Other Announcements

General

Call for Abstracts: Best Practices, Research, and Relationships – Oklahoma's Investment in Tobacco Control
The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) and the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center (OTRC) are developing a special supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM) designed to showcase the unique contributions that the state of Oklahoma has made to tobacco control, and to provide information about effective strategies that may be useful in other states. To develop this supplement, TSET and OTRC are soliciting relevant abstracts from research and practice-based organizations and agencies. Authors of selected abstracts will be asked to further develop the abstract into a full manuscript for potential publication in the AJPM special supplement, and will also be given the opportunity to present their work and receive feedback from other selected authors at an OTRC-sponsored symposium prior to submitting the manuscripts to AJPM for peer review. Abstracts must be submitted to Laura DeLongy at OTRC@ouhsc.edu by Friday, May 31, 2013. Please refer to the Call for Abstracts for additional information.

Billions of pieces of toxic trash are leaching deadly chemicals
Cigarette butts are the number one littered item on U.S. roadways and on beaches and waterways worldwide, and according to a study conducted by Legacy, 88% of Americans think that cigarette butts are an environmental concern. Tobacco trash is considered toxic since plastic cigarette filters only biodegrade under extreme conditions, contain carcinogens that leach into soil, pose a danger to wildlife, and can contaminate water sources. Click here to read more. Related: Legacy’s campaign fights the cigarette butt, a ubiquitous pollutant Legacy and the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics launched the bilingual “Rethink Butts” public service announcement campaign to raise awareness and mobilize action regarding the harmful environmental impact of cigarette butt litter. Read more here. The radio and TV PSAs are available for download and sharing on the Legacy Facebook (Facebook/Legacy) page as well as online at RethinkButts.org. Follow Legacy on Twitter (@LegacyforHealth) for content related to this issue. A toolkit from RethinkButts.org provides ideas on ways to help stop toxic litter. Public health groups can download and share the PSA content via social media and the web, post this URL, include information in an e-newsletter story, host a clean-up – there are endless ways to help stop toxic litter!

California Tobacco Control Program unveils the Tobacco Waste Reduction Toolkit
In celebration of Earth Day, the California Tobacco Control Program (CTCP) unveiled the highly anticipated Tobacco Product Waste Reduction Toolkit this April. The toolkit is a compilation of past successes, lessons learned, statewide resources, templates, mapping tools (GIS), and more. By raising awareness about the environmental impact of tobacco waste, communities can help change the social norm of tobacco’s presence to “unacceptable.”

Coming soon from CDC: Mother's Day 2013 communications materials
In May, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will release a feature article and other materials that urge mothers to make efforts to protect themselves and their children from the dangers associated with secondhand smoke. The article also encourages families to support mothers in remaining tobacco-free. Information regarding the harms of tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure is included in the article along with stories from three mothers who participated in the CDC’s “Tips From Former Smokers” campaign. The CDC website and materials also provide information about free resources for assisting with tobacco cessation. The new materials will be released on May 6 and can be accessed on CDC.gov.

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FDA Announcements

New infographic from the Center for Tobacco Products
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products has released an infographic that allows viewers to learn about milestones in FDA's work on tobacco product regulation, protecting kids from buying tobacco, and its national longitudinal study to assess the behavioral and health impacts of tobacco regulation. This tool was created to support FDA’s work in protecting the public and reducing the negative health effects associated with tobacco use. Click here to view or download this infographic.

FDA issues report on retail compliance inspections
The FDA has issued a report that summarizes its retail compliance inspection program. The program has been ongoing in 41 states, the District of Columbia and several U.S. territories. Since the FDA began contracting with states over the past several years to conduct retail compliance inspections, more than 138,000 retail stores have successfully passed the inspections. Additionally, the FDA has issued 7,700 warning letters to retailers that may have violated a FDA tobacco regulation, and also levied fines on 520 retailers that have had two or more retail tobacco violations. This report shows that almost 95% of the retailers inspected have passed the inspections and complied with the federal tobacco regulations. Click here to read more, or click here for information about compliance and enforcement from FDA, including a searchable database of retailers that have been inspected, warned, or cited.
 
Public comment period: Possible role of independent third parties in industry-sponsored tobacco product research
The FDA published a notice in the Federal Register that announced the opening of a public docket to obtain comments on the possible role of independent third parties in industry-sponsored tobacco product research. This docket was opened to provide an opportunity for all interested parties to comment on potential models of third party governance, including whether there are existing third party governance models that may be applicable, and the types and aspects of industry-sponsored tobacco product research that could be subject to third party governance. The FDA is encouraging the public to submit any available research or evidence to support the submitted comments. The comment period closes September 30, 2013. Click here to read the full notice and to submit comments.

Making the Tobacco Control Act easy to understand and use
The FDA has made available several tools to assist the public with understanding the Tobacco Control Act, the law which granted the agency regulatory authority over the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products. Tools include an overview of the Act, the ability to search the Tobacco Control Act by “Audience”, “Type of Tobacco” and “Topic;” and an infographic timeline of the Act that can be printed, downloaded, and shared. Click here to read more and to access these tools.

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