The
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
July/August 2001
Note: This publication has been individually transmitted to state tobacco program managers, ASTHO affiliates, and other tobacco prevention professionals. You are encouraged to forward all or part of this publication to STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS, COALITION MEMBERS, and OTHER PARTNERS. The Tobacco Free Press is produced by ASTHO under Cooperative Agreement N.U50/CCU306138-07 with the CDC Office on Smoking and Health. _____________________________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS:
National Study on Smoke-free Workplaces
The National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation and the University of California at San Diego released a
study detailing the trends in workplace smoking restrictions in each of the 50
states and the District of Columbia in the August 2001 issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine. The number of Americans protected by smoke-free workplace
policies increased substantially from 1993 to 1999, but nearly one-third of
workers still report that their workplaces are not smoke-free. The study found
that, nationally, 68.6 percent of all indoor workers reported working under a
smoke-free policy in 1999, compared to 46 percent in 1993. In 1993, only two
states, Washington and Utah, had 60 percent of their workforce reporting a
smoke-free policy; 47 states and the District have now reached this level of
coverage. The findings are based on
interviews with over 270,000 private sector workers who were questioned about
the existence of official workplace smoking rules by the U.S. Census Bureau for
the National Cancer Institute.
For more information, contact Karen K. Gerlach, Senior Program Officer, RWJF, at 609-627-5917.
Arkansas
The Arkansas State Board of
Health’s plan to ban smoking in all public places, including restaurants,
statewide has taken a slight turn. The
new proposal would permit smoking on restaurant patios, bowling alleys and pool
halls. Restaurants are defined as
establishments that earn more than 30 percent of their revenue from food
sales. The Board expects public hearings
in early September 2001and a vote on the regulation in October 2001.
California
Governor Gray Davis signed AB
188, which prohibits the smoking or disposal of cigarettes and other
tobacco-related products within a playground and “tot lot” sandbox areas. Violations will be punishable by a $100 fine.
The measure was amended in the Assembly by removing provisions
calling for a 50-foot boundary between the playground/tot lot area and where
people could smoke. In the his signing
message, Governor Davis addressed this issue and urged the author of the bill,
Assembly Member Vargas (D-San Diego) to pursue future legislation to strengthen
those provisions. The policy goes into
effect on January 1, 2002.
In addition, the Los Angeles
City and County officials announced the implementation of a smoke-free park
policy officially designating smoke-free zones in all 375 parks and recreation
centers in the city. The policy,
enacted in August 2001, goes into effect immediately.
Florida
A new non-profit organization,
Smoke-Free for Health, has launched a statewide campaign to amend Florida's Constitution
to prohibit smoking in most enclosed indoor workplaces, including restaurants.
Organizers must gather 488,722 valid signatures from registered Florida voters
to put their amendment on the November 2002 ballot. There are limited
exceptions: stand-alone bars, retail tobacco shops, private residences except
when they are being used to provide commercial child care, adult care or health
care and designated smoking guest rooms at hotels or other public lodging
establishments.
More than 90 organizations support the
initiative. The American Cancer
Society, the American Heart Association, American Lung Association, AARP of
Florida, Florida Center For Children, and the Campaign For Tobacco Free Kids
have joined to support this initiative.
For
more information, go to http://www.smokefreeforhealth.org
or call 407-841-2260.
In
addition, Boca Raton City Council banned smoking in community parks,
specifically in playground areas, bleachers, and entrances to restrooms. Violators will receive warnings.
Indiana
In a study conducted for
Smokefree Indiana, the Hudson Institute found that Fort Wayne's restaurant
smoking ban has not had an adverse affect on business in the past year and a
half. The ordinance, approved in 1998 and put into effect January 1, 1999,
mandated the separation of smoking and non-smoking sections in
restaurants. The ordinance excluded
taverns. Looking at revenue from the
county's 1 percent food and beverage tax, the researcher could find no
"statistically significant impact" on restaurant business. The Hudson Institute also conducted an
opinion poll of 238 Allen County residents asking whether or not the smoking
restrictions made a difference whether they would eat at a Fort Wayne restaurant.
Sixty-nine percent said that it made no difference, 15 percent were more likely
to eat out and 16 percent were less likely to eat out.
For more information, contact Robyn Eley at 317-241-6383 or reley@smokefreeindiana.org.
Maine
On July 10, 2001, the Old
Orchard Beach Town Council voted 5 to 0 to reward merchants who remove tobacco
product advertising from their windows and storefronts with certificates. The Council scheduled an August meeting to
repeal an ordinance they had passed earlier this year banning outdoor tobacco
advertising within 2,500 feet of schools, public beaches, parks or
playgrounds. There was no
enforcement/penalty component. Repeal
efforts are in light of the US Supreme Court decision on advertising in
Massachusetts.
Maryland
The smoking ban of
all 25 prisons in the state went into effect on July 2, 2001. Prisoners in the Maryland House of
Corrections staged a 4-day strike, refusing to partake in recreation
activities, meals or work.
Massachusetts
Braintree Health Board voted
to ban smoking at beaches, parks and golf courses. The regulations go into effect January 1, 2002. Violators will receive warnings, with
subsequent violations resulting in fines up to $300.
Needham Board of Health and
Southborough Board of Health passed ordinances to make all public places
smoke-free. Needham’s regulations take
effect the first week of August 2001 and Southborough’s take effect on
September 1, 2001. The regulations
extend the clean indoor air ordinance from only restaurants to any type of
business that caters to the public, including snack stands and retail
stores. The passed ordinance also
prevents restaurants from applying for a variance that allows the business to
create a separate smoking room. In
addition, merchants must accept only government-issued identification, such as
driver’s licenses or passports for proof of age to purchase tobacco products.
Weymouth Board of Health
passed a clean indoor air ordinance as well.
Michigan
The Michigan Department of
Community Health published its annual smoke-free dining guide and found an
increase of 200 new restaurants that have gone smoke-free.
In addition, the Department funds The
Smoke-Free Hospital Initiative, a project to promote the development of
smoke-free campus policies and integration of cessation standards to hospitals
statewide. Representatives from five partnering hospitals provide on-site and
telephone consultation, training, and share resources with hospitals.
To date, six
hospitals have either implemented a smoke-free policy or have set
implementation dates. The initiative has also provided consultation to 13
Michigan hospitals and received requests for assistance from an additional 13
hospitals. The project provides hospitals with a database program to use in
tracking their inpatient clientele. A
total of 26 hospitals (from a total of 167) have been identified as having a
smoke-free campus in Michigan.
Minnesota
On August 7, 2001, Cloquet became the third
Minnesota community to pass an ordinance eliminating secondhand smoke in local
restaurants. The Cloquet City Council
approved the measure on a 5 to 2 roll call vote. The ordinance applies to restaurants, which must become entirely
smoke-free; exempts bars; and gives bar/restaurant owners the choice between
going entirely smoke-free or closing off and separately ventilating the bar
area. “You need to go with what the
community tells you,” said one City Councilor. “Overwhelmingly, what the
community was telling me was that they did not want to enter an environment of
secondhand smoke.” The ordinance goes
into effect in 30 days.
In addition, the Duluth Hospitality Association
collected just enough referendum signatures in an effort to repeal the city’s
smoking ban. The City Council, which
approved the ban on May 29, 2001, must now vote on whether to repeal the ban
before the referendum goes on the November 2001 ballot.
For
more information, contact Mike Maguire,
Minnesota Department of Health, 651-284-3831 or at Mike.Maguire@state.mn.us.
Missouri
Two Missouri colleges have
announced smoke-free housing. Northwest
Missouri State University in Maryville announced that their dormitories would
become smoke-free beginning in the fall of 2001. NWMSU was has an enrollment of more than 6,000 students. University of Missouri-Columbia announced
two of their dormitories will become smoke-free beginning in the fall of 2001
and the remaining dormitories will become smoke-free in the fall of 2002. UMC was founded in 1839 as the first public
university west of the Mississippi River.
Enrollment is approximately 23,000.
In addition, Springfield City Council
recently passed a new food code that requires all city restaurants to state whether
they allow smoking or have gone smoke-free on the food code. A letter regarding the new food code was
mailed to over 700 restaurants in the Springfield area. An Honor Roll will be compiled of all
restaurants that are or will become smoke-free. The list will be printed in the Springfield newspaper, the
Breathe Easy Web site, the Missouri Department of Health’s Web site, and
magazines published by Springfield area hospitals.
For
more information, contact Lori Buchanan, Missouri Department of Health,
573-522-2832, or at buchal@dhss.state.mo.us.
New Hampshire
On August 2, 2001, the Keene
City Council passed an ordinance by a 9 to 6 vote to ban smoking in all of the
city's restaurants, except for private clubs and walled-off cocktail lounges.
The regulations take effect in 6 months.
North Dakota
Voters in Minot upheld the smoke-free restaurant
ordinance by a 55 percent vote.
Ohio
Lucas County’s clean indoor air ordinance is being challenged in the Ohio Supreme Court. The Board of Health regulation was scheduled into go into effect on July 8, 2001, but was stalled after a group of 27 plantiffs contended that the Board does not have the authority to enforce the regulation.
Oregon
Governor Kitzhaber signed HB 2828, which eliminates smoking in all workplaces, exempting
bars, restaurant/bar combinations, bowling alleys and bingo halls. It also contains a clause that would permit
smoking in restaurants that prohibit minors.
It grandfathers local smoke-free ordinances that were passed before July
1, 2001. HB 2828 prohibits communities from enacting stronger local smoke-free
ordinances.
Texas
Both El Paso and
Lubbock passed clean indoor air ordinances. Passing these ordinances required a
long-term effort and advocates faced a lot of opposition from the
industry. Lubbock
City Council passed the clean indoor air ordinance by a 4 to 3 vote. The
ordinance bans smoking in most public places, including restaurants and bowling
alleys. Separate smoking sections with
separate ventilation systems are required.
Business owners can pay $200 to apply for a 3-year business
extension. Regulations took effect on
July 14, 2001.
For more information, contact A. J. Mitchell at 512-458-7402 or aj.mitchell@tdh.state.tx.us.
West Virginia
The West Virginia Tobacco
Prevention Program continues to provide coordination, training and technical
assistance to local groups and health departments to promote local clean indoor
air regulations. Recent local campaigns resulted in new smoke-free regulations
in Berkeley, Preston and Mason Counties. Pendleton and Harrison Counties
revised existing regulations to expand coverage and strengthen enforcement provisions. A new statewide program
provides training and one-on-one assistance to local health department staff to
improve monitoring and compliance activities.
For more information, contact Mike Harman, Program Coordinator, WV Tobacco Prevention Program, at
304-558-1745.
Consortium on Organized Labor and Tobacco Control (COLT)
The Consortium on Organized Labor and Tobacco
Control (COLT) is a new partnership between labor unions and tobacco control
groups to reduce tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke among working families. The consortium, launched by the Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute and the University of Massachusetts Lowell, was established by
a $1.6 million grant from the American Legacy Foundation. On average, 36 percent of craft workers and
laborers smoke, compared to 32 percent of service workers and 21 present of
white-collar workers smoke. COLT will
conduct research and provide technical assistance to foster relationships
between labor unions and public health organizations. Labor unions already involved in COLT include the Laborers’
International Union of North America, National Education Association, State
Building and Construction Trades Council of California and the Professional
Fire Fighters of Massachusetts.
Indian Tribes
Lose Lawsuit Against Tobacco Industry
Twenty Indian tribes filed a lawsuit in San
Francisco in 1999 seeking compensation and punitive damages from the tobacco
industry. Indian tribes did not receive
separate payments in the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement. A three-judge panel of the 9th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the tribes had no legal standing to sue
because they have not “suffered injury” by being excluded.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, in
partnership with the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs, has
awarded 30 scholarships to Latinos statewide to attend the 1st
National Latino/Hispanic Conference on Tobacco Prevention and Control. The conference, sponsored by the National
Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention (LCAT), is being held on
September 27 and 28, 2001 in Washington, DC.
Fifteen of the thirty Pennsylvania conference participants have been
awarded scholarships to attend the Tobacco Leadership Training Program that
follows the conference on September 29, 30, and October 1, 2001. Attendees of the two-day conference will
gain skills of advocacy, community mobilization, and grant writing.
Participants of the leadership-training program will secure tools and resources
to bring tobacco use prevention and cessation to the forefront of the Latino
community.
For
more information, contact Mary Smallwood,
Prevention Program Manager, at
717-783-6600.
Youth Underestimate Cancer Risk
A University of Pennsylvania study found that youth tend to underestimate the risk of premature death from smoking. Researchers conducted a nationwide survey of 300 smokers and 300 non-smokers ages 14 to 22 years old. Only 25 percent of youth that thought that at least 60 percent of adult smokers would die from a smoking-related death, regarded their own smoking as “very risky.” The study was published in July 2001 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Connecticut
The New Milford Town Council banned vending machines on August 13, 2001. The Council took action in response to Attorney General Blumenthal’s encouragement to pass ordinance banning vending machines at the local level.
Florida
Overall in the state of Florida, 18
counties have passed laws restricting youth access to tobacco products. These
counties have passed laws due to the diligent efforts of SWAT (Students Working
Against Tobacco). Recently, Clay County Commission, Collier County, Flagler
County and Marco Island City Council all passed ordinances on the marketing and
placement of tobacco products in retail stores. The new regulations ban
self-service displays, require tobacco products to be placed behind the counter
and require that signs advertising tobacco products be placed above eye level
of youth. SWAT youth introduced the issue and legislation to the commissions in
all four counties/cities.
For more information, contact Patrick
Forand, MPH, Statewide SWAT Coordinator, at 850-245-4144 or at Patrick_Forand@doh.state.fl.us.
Iowa
The Iowa Department of Public Health sponsored the 2nd
annual JEL (Just Eliminate Lies) Summit at the end of July 2001. This year’s theme was JEL Boot Camp. Teens
facilitated the event and recruited other teens to join the movement, educated
their peers about tobacco-industry manipulation and efforts to target teens,
and educated teens on how to build grassroots involvement in the fight against
tobacco. Activities included an extreme carnival and outdoor concert.
In addition, Marshalltown City Council has dropped an ordinance passed in September 1998, which banned tobacco advertisements using color or logos outside convenience stores. The council feared the regulation would not stand a legal challenge in the light of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Massachusetts’ outdoor ban on tobacco advertising near schools.
Kansas
During August 1 – 3 2001, almost 100 youth from 48
communities across Kansas gathered at the Overland Park Marriott in Overland
Park, KS for the first annual "Stand Up - Stand Out" youth
summit. The Teens Against
Smoking in Kansas, or TASK youth coalition, presented to their peers and
encouraged each youth to stand up and stand out against tobacco use in their
schools and communities. Kansas Senator David Adkins (R - Leawood)
started the three-day event off by speaking with the youth about how each can
make a difference. At the summit, high school students interacted with
national and state presenters on organization,
recruitment, media efforts, and youth-driven activities. An evening trip
to the Worlds of Fun theme park, a social get-together and a swim party helped
teens network with other teens against tobacco from across the
state. The conference was sponsored by Kansas Department of Health and
Environment and Kansas SmokeLess Kids Initiative through a grant from the
American Legacy Foundation.
For more information, contact Mandy Brock, Media Manager, Kansas SmokeLess Kids Initiative, at
785-272-8396 or email at kski1@cjnetworks.com.
Maine
The Partnership For A
Tobacco-Free Maine (PTM), Bureau of Health, Department of Human Services in
cooperation with the Maine Attorney General's Office launched "No
Buts", a responsible tobacco retailer outreach and training program. This
innovative program is designed to assist tobacco retailers in training employees,
as well as encouraging the adoption of responsible retailing practices
regarding youth access to tobacco. "No Buts" voluntary program
includes an education/training component for clerks with strong health messages
and a message of empowerment, that clerks can make a difference in youth
initiation of tobacco use and in youth smoking rates. The program also offers
compliance credit to those participating retail outlets that have passed at
least three consecutive compliance inspections. After a store receives credit,
a violation that occurs will be placed on file. If the store passes the next
three consecutive compliance inspections the violation
will be dismissed. Most of large store
chains are on board.
In addition to prohibiting the
sale of tobacco to individuals under 18, Maine law requires that anyone under
27 show photo ID, prohibits self service displays, includes fines of up $1500
per violation for both the owner and the clerk and provides for suspension or
revocation of tobacco sales licenses.
For more information, contact MaryBeth Welton, PTM Program Manager at Bureau of Health 207-287-5381
or John Archard, Tobacco Control Coordinator at Attorney General's office at
207-626-8837.
Missouri
On June 25, 2001 an advocacy and leadership youth
summit was held at the John F. Kennedy Community Center in Wyandotte
County. This workshop was designed to
train youth to use policy and media advocacy to move their schools and
communities toward tobacco use prevention.
Local adult mentors including city council members, civic leaders, and
non-profit/for profit business executives were trained to form community
networks, locate funding sources, provide assistance and follow-up with youth
after the Summit to assure sustainability.
For more information, contact Lori Buchanan, Missouri Department
of Health, 573-522-2832, or at buchal@dhss.state.mo.us.
Nebraska
The Tobacco Free Nebraska program within Nebraska
Health and Human Services System has awarded a $700,000 media contract to
Snitily Carr Production Group of Lincoln, Nebraska. The $700,000 campaign will kick off in early October and will
focus on youth prevention and secondhand smoke. The media campaign is funded by LB 1436, passed by the Nebraska
legislature in March, 2000. This bill
dedicated $7 million annually for three years for tobacco prevention, education
and cessation programs administered by the Nebraska Health and Human Services
System.
For more information, contact Jean Stilwell, Tobacco Free Nebraska, 402-471-0777.
New Jersey
The Beach Butts Clean-up, sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), had participation of more than 550 members of New Jersey's youth anti-tobacco movement known as REBEL (Reaching Everyone By Exposing Lies). Youth came out to clean up cigarette butts and other litter along the New Jersey shore along with state and local officials. Currently, Belmar is the only New Jersey shore community to pass legislation that designates non-smoking areas on its beach.
Oregon’s School-Based Program Proven Effective
The August 10, 2001 issue of
MMWR published a joint study by the CDC and Oregon Division of Health entitled
“Effectiveness of School-Based Programs as a Component of a Statewide Tobacco
Control Initiative.” The study found
that between spring 1999 and spring 2000, smoking rates among eighth graders
declined significantly more in a self-selected sample of schools funded to
implement CDC’s school tobacco prevention guidelines than in a comparison group
of non-funded schools. Overall, students in the sample of funded schools in
2000 were about 20 percent less likely to smoke than students in non-funded
schools.
Among the funded schools in
the Oregon study, a strong dose-response effect was observed between how fully
schools implemented CDC’s guidelines and how much smoking rates declined.
Between 1999 and 2000 rates declined from 14.2 to 8.2 percent in schools with
the highest implementation scores, from 17.8 to 13.9 percent in schools with
middle scores, and from 17.1 to 15.6 percent in schools with the lowest scores.
For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/news.htm#MMWR%202
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) unveiled the state's new driver's license and identification (ID) cards in the beginning of August 2001. The new licenses include 2 new features to help retailers curb the sale of alcohol and tobacco to minors including a vertical license format for drivers under 21 and a designation for age by highlighting the date that the individual turns 18 in yellow and the date he/she turns 21 in red. The new licenses will be issued in the western region of the state, followed by the central and eastern regions. All PennDOT photo license centers will produce the new driver's licenses and ID cards by the end of October 2001.
For more information, contact Joan Z. Nissley, PennDOT, at 717-787-0485.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Governor Lincoln
Almond signed a bill into law banning minors from purchasing bidis. The law also raises the age of possessing
tobacco products from 16 to 18 years old.
The age for purchasing tobacco products is also 18 years old.
Texas
Texas STEP held
its annual youth summit in July 2001 outside Houston. Teens from all over the
state gathered to work on the Texas Tobacco Prevention media campaign, DUCK.
Youth developed the idea of DUCK at a previous summit and this time planned new
ads for the campaign, as well as attended sessions on tobacco prevention
topics. Dr. Jeffrey Wigand spoke to the teens and encouraged them to continue
their work on behalf of all Texas teens.
For more information, contact A. J. Mitchell, 512-458-7402 or aj.mitchell@tdh.state.tx.us
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board launched the third set of youth
prevention ads as part of the Fighting Against Corporate Tobacco (FACT)
campaign. The ads expose tobacco
industry manipulation and lies. They
feature a tobacco lobbyist, Patrick Reynolds, the grandson of tobacco company
R.J. Reynolds, and a former cigarette model.
300 members from 50 counties met in Madison in June 2001 to develop
local FACT chapters.
Media Campaigns on prenatal
smoking
The American Legacy Foundation will launch a prenatal smoking cessation media campaign nationwide on September 25, 2001. The campaign will run for 6 weeks and includes a nationwide quitline from the American Cancer Society. The ads contain messages of empowerment.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine is launching a public health campaign to prevent infertility aimed at men and women in their twenties and early thirties. The organization will be displaying public service announcements on buses in New York City, Chicago and Seattle during September 2001, as a preview to National Infertility Week. One of the ads, focused on smoking, shows a cigarette using a baby’s bottle as an ashtray and the message “If you smoke this might be your only use for a baby’s bottle.” A radio PSA will be distributed nationally. The message smoking causing infertility will be included in radio PSAs.
For more information, contact Janeen Lawlor at 202-518-8047 or janeen@publicinterestpr.com or go to http://www.protectyourfertility.org
California
San Mateo County Smoke-Free Start is expanded its prenatal cessation services to any member of a family with a child five years old or younger. The program offers free one-on-one counseling or group support session. It also offers nicotine patches and gum.
Minnesota
In
June 2001, the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (MPAAT), a
private non-profit established in Minnesota’s settlement with the tobacco
industry, launched Minnesota’s Tobacco Helpline and an accompanying media
campaign. The quitline, a collaboration
between MPAAT and Minnesota health plans, makes it possible for any Minnesotan
to receive free, convenient, and personalized assistance to quit smoking. The media campaign consists of two new
television ads, a radio ad, and a series of trans stops and bus ads encouraging
smokers to call Minnesota's Tobacco Helpline at 1-877-270-STOP (7867).
In July 2001, the Minnesota Department of Health, MPAAT, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota published “Quitting Smoking: Nicotine Addiction in Minnesota.” The report is the second in a series of collaborative research reports combining survey data from each organization to give a more comprehensive view of Minnesotans’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors around tobacco use.
To view the report, go to http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/data/tobacco.htm
OTHER NEWS
Excise Taxes
Both the Maine and the Rhode Island
governors signed legislation into law raising excise tax on cigarettes. Rhode Island will see cigarette-tax increase
of 29-cents, raising the tax to $1 a pack.
Maine will see a 26-cent cigarette tax increase, bringing the tax to $1
pack as well.
In addition, the California State Board of Equalization
voted 3 to 2 to adopt a new tax rate on smokeless tobacco. The new formula taxes the products according
to weight, rather than by 38 percent of the wholesale price. This has resulted in a dramatic increase in
price for some smokeless tobacco products.
The new tax went into effect on July 1, 2001. Supporters say the tax will deliver an extra $67 million
annually.
The Wisconsin legislature passed this
year’s budget with an 18-cent increase in cigarette excise tax, raising the
overall tax to 77 cents. The tax is
expected to generate $130.5 million over the two-year budget. Tobacco products such as pipe tobacco and
cigars received an increase from 20 percent to a 25 percent and will generate
$5.5 million over two years.
Washington State residents will be voting this fall on Initiative 773 to raise taxes on tobacco products. The initiative, sponsored by the executive director of the American Lung Association of Washington, would put a 60-cent tax on packs of cigarettes and other tobacco products. Ten percent of the money would be used for a statewide anti-tobacco campaign, and 90 percent would go to expand the state's Basic Health Plan for poor people.
State funding
The
Tennessee state House and Senate
voted to override Gov. Don Sundquist's July 26, 2001 veto of a $19.6 billion
budget that was balanced with money from the tobacco settlement rather than
with tax increases. The House voted 66 to 33 and the Senate voted 19 to 12 to
override the veto. In his veto address,
Governor Sundquist expressed his concerns about what he viewed as an improper
use of the settlement funds.
The Wisconsin State Legislature approved a budget that cuts funding for
the Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board from $33.2 to $21.2 for the new
biennium. In addition, the Legislature
agreed to sell off future tobacco settlement payments worth approximately $5.9
billion in exchange for $1.3 billion up front.
About one-third of this money would cover a current state budget
shortfall with the remainder used to establish a trust fund. Starting 2003, the Wisconsin Tobacco Control
Board would be given authority to receive the first $25 million in interest
earned on the trust fund each year. The
budget now awaits the governor's signature.
Industry News and Attorney Generals
Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher and Washington State Attorney General Christine Gregoire filed complaints against tobacco companies for failing to comply with the Master Settlement Agreement. Tobacco companies that did not participate in the settlement are required to pay one penny per cigarette sold within the state into an escrow account. The three companies that did not submit payments in Pennsylvania are Jash International of DeKalb, Illinois; Cigtec Tobacco of Charles City, Virginia; and Sun Tobacco of Miami, Florida. Earth Tobacco of the Phillipines, Single Stick, Inc. of Arizona and USA Tobacco Distributing did not submit payments to Washington.
For more information or a copy of the Pennsylvania
complaint, call the Attorney General Fisher’s press office at
717-787-5211.
For more information on Washington’s lawsuit, contact Cheryl Reid at 360-586-4802.
In addition, Florida
Attorney General Bob Butterworth wrote a letter to Philip Morris,
concerning the giveaway of coupons for free cigarettes to minors in
Florida. This action led to the
suspension of Philip Morris’s national promotional campaign.
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
– Tobacco Farmers
Tobacco Farmers and Public Health Join Forces
250 tobacco farmers and a dozen public health advocates met with members of Congress from tobacco-growing states and from public health committees to educate members on the findings of the report “Tobacco Communities at a Crossroads.” The report, produced by the President’s Commission on US Tobacco Farming and Public Health, includes recommendations for eliminating the tobacco quota system and providing compensation to existing quota owners and growers for their losses; financing the buyout program with a 17-cent federal excise tax increase on tobacco products; establishing an economic development center for tobacco farmers; granting the FDA authority to regulate tobacco; and providing cessation assistance under Medicare and Medicaid. A coalition of farmers and public health advocates formed the Alliance for Health, Economic and Agricultural Development (AHEAD), which will work on the state and national level to see enactment of the recommendations contained in the report.
Maryland Buyout Program
Maryland’s Governor Glendening announced that 68 percent
of the state’s eligible farmers have either applied or have signed contracts
for the buyout program, taking 81 percent of the eligible tobacco crop out of
production. Maryland’s Tobacco Buyout
Program is a $78 million annual commitment (for ten years) to help farmers
convert from tobacco to life-sustaining crops.
The program provides farmers with alternatives to harvesting tobacco by
purchasing new equipment and irrigation systems necessary for new crops. Farmers also receive $1 per pound for the
next ten years based on the certified average of their 1996, 1997 and 1998
tobacco crops. The buyout program is
funded with 5 percent of the annual MSA payments.
For more information, contact Michelle Byrnie or Rachel Guillory at 410-974-2314 or email mediarel@gov.state.md.us.
Virginia Pilot Program to Provide
Scholarships to Farmers
The Virginia Indemnification and Community
Revitalization Commission established a tuition assistance program for Virginia
burley tobacco producers, quota holders, tobacco workers, and their
families. The Commission was
established by the legislature in 1999 and is responsible for spending half of
the settlement funds. Grantees can
receive up to $1,000 for tuition to any of the state’s four-year public or
private colleges or universities. The
Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center will administer the program.
For more information, contact Christine Fields at 540-469-4002 or Angela McNutt at 540-469-4064.
SAVE THE DATE
·
Building A Future for Tobacco-Free Kids
September 24-26, 2001;
Jackson, Mississippi. This working conference is
sponsored by the Partnership for a Health Mississippi and the Campaign for
Tobacco-Free Kids. It will examine how
comprehensive tobacco programs are developed and implemented in southern
states. Workshops will include opportunities for networking and technical
assistance and also sessions on implementing and applying best practices,
faith-based programs, youth prevention, community programs, etc.
For more information, go to www.healthy-miss.org
·
Take ACTion for a
Tobacco-Free Society: From Research to Practice
September 23-26, 2001;
Jackson, Mississippi. The symposium, sponsored by
The ACT (A Comprehensive Tobacco program) Center, at the University of
Mississippi Medical Center, will feature Dr. Judith Longstaff Mackay as the
keynote speaker.
For more information, call 601-984-1300 or email agordon@conted.umsmed.edu
·
The First National
Hispanic/Latino Conference on Tobacco Control,
September 26-28, 2001; Washington, DC. The conference is sponsored by The National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention. Participants will learn how working with coalitions and networks, along with acquiring the appropriate resources, can be effective tools in the fight against the tobacco industry's targeting of the Latino/Hispanic community.
For more information, call 202-265-8054 or email lcat@nlcatp.org.
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Tobacco Control Leadership
Fellows Program
September 20-October 5, 2001
and October 21-26, 2001; Atlanta, Georgia. The program, sponsored by
the Advocacy Institute, is an in-residence leadership development and capacity
building retreat for tobacco control advocates. The Program is designed for experienced advocates and will deepen
the participants’ understanding of their own advocacy experience and allows
them to build supportive relationships with their colleagues.
For more information, contact Laura Wys