Policy

State

Governor rejects smoking ban at beaches, parks (CA)
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed a proposed law that would have banned smoking at almost all state beaches and parks. The bill’s supporters said that it would have reduced litter, exposure to secondhand smoke, and wildfires in the state’s parks and beaches. In his veto, Governor Schwarzenegger wrote that the law would be an improper intrusion into people’s lives, and that the ban would not have done much to reduce litter. He also noted that the Department of Parks and Recreation already has some power to ban smoking in parks and beaches under certain circumstances, such as when there are fire hazard conditions. Click here to read more.

Time runs out on two Conn. smoking ban bills (CT)
The Connecticut General Assembly’s 2010 session has ended without decisions being made on two bills affecting the state’s smokefree policy. The first bill would have removed the minimum number of employees required for a workplace smoking ban to apply. The other bill would have banned smoking at child and group day care centers; smoking is currently allowed in these facilities in designated areas that are away from children. Both of these bills had passed in the state Senate. Read more here.

Website set up to help adjust to indoor clean air act (KS)
The State of Kansas has launched a new website to educate the public and businesses about the Indoor Clean Air Act set to go into effect in July. The new law will prohibit smoking in most enclosed public places, including workplaces, restaurants, bars, taxis, and limousines. The website provides a business toolkit, downloadable no smoking signs, a list of frequently asked questions, resources for smoking cessation, and links to the Kansas Tobacco Quitline. Click here to read more, or click here to visit the new website.

La. bill to make bars, casinos smoke-free advances (LA)
A bill that would ban smoking in bars and casinos has passed in the Louisiana Senate 23-12, and now goes to the House for a vote. The bill is designed to close a loophole in the current smokefree policy for bars and casinos. The existing law applies to restaurants, schools, and other workplaces. Last year, the House rejected a weaker smokefree bill that would have required only smoke-free gaming areas, so the more comprehensive version of the bill is expected to face greater opposition in the House than in the Senate. Read more here.

State to force stores to post graphic signs vs. smoking (MA)
Pending Public Health Council approval, Massachusetts will become the first state to require cigarette retailers to display graphic warning posters about the health effects of tobacco. Based on a New York City law, the signs must be placed within two feet of tobacco displays and cash registers, and will depict tobacco-related health problems, such as lung cancer and tooth decay, along with information about how to quit. The intent of the law would be to communicate information to smokers that will encourage them to quit, regardless of literacy level or language proficiency. Fearing that the law will hurt small businesses, retailers have mounted resistance to the proposal. Tobacco companies have argued that warnings should be mandated at the federal level. The new rule will use $316,000 in federal stimulus funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide the posters to retailers. Click here to read more.

Q&A: Michigan to eat, drink smoke-free (MI)
Michigan’s new comprehensive smokefree policy went into effect on May 1, making it the 38th state to implement such a law. The policy covers all private and public work sites and food service establishments (including outdoor patios of restaurants and bars), with exemptions for tobacco specialty shops, certain areas in exempted casinos, and designated cigar bars. It is the responsibility of the business owners and employees to enforce the law; non-compliance complaints can be called in to the local health department. Click here to read more about the specifics of the ban, or click here to read the answers to some of the most common questions about the law.

Governor signs act to protect youth from new tobacco products (MN)
Minnesota’s governor has signed a bill, the Tobacco Modernization and Compliance Act of 2010, which updates state laws to regulate the sale of newer types of tobacco products. The Act expands the definition of tobacco products to include anything containing tobacco intended for human consumption, requires all tobacco products to be sold behind store counters, and prohibits the sale of new tobacco products and e-cigarettes to minors. These changes address novel smokeless tobacco products, which often resemble candies or mints, by eliminating loopholes that would allow or encourage their sale to minors. Click here to read more.

DeJongh signs into law anti-smoking, ‘racino’ bills (VI)
Governor John deJongh Jr. of the Virgin Islands has signed a bill that bans smoking in enclosed public places and workplaces. The governor has said that the new Smoke-Free Act will need to have some definitions clarified (such as “enclosed areas”), and has expressed concern that the signage requirements written into the bill will be too costly to business owners. As written, those violating the policy can be charged with a misdemeanor, which the governor worries will criminalize smoking with a harsher punishment than necessary. Click here to read more.

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National

2009 edition of American Lung Association's State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI) Report
The American Lung Association has released the 2009 State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI) report, an annual summary of state tobacco control laws. The report gives state-by-state details of tobacco control policies such as smokefree laws and policies, tobacco taxes, restrictions of youth access, and prevention and cessation funding that are current as of January 2, 2010. Key highlights include Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina enacting full or partial smoking bans, fourteen states increasing tobacco taxes, and many states cutting tobacco control programs. Click here to view the report information online, which is updated continuously, or click here for the full 2009 report as a PDF.

New bold warnings on tobacco ads
Smokeless tobacco advertisements in magazines and other publications are now sporting much bolder warning messages than ever before, due to a new requirement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As of June 22, the FDA requires that the warning messages in smokeless tobacco ads take up at least 20% of the advertising space. This will be the first change in U.S. tobacco warnings since 1986. Cigarette ads must conform to a similar standard by June 2011. Some public health advocates believe that the larger warning messages will help to inform the public of the dangers of tobacco use, but others contend that the messages still do not go far enough to counter the tobacco industry’s marketing messages. Click here for more details.

Guidance for industry and FDA staff: Enforcement policy concerning certain regulations restricting the sale and distribution of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a guidance report clarifying the FDA’s stance on two provisions of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The FDA has decided that it will not enforce a provision that would require manufacturers to use only black and white to advertise cigarettes and smokeless tobacco. They will also not be enforcing a section of the law that prohibits the marketing of tobacco products using brand names of non-tobacco products. Click here to read the FDA’s announcement.

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International

The UN tackles noncommunicable diseases
The United Nations General Assembly (UN) has adopted a resolution calling for a reduction in premature death from non-communicable diseases like heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, and diabetes, which kill nearly 35 million people each year. The resolution is designed to help world leaders take action to address these diseases through meetings, discussions, and research. The UN has agreed to hold a summit in September 2011 for heads of state regarding the threat of non-communicable diseases to developing countries. Click here to read more about the resolution from the WHO, or click here to read a related press release from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to learn more about how this resolution is related to tobacco control efforts.

Australia proposes tough cigarette packaging rules (Australia)
The Australian government has introduced legislation that would require tobacco companies to use plain packaging for cigarettes in an effort to make the products less attractive to smokers. As of July 2012, company logos, promotional text, and colorful images will be banned from cigarette packages, and will be replaced with graphic health warnings and brand names printed in small font. Opponents of the law say that there is no proof that it would decrease smoking, and that the government would likely end up having to compensate the companies for taking away their intellectual property. Tobacco companies plan to take legal action to fight the ban. The government has also increased the cigarette tax by 25%, which adds about $2 to the cost of a pack of cigarettes. Click here to read more. Click here to view high-resolution prototypes of the new plain packaging.

China's health ministry to go tobacco-free (China)
Chinese officials are adamant that the country will be able to ban smoking in public places by 2011, in order to be in accordance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. As part of the effort, the Health Ministry is to make all of its offices smoke-free within four months, although officials did not clarify if the bans applied to hospitals and clinics run by the ministry. Anti-smoking activists and some members of the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention are less optimistic, expressing concerns about the ineffectiveness of a nationwide policy if enforcement is weak. Several cities have implemented weakly-enforced smokefree laws with poor results. China is home to 350 million smokers who consume approximately one-third of the tobacco products sold worldwide. Read more about the Health Ministry’s tobacco-free policy here, or read about concerns over China’s ability to implement a country-wide smokefree law here.

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