Other Policy

Research

States could see substantial savings with tobacco control programs
A recent economic study concludes that if individual states funded their tobacco prevention and control programs at the levels recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states could save 14-20 times what they originally invested through reductions in healthcare expenditures and other smoking-related costs. The researchers conducted a benefit-cost analysis of state-level tobacco control programs using data from 1991–2007, and found that these programs have a "sustained and steadily increasing long-run impact" in decreasing the demand for cigarettes. The lead author notes that states have shifted their funding priorities away from tobacco control programs when facing financial crises, and that this data can be used to persuade policymakers to invest in tobacco control programs. Read more here. Click here to read the abstract of the study in the journal, Contemporary Economic Policy. These findings may be cited by health advocates alongside statistics from a new report from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The report provides a state by state view of tobacco prevention funding, which is at an all-time low.

Smoking restrictions inspire quitting more than social support: Study
Smokers are more likely to attempt to quit smoking when they live and work in places where there are smoke-free policies, a new study finds. Smokers living in rural areas of the Southeast were surveyed on sociodemographic characteristics, smoking behavior, level of social support for smoking cessation, and smoke-free policies at home, church, and work. Having a greater “dose” of smoking restrictions (more venues in which restrictions were in place) was associated with having made a quit attempt in the past twelve months. Having social support for cessation did not have a statistically significant effect on quit attempts or the number of cigarettes smoked per day. The researchers note that this study provides evidence of the effects of comprehensive smoke-free laws on cessation behavior. Click here for more information, or click here to read the full study in Preventing Chronic Disease, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Washington State's tobacco prevention program saved over $5 for every dollar spent (WA)
A study recently published in the American Journal of Public Health found that the Washington State Tobacco Control Program is cost effective, and has reduced the prevalence of smoking and burden of tobacco-related healthcare costs. The researchers used linear regression models to estimate the changes in tobacco use and tobacco-related health effects that were associated with each of the following three tobacco control interventions: a comprehensive state program, a comprehensive smoke-free policy, and tobacco price increases. During the ten years studied, implementation of the tobacco control program prevented an estimated 36,000 hospitalizations, resulting in a healthcare cost savings of approximately $1.5 billion – a five-dollar cost savings for every dollar originally spent on the tobacco program. Click here to view the abstract of the article. Click here for a press release from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, which notes that the results of this study send a powerful message that disease prevention initiatives, such as tobacco control programs, are essential to improving Americans’ health and reducing healthcare costs.

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Reports

States slash funding for tobacco prevention programs by 36 percent
States have cut funding for programs to reduce tobacco use by 12 percent in the past year and by 36 percent over the past four years, threatening the nation’s progress against tobacco, according to a report released this month by a coalition of public health organizations. According to the report, in FY2012, states will collect a near-record of $25.6 billion in revenue from the 1998 state tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, yet will spend only 1.8% of this tobacco-related revenue on tobacco control programs. The report concludes that progress in lowering smoking rates in the U.S. has slowed in recent years, and in order to continue to see reductions in tobacco use, elected officials must support proven prevention programs. Read more here. Click here for the full report.

New resource from Tobacco Control Legal Consortium on novel non-cigarette tobacco products
A new fact sheet from the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium is designed to answer basic questions about policy options communities might consider when regulating dissolvable tobacco products, little cigars, and other novel non-cigarette tobacco products. Click here to view the fact sheet.

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State Policy

E-cigarettes banned in workplaces in Boston, and city prohibits sales to minors (MA)
The Boston Public Health Commission’s Board of Health has decided to regulate e-cigarettes like tobacco products, in effect banning their use from workplaces and only allowing them to be sold to adults. Health officials have also prohibited the sale of individual cigars, also known as cigarillos, which have grown increasingly popular with youth, due to their inexpensive price and candy flavor. Cigarillos must now be sold in their original packaging from the manufacturer, in quantities of at least four. Click here to read more.

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National Policy

Institute of Medicine report recommends high scientific bar for modified-risk tobacco products
The Institute of Medicine has released its recommendations to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the type of scientific evidence that should be required for tobacco companies to make modified risk claims under the Family Smoking and Tobacco Control Act. Particular emphasis was put on the need for rigorous science, conducted and evaluated independent of the tobacco industry, before the industry is allowed to market modified risk tobacco products (MRTPs). The report also notes the unique history of the tobacco industry and its misleading science, as well as the harmful and addictive nature of tobacco products, in calling for the application of rigorous science in setting standards for modified risk claims. Click here to download the report and the press release from the Institute of Medicine. Click here to read a press release from FDA, which states that FDA will take the IOM’s recommendations into account as it creates guidance and/or regulation for the assessment and review of MRTPs.

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International

Brazil bans smoking in enclosed public places and widens war on tobacco (Brazil)
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has signed a comprehensive tobacco control bill that will decrease tobacco use within the country. The bill will make all public places smoke-free and will ban cigarette advertisements wherever cigarettes are sold. The bill also makes designated smoking rooms in airports and bars illegal, increases the tobacco tax by 55% within four years, and expands the requirements for graphic warning labels on cigarette packs. With the signing of this law, Brazil will become the largest country in the world to pass a 100% smoke-free law, and the thirteenth South American country to do so. Click here to read a press release from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, or read more here.

India's film industry bans smoking in movies (India)
After the Indian Health Ministry issued an order making all movies and television shows smoke-free this fall, actors and others in the movie industry criticized the directive as a limitation on their creative freedom, prompting the Ministry of Law to review the order. Under the health ministry’s directive, shows and movies that depict smoking would be required to air a thirty-second anti-tobacco ad at both the beginning and end of the show or movie. Programs would also be required to show health warnings at the bottom of the screen during the smoking scene, and the actor would have to give a 20-second disclaimer about the negative effects of tobacco use. The law ministry will determine whether the health ministry’s order is within the bounds of the Indian Constitution and existing laws; a decision is expected later this month. Click here to read more about the health ministry’s requirements, or click here to read about the legal review.

Russian anti-tobacco bill signed into law (Russia)
The Russian President has signed a law that will gradually result in more than a doubling of the tobacco excise tax from 2012 to 2014. The new law will also make hotels, cafes, nightclubs and long distance trains smoke-free, and will ban the retail sale of cigarettes from locations smaller than fifty square meters. The government hopes this new law will decrease Russia’s high rate of smoking. Read more by clicking here.

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