Alaska Tobacco Control Alliance » News

Two high profile uncritical media stories on industry-supported “harm reduction”

iiAdmin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 01:40:41 +0000

USA Today and the New York Times recently published articles that uncritically accepted assertions that smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes were useful as cessation tools. Both of these studies were funded by tobacco/e-cigarette companies that had direct financial interests in the outcome of the work. Both Brad Rodu (smokeless tobacco) and Riccardo Polosa (e-cigarettes) also worked as consultants to the companies making products they were evaluating. Read More »

Will Major League Baseball ban smokeless tobacco?…

iiAdmin — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:56:57 +0000

“Daddy,” A.J. Burnett Jr. asked. “Is that gum?”

His son’s question stayed with Burnett until spring training, when he decided that after 11 big league seasons of pitching with a dip in his mouth, he would abstain from using smokeless tobacco on the mound. Read More »

“The Insider” Revisited

iiAdmin — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:49:19 +0000

60 Minutes provides timely reminder of Big Tobacco’s lies

A new article demonstrates how the lies and manipulation of the tobacco industry continues. “Last week, major tobacco companies again showed their aversion to the truth when they filed yet another lawsuit to block the FDA from implementing new, graphic warning labels on cigarettes.” Read More »

Mat-Su School Board Legislates a Tobacco Free Campus

iiAdmin — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:48:30 +0000

On March 2nd, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board passed changes to school district policy that creates a tobacco free campus for all students, district employees, contractors and visitors as well as alternative to suspension options for student tobacco violations. This success demonstrates the importance of school tobacco prevention grants and the far reaching impact they can have to positively impact a community. In the Mat-Su School district, that translates to almost 17,000 students, 2,200 staff (the Borough’s 2ndlargest employer!) and numerous families, community members and visitors to our schools. These policy changes will go a long way in helping promote a social norm of wellness in our community and will create a healthier future for Mat-Su residents.

6th National Summit on Smokeless and Spit Tobacco

iiAdmin — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:54:04 +0000

The 6th National Summit on Smokeless and Spit Tobacco will be held at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX from May 10-12, 2011. Registration is currently open.

The 6th National Summit Smokeless and Spit Tobacco is the only national conference that is designed especially for professionals and advocates working in the field of smokeless tobacco use prevention and cessation. We seek to raise awareness of the dangers of smokeless tobacco products and to broaden the national coalition of organizations, agencies and individuals committed to reducing and eventually eliminating the use of smokeless and spit tobacco products. Read More »

Recent National News

iiAdmin — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 01:04:33 +0000

Lawsuit Against Tobacco Company Targeting Black Youth

A jury has awarded $71 million in damages to the estate and son of a Boston woman who died of lung cancer, ruling in a lawsuit that accused Lorillard Tobacco Co. of trying to entice black children to become smokers by handing out free samples in urban neighborhoods. Read More »

Tobacco-free Policy Gains Power, But Loses Funds

2010 demonstrated successful legislation and implementation of tobacco control, but it also comes with budget cuts in tobacco prevention programs. Several states created comprehensive tobacco-control programs and others raised taxes (New York becoming the first with a tax over $4). Yet overall, total state funding for tobacco control has dropped lower than it has been since 1999. Read More »

US Surgeon General’s Report

iiAdmin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:22:00 +0000

US Surgeon General, Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, has released a new report on the harmful effects of tobacco smoke, describing how direct and secondhand smoke damage cells in every single organ of the body and subsequently lead to cancer, SIDS, birth defects, other diseases and death. The report also details the biology of addiction on a molecular level, to overwhelmingly convey, as Dr. Benjamin put it, “There is no such thing as a safe cigarette.” Read more >

World Health Organization’s Report on Secondhand Smoke

iiAdmin — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:33:19 +0000

The World Health Organization (WHO) released the first ever global study on secondhand smoke, revealing that one in every 100 deaths is due to secondhand smoke. It kills over 165,000 children per year, and over 600.000 people per year around the globe. Policymakers hope that the study will encourage support for WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a global initiative aimed at reducing tobacco-related disease by increased taxes, banning tobacco advertising, eliminating smoking in public places, and making tobacco less commercially attractive. The complete study across 192 countries was originally published in The Lancet. Read more »

Do you know someone who wants to stop using tobacco?

iiAdmin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:52:33 +0000

Alaska’s Tobacco Quit Line provides free, confidential telephone coaching and medication to help Alaska residents quit tobacco. Smokers and chewers can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) to speak with a Quit Coach and create an individualized, effective plan to guide them through the quitting process or visit www.alaskaquitline.com for more information. Eight weeks of free nicotine replacement product is available to all eligible callers. Read More »