The American Red Cross is under increasing pressure to refuse tobacco industry donations, to bring it into line with guidelines of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and most of the 189 national affiliates. Accepting tobacco funding is in clear breach of the first of the seven Fundamental Principles of the […]
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Obituaries: Vale tobacco control leaders Nigel Gray and Anthony (Tony) Hedley
The international tobacco control community lost two of its leading figures in late 2014: Dr Nigel Gray (Australia) and Professor Tony Hedley (UK/Hong Kong). Both made an enormous contribution to public health through a combination of robust scientific evidence and persuasive advocacy. Nigel Gray, 12 September 1928-20 December 2014 A decade after the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) […]
UK: Tobacco industry goal is to delay plain packaging
Plain packaging laws could be delayed if not introduced before the general election. The Guardian reports: The government is under fire from politicians on all sides amid fears that legislation forcing tobacco companies to sell cigarettes in plain packs will not be introduced before the general election. MPs from all three main parties, including the […]
China set to ban smoking in public places
In late November 2014, China began the process of introducing laws to enforce smokefree public places and ban tobacco advertising. Unsurprisingly, the state-owned tobacco industry has already started to push back against these essential reforms: “We must note that smoking has hundreds of years of history and objectively a market demand for cigarettes still exists,” […]
USA: Massachusetts town considers tobacco sales ban
The small town of Westminster, Massachusetts (population 7300) is considering banning the sale of all products containing nicotine within its city limits. PBS reports the town’s health board has put forward a proposal, with the three member board to make a decision in late December. If the proposal is adopted, products purchased elsewhere would still be allowed to […]
Tasmania: Legislation drafted to implement a Tobacco Free Generation
Kathryn Barnsley Breathe Well, Centre of Research Excellence for Chronic Respiratory Disease and Lung Ageing, University of Tasmania In 2012 we reported that Tasmania was leading the way towards an endgame for smoking, by developing mechanisms for implementing the Tobacco Free Generation proposal (TFG). Those who are familiar with the Tobacco Free Generation proposal by […]
India: Powerful ‘Voice of Tobacco Victims’ campaign wins BMJ health advocacy award
Pankaj Chaturvedi, Prakash C Gupta, Sanjay Seth, Ashima Sarin Voice of Tobacco Victims Voice of Tobacco Victims Campaign (VOTV) was launched on 31st May 2009 by a dozen cancer survivors of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai under the leadership of Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi. The campaign aims to make Tobacco Victims (cancer survivors and their relatives) […]
Non-smokers exposed to three times above safe levels of particles when living with smokers
Non-smokers who live in a house with smokers are exposed to three times the officially recommend safe levels of damaging air particles, according to a study published online in the journal Tobacco Control. Living with smokers is the same as living in smoke-free homes in heavily polluted cities such as Beijing or London, found researchers […]
Indonesia: court upholds tobacco tax to fund health
Abdillah Ahsan Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia Good news on tobacco control from Indonesia is rare. Recently, however there was a victory in the area of tobacco tax. On 1 January 2014, Law No. 28 of 2009 on regional taxes was introduced, which allows local provinces in Indonesia to charge a local tax to […]
New Zealand: Dirty Politics raises conflict of interest concerns
Nathan Cowie, MPH. Cowie Research and Communications Disclosure: The author has previously undertaken paid employment for Centre for Tobacco Control Research, University of Auckland, and Action on Smoking and Health New Zealand. Investigative journalist Nicky Hager released a book in August 2014 on the seamier side of New Zealand politics. Dirty Politics: How attack politics […]