Other Policy
Reports
New fact sheet from Public Health Law and Policy: Electronic cigarettes
A new fact sheet from Public Health Law & Policy that discusses electronic cigarettes is available to the public. Click here to read the document, which discusses the FDA announcement about regulating e-cigarettes as a tobacco product and what steps state and local governments can take to restrict e-cigarette sales and use.
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State Policy
Medicaid clients to get help to quit smoking (CT)
Beginning in 2012, Connecticut will use tobacco settlement funds to offer its Medicaid beneficiaries free tobacco cessation services. The state budget for 2012 includes $2.7 million in funding for cessation services, and another $3.5 million is allocated for 2013, all from the tobacco settlement trust fund. Prior to this announcement, Connecticut was one of four states that did not cover cessation services for Medicaid enrollees. While only 15% of Connecticut’s general population smokes, approximately 40% of Medicaid recipients smoke, so public health officials hope that cessation services will help lower smoking rates among this population. Click here to read more. Related: Conn. gets $10M grant for program to help Medicaid recipients stop smoking Connecticut officials have announced that the state will receive up to $10 million in federal funding over the next five years to help residents on Medicaid stop smoking. The money will be used to launch the “iQuit” program which aims to help those on Medicaid stop smoking, and in turn decrease the cost to the state of treating smoking-related illnesses. Read more about the infusion of federal funding here.
Illinois law helps people quit smoking (IL)
Illinois Governor Quinn has signed a law that requires insurance companies to offer coverage for smoking cessation services. The American Lung Association in Illinois has backed the law, saying that increasing access to smoking cessation services will not only help those trying to quit smoking who could not afford the services before, but will also lower smoking-related health costs in Illinois. Read more here.
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National Policy
Joint Commission adopts new tobacco cessation performance measure
The Joint Commission, the nonprofit agency that accredits and certifies over 19,000 U.S. healthcare organizations, has developed a new set of tobacco cessation performance measures for hospitals. Starting in January 2012, hospitals may select these measures to meet certification requirements. The measures require hospitals to routinely screen all inpatients for tobacco use and provide cessation treatment to tobacco users. Studies show that hospitals can play an important role in helping tobacco users to quit; hospital patients are likely to be particularly motivated to quit if their tobacco use contributed to their hospitalization. Read more here. Partnership for Prevention’s ActionToQuit initiative advocated for and funded the development of the new performance measures.
US ban proposed on electronic cigarettes on planes
The Obama administration is proposing the ban of electronic cigarettes on airline flights due to concerns that e-cigarettes are harmful to the health of the smoker and to those physically near the smoker. There has been confusion about the existing Transportation Department rule which prohibits smoking cigarettes on flights and how that rule affects electronic cigarette use. Comments on the possible ban of electronic cigarettes on flights can be submitted to the Federal Docket Management System here using Docket ID No. DOT-OST-2011-0044 until November 14, 2011. Read more here and read the press release from the Department of Transportation here.
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International
UN launches global campaign to curb death toll from noncommunicable diseases
At a United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City this month, leaders from dozens of countries discussed a plan to address the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular disease. Meeting attendees reviewed and adopted a draft declaration that urges governments to implement policies to promote healthier lifestyle choices and prevent noncommunicable diseases. According to recent reports, 63% of all deaths are linked to noncommunicable diseases. Click here to read more, or click here for background information and key documents from the United Nations. Click here to read a press release from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids urging governments to follow up on the commitments in the declaration by taking decisive action to implement tobacco control policies.
Plain packaging legislation passes Lower House (Australia)
The Australian House of Representatives has passed legislation that will require all tobacco products to have plain packaging with graphic health warnings and be free of tobacco industry trademarks, effective July 1, 2012. The Australian Medical Association and the Cancer Council are both happy with this outcome, as it is believed that plain packages with graphic health warnings will discourage people from smoking. The legislation will now go to the other chamber of government for approval. Read more here.
Indonesia fails to convince WTO on U.S. clove-cigarette ban (Indonesia)
This month, a panel of World Trade Organization (WTO) judges rejected a lawsuit filed by Indonesia in 2010, in which the Indonesian government asserted that the U.S. ban on clove-flavored cigarettes is unnecessary and inconsistent with international trade rules. Indonesia had argued that the U.S. tobacco legislation banning clove cigarettes breaks global trade rules because it bans clove flavorings common in Indonesian exports, but does not restrict the use of the mint flavoring that is used in American-made menthol cigarettes. Still, the WTO rejected Indonesia’s claim in part due to scientific evidence that banning clove and other flavored cigarettes can reduce smoking among youths. Click here for more information.
Village-wide tobacco ban in Enpein Powe: First of its kind in the FSM (Micronesia)
According to a report from the Government of the Federated States of Micronesia, the island of Enpein Powe Village adopted a village-wide smoke-free policy on tobacco use at public functions. This policy is possibly the first of its kind in the Pacific sphere. A member of the Micronesia National Tobacco Control Program praised the leaders and people of the community for adopting the smoke-free policy that will promote healthy lifestyles among the population. Read more here.
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