News and Press Releases about tobacco control in Tompkins County and around the world

New York State

New Yorkers are having fewer heart attacks, thanks to the state's Clean Indoor Air Act that took effect in July 2003, according to a study to be published today by the American Journal of Public Health. (Sep 27 07) Full press release »

Attorneys General and R.J. Reynolds Reach Historic Settlement To End The Sale of Flavored Cigarettes
(Oct 11 06) Attorney General Eliot Spitzer today announced that R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and the Attorneys General of 38 states have entered into a settlement that ends the sale of candy, fruit and alcohol flavored cigarettes manufactured and sold by the company. Full press release and links »

Governor proposes $85.5M funding for tobacco control in 2006–2007 budget (Jan 17 06) — See proposed budget numbers

Governor George Pataki has proposed a budget that increases the state cigarette tax by $1 per pack and funds the state's tobacco prevention program at $95 million (Jan 13 06) — the level recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If the legislature passes this budget it would drastically reduce youth smoking and save the lives of thousands of New York kids. Read statement from Campign for Tobacco Free Kids »

Governor Announces NY’s Anti-Smoking Successes Outpace Nation [Oct 25 2005]

Governor Pataki Announces $19.7 Million In Funding For New York's Comprehensive Anti-Smoking, Tobacco Control Initiatives
July 22, 2004 — Governor George E. Pataki today announced $19.7 million in funding for the support of 19 tobacco cessation centers and 74 community-based organizations to prevent and reduce tobacco use across the state. The programs further strengthen the State's efforts to help smokers combat their addiction and reduce the prevalence of smoking among New Yorkers. Read the entire press release»

State Health Department Announces New Toll-Free Info Line and Web Site Information
ALBANY, July 23, 2003 — The New York State Health Department today announced that it has launched a new toll-free information line to help New Yorkers become more familiar with the Clean Indoor Air Act that takes effect tomorrow.

NYS Senate Press Release: Clean Indoor Air Act passes (March 26, 2003)
Senate Passes Legislation Establishing Smoke-free Work Sites

NYS Assembly Press Release: Clean Indoor Air Act passes (March 26, 2003)
Assembly Approves Sweeping Smoking Ban to Protect Working New Yorkers from the Health Risks of Secondhand Smoke

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Research News

NICOTINE IN CIGARETTES INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE 1998 (Aug 29 06)
The amount of nicotine in a cigarette has increased steadily over the past six years, according to a new report released today by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). Read the full MDPH press release »

New Surgeon General report defines dangers of secondhand smoke (Jun 27 06)
U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona today issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. The finding is of major public health concern due to the fact that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. Read full USDHHS press release »

R.J.R. Continues to Market to Kids, Oppose Policies to Reduce Smoking (Apr 24 06)
In the past two years, R.J. Reynolds has with increasing frequency introduced youth-oriented marketing campaigns and has stepped up their efforts around the country to defeat proven measures to reduce smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke, such as cigarette tax increases and smoke-free workplace laws. Read full release from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids »

New Studies Undermine Philip Morris’ Claim It Has Changed (Mar 24 06)
A study published in the journal Tobacco Control shows that Philip Morris earns more revenue from cigarettes smoked by American kids than all other tobacco companies combined and its youth-generated revenue actually increased from 1997 to 2002. Read the full statement by Matthew L. Myers, President Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids »

New Survey Finds Youth Smoking Declines Have Slowed, Underscoring Need to Increase Prevention Spending, Curb Tobacco Marketing (Dec 19 05)
The annual Monitoring the Future Survey released today provides further evidence that the significant progress our nation has made in reducing youth smoking since the mid-1990s have slowed considerably or stalled. The lack of any decline among eighth graders is particularly troubling as this age group is often a predictor of future trends... Read full press release »

Researchers Present New Evidence of Smoke-Free Laws Improving Public Health (Nov 14 05)
Heart attack rates in Pueblo, Colo., dropped by nearly 30 percent after the city passed a smoke-free ordinance, according to a new study released today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions. The study validates previous scientific evidence that indoor smoke-free laws can dramatically reduce heart attacks. Read full press release »

Research finds cigarette manufacturers target youth market with candy flavored cigarette brands (Nov 10 05)
Despite assurances from cigarette makers that they no longer target the youth market, the Harvard School of Public Health researchers found that new brands are being marketed to young smokers. Read full press release »
Tompkins County resolution against flavored cigarettes »

Adolescents Who Watch Smoking in Movies are More Likely to Try Smoking (Nov 7 05)
HANOVER, NH – The first national study ... shows that exposure to smoking in popular films is a primary risk factor in determining whether young people will start smoking. Read full press release »

Do Favorite Movie Stars Influence Adolescent Smoking Initiation?
Janet M. Distefan, PhD, John P. Pierce, PhD, and Elizabeth A. Gilpin, MS
Objectives: We sought to determine whether adolescents whose favorite movie stars smoke on-screen are at increased risk of tobacco use. Methods: During interviews, adolescent never smokers taking part in the California Tobacco Survey nominated their favorite stars. We reviewed popular films released during 1994 through 1996 to determine whether stars smoked on-screen in at least 2 films. Results: One third of never smokers nominated a star who smoked on-screen, which independently predicted later smoking risk. The effect was strong among girls. Conclusions: Public health efforts to reduce adolescent smoking must confront smoking in films as a tobacco marketing strategy. Source: Am J Public Health. 2004;94:1239 (full article, 141KB pdf)

National

Selected national news items posted by JTO

Maryland AG Curran Announces That The Weinstein Company Will Add Anti-Smoking PSA’s To Newest DVD Release
The Weinstein Company (TWC) was responding to a September 2006 letter to Hollywood’s 13 major motion picture companies, which was signed by the Attorneys General from 41 States. (MDAG press release Oct 24 06)

Helping Smokers Quit: A Role for Smokeless Tobacco?
In a new publication, physicians and scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) point out that the public health establishment has misled smokers about the benefits and risks of substituting smokeless tobacco for cigarettes. [ACSH press release, Oct 10 06] MORE »

US Cigarette Companies Liable for Violating Federal Anti-Racketeering Statute

Marriott goes ‘smoke-free’ at all hotels in North America – more than 2,300 properties and 10 lodging brands in the lodging industry’s largest move ever to a smoke-free environment.

Colorado bans most workplace smoking, including in bars and restaurants (Mar 27 06) — Gov. Bill Owens... signed legislation making Colorado the 13th state to enact a statewide smoking ban. The law takes effect July 1, 2006. MORE »

Curbs Sought on Tobacco Shipments by Mail (Mar 13 06) — Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to introduce legislation designed to halt deliveries of tobacco products via the U.S. Postal Service, the Associated Press reported March 10.
"The U.S. Mail has become the last refuge for online cigarette merchants, and it's time that this loophole be closed," Schumer said, noting that companies like Federal Express and UPS have already agreed not to deliver tobacco.

Cigarette Sales in U.S. Reach Historic 55-year Low (Mar 08 06) — Members of the National Association of Attorneys General Tobacco Committee announced today a historic drop in the number of cigarettes sold in the United States last year. According to figures compiled by the Tobacco Tax Bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, cigarette sales in 2005 declined by 4.2% from 2004 levels, marking the largest one-year percentage decrease in cigarette sales since 1999. Read full NAAG press release »

Illinois Supreme Court Ruling Does Not Absolve Philip Morris
Statement of William V. Corr, Executive Director, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (Dec 15 05)
Because it was based on an interpretation of specific language in an Illinois state law, this ruling does not apply to approximately two dozen “light” cigarette lawsuits pending in other state and federal courts and therefore is far from the last word regarding litigation over the deceptive marketing of “light” cigarettes.

UPS Agrees to End Cigarette Deliveries [10/25-2]
Excerpted by ASH from: UPS Agrees to End Cigarette Deliveries, By Michael Gormley, AP [10/24/05]
Click here to read the ASH letter to UPS
The world's largest shipping carrier, UPS Inc., will stop delivering cigarettes to individuals in the United States under an agreement announced Monday with state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
The agreement is the latest in federal and state efforts to combat the sale of under-taxed cigarette and to fight underage smoking. Most under-taxed or untaxed cigarettes are sold by Indian tribes, where the taxation of sales to non-Indians is disputed.
Monday's agreement leaves only the U.S. Postal Service among major carriers to continue to deliver cigarettes to individuals, Spitzer said. He called that practice "an embarrassment."

Waiver-free Tioga County, NY:
Tioga County will not grant any waiver to the state's Clean Indoor Air Act, becoming the first Southern Tier county to do so. At its regular meeting on January 15, 2004 the county Board of Health voted unanimously to disallow all waivers. The vote against granting any waivers came after a lengthly discussion. Go to the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin article...

Merchants preparing for state ban
by Diana LaMattina, The Ithaca Journal, 7/10/03
"ITHACA -- While some local businesses are preparing to cope with a statewide ban on smoking, most believe the new law will do little to change the way they do business."

Employment Up In [NY] City Bars And Restaurants Since Implementation Of The Smoke-Free Air Act
NEW YORK CITY – July 23, 2003 – Employment in New York City’s restaurants and bars has increased by about 1,500 seasonally-adjusted jobs, amounting to an absolute gain of nearly 10,000 jobs since the implementation of the Smoke Free Air Act, according to data from the New York State Department of Labor.

Reality Check members unveil Clean Air sign on Rt 13 at Dey St., Ithaca

Tompkins County Reality Check members unveil "Clean Air" sign on Rt 13 at Dey St. in Ithaca, May 19, 2003. Photo by Amy Rand.

Smoke-free regulations may be good news for restaurants, hotels, workers and taxpayers, study in Cornell journal shows
Restaurants and hotels that go smoke free will not lose dollars by doing so -- contrary to popular beliefs -- and some may even gain revenues, according to a new study published in a Cornell University journal this month. State taxpayers and hospitality industry employees may also be beneficiaries, the study reveals.

Maine Assembly Votes to Go Smokefree
Maine's House of Representatives voted 95-47 to join California, Delaware, New York, and Connecticut in passing smokefree workplace legislation for ALL workers.

Smokefree Nations:
Smokefree workplace laws are debated and passed at the national level in the U.K., Ireland and Sweden.

Smokefree States:
Smokefree workplace laws are debated and passed at the state level across America.