Other Policy

Research

FDA and NIH to study effect of tobacco rules on smokers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced a joint, large-scale, national study of tobacco users to monitor and assess the behavioral and health impacts of new government tobacco regulations. The initiative, called the Tobacco Control Act National Longitudinal Study of Tobacco Users, is the first large-scale NIH/FDA collaboration on tobacco regulatory research since Congress granted FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products in the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009. Click here for more details and click here for a statement from Legacy.

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National Policy

New legislation to eliminate smuggled tobacco, reduce crime introduced
The Smuggled Tobacco Prevention (STOP) Act has been introduced in the Senate to address the growing problem of illegal tobacco trafficking by requiring that packages of tobacco products be uniquely marked to aid law enforcement efforts to track and trace tax payments. It bans the sale, lease, and importation of tobacco product manufacturing equipment to unlicensed persons. The bill prevents the illegal re-entry of tobacco products intended for export by requiring export warehouse proprietors to file reports with the Treasury Department. It also increases penalties for violating the law and establishes new offenses. In California, the first state to implement such a system, cigarette tax revenues have increased by an estimated $152 million per year. Read more here and read a press release here from a sponsor of the bill, Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ). Click here to follow the status of the bill.

Baseball seeks ban on chewing tobacco and dip
Members of Congress, baseball commissioner Bud Selig, and public health groups are pushing for a tobacco-free policy for athletes on the baseball field and in the dugout, and wherever else they are filmed for television viewing. Proponents of the tobacco-free policy say that baseball players who use smokeless tobacco are bad role models for children because the children look up to the players and might emulate their tobacco use habits. The sport’s current collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2011, but it is unclear if tobacco use will be addressed in the new negotiations. Read more here. On the Knock Tobacco Out of the Park campaign website managed by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, advocates can sign an open letter to the players’ union and MLB in support of a tobacco ban, download tools and resources for their local efforts, and spread the word about the campaign via Twitter, Facebook, and email. Click here to learn more about the Knock Tobacco Out of the Park campaign. Related: Senators urge baseball to ban chewing tobacco United States Senators and health officials from the cities hosting the World Series are urging the baseball players union to agree to a tobacco-free policy in the new collective bargaining agreement. Read more here.

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International

Plain packaging options for non-cigarette tobacco products (Australia)
Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon has released a guidance document to help the government develop the plain packaging rules for non-cigarette tobacco products that are under consideration in Parliament to be implemented by 2012. Under the proposal being considered by the government, all tobacco products would be sold in packaging of the same color with no company branding or logos, with large graphic health warnings. It is unclear if the law will still come into effect by July 1, 2012 because of a delay in the Senate, which has allegedly been linked to tobacco industry influence. Similarly, the federal health department reports that the tobacco industry has submitted dozens of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests with the aim of diverting the health department’s resources toward reporting, and in effect, slowing progress toward implementation of the plain packaging requirements. Click here to read about packaging options and read about the delay in Senate here. Related: Australia seeks world backing on tobacco legal fight Australian Health Minster Nicola Roxon is calling on other countries to support Australia’s plain packaging laws. Roxon is anticipating intellectual property disputes at the World Trade Organization and would like for other countries not to support tobacco companies’ claims. Read more here.

Canada unveils larger, graphic anti-smoking labels (Canada)
Canada has unveiled new graphic cigarette warning labels that cover 75% of the front and back of each pack, compared to existing labels that cover only 50% of the pack’s surface. According to federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, the new set of tobacco warning messages depicting tobacco-related health harms are meant to be more noticeable and understandable, as well as more shocking. Cigarette manufacturers and importers must switch over to the larger label by March 21, 2012. Click here to see the new labels and read more here.

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