containing minors, and in bars, restaurants and casinos; printing hazard warnings on tobacco packaging; banning tobacco advertising on radio and television; and prohibiting commercial displays of tobacco visible to minors. Fewer participants were supportive of banning cigarette sales in stores with pharmacies; prohibiting cigarette sales in post-secondary institutions; forbidding tobacco companies from sponsoring events or giveaways; banning images of smoking in films and television; and making smoking illegal. Click here to read more or click here to view the full report.

No smoking in public soon (Barbados)
Smoking in public buildings in Barbados will no longer be permitted as of October 1. Bars, restaurants, shops, hotels, and government buildings will be completely smokefree, with no designated smoking areas. Those violating the ban can be punished with fines of up to BDS$500 (US$250) and up to twelve months in prison, and business owners that permit people to break the law can also be fined up to BDS$5000 (US$2500) and be imprisoned for up to twelve months. A comprehensive educational program including training, public service announcements, and community outreach will be implemented before the law takes effect to make sure citizens and businesses understand the regulations. Read more here.

Finland bans tobacco display in Europe's toughest tobacco control law (Finland)
President Tarja Halonen of Finland has signed into law a comprehensive bill designed to end tobacco use in the country. The Tobacco Act will restrict the marketing and supply of tobacco to people under age 18; those who sell tobacco to minors or purchase tobacco for minors can be punished with fines and/or up to six months in jail. Minors will not be allowed to purchase or possess tobacco products, and can be fined for importing tobacco. There will also be a total ban on the sale or import of snuff, except for small amounts purchased for personal use. Smokefree laws will be extended to facilities used by youth, shared facilities in multiunit housing, outdoor events, and hotels. Tobacco products will no longer be displayed in stores or sold from vending machines. Finland is the first country to have a law intended to end smoking in the entire country. Click here for a summary of the new law, which will go into effect on October 1.

Poll: Majority of New Zealanders back tobacco sales ban (New Zealand)
A new poll indicates that the majority of New Zealanders think that the country should be a completely smokefree nation by 2020. Anti-tobacco group Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) conducted the survey, asking 750 participants if they agreed or disagreed with the statement that “New Zealand should be a completely smokefree nation by 2020. This means smoked tobacco would not be widely available for sale.” The results show that 59% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement; ASH says this shows public support for taking strong action against tobacco. Click here to read more. Related: Big gains if tobacco sales end in decade Research published in the New Zealand Medical Journal indicates that banning tobacco sales by 2020 would increase the life expectancy of the indigenous Maori people by five years by 2040. Non-Maoris would live three years longer. The smoking prevalence among Maoris is more than double that of the general population. Click here to read more, or click here to read the abstract of the research.

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