The
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Mar/Apr 2001, Volume 5
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, LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, 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:
·
SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT –
FDA LEGISLATION!!
Connecticut
The Mohegan Sun casino
in southeast Connecticut opened a smoke-free slot machine room in mid-April
2001. The smoke-free hall is equipped
with 600 slot machines and a cocktail bar with video poker. Mohegan Sun created the smoke-free room in
response to the overwhelming requests from customers for a nonsmoking gambling
area. The casino also has a smoke-free
bingo hall.
Georgia
The Georgia Department of
Human Resources/Division of Public Health awarded a $6 million contract to a
Georgia-based advertising agency as part of the state's comprehensive Tobacco
Use Prevention Program. Austin Kelly Advertising, one of 13 local and
nationally-affiliated advertising and public relations firms, will use the
money to conduct a statewide awareness campaign. This campaign will allow
Georgia for the first time to use the power of the media to deliver important
prevention messages about tobacco use. Some of the goals will be to prevent
young people and adults from starting tobacco use, to encourage current tobacco
users to quit, and to limit exposure to second-hand smoke. Media focused on ETS will have the slogan
“Unite Georgia: We can all live without
secondhand smoke.”
For more information, contact Keith Sorrell, Austin Kelly Advertising, at
770-396-6666.
Iowa
A partial ban on smoking was
unanimously passed by the Ames City Council on March 6, 2001. The ban will go into effect on August 1,
2001. The ordinance bans smoking
in restaurants and taverns between 6am and 8:30pm. However, the ban does not include truck stops, bowling alleys,
pool halls, and bars where food sales are at most 10 percent of daily
receipts. It also bans people younger
than 18 from designated smoking areas in the city. Violators can be fined $500.
The Ames Tobacco Task Force is planning to pursue the issue further and
hopes to have a complete ban by 2005.
Members of Tobacco Free Iowa,
the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and the American
Cancer Society have criticized the ordinance.
For more information, contact Jody Kammin, Youth and Shelter Services,
Inc., at jkammin@yss.ames.ia.us.
Kentucky
During the first week of April 2001, the Tobacco
Prevention Coalition of Northern Kentucky launched an ETS media campaign
through print and radio ads and cable TV spots. The $72,400 campaign is funded with tobacco settlement
funds. Kentucky ACTION, the statewide
anti-tobacco coalition, has given the Northern Kentucky coalition an additional
$10,000. Print, radio, and television
ads feature a mother urging her father not to smoke around his grandchildren; a
teacher telling a parent that she knows her daughter comes from a smoking
household because of her frequent illnesses; a child proclaiming she loves her
mom but hates her smoking; and a smoker communicates how he will not jeopardize
his children’s health by smoking around them.
In addition to the media campaign, 2,000 baby bibs with the message
“Who’s Smoking With You?” were distributed to patients of the health department
and area physicians and clinicians.
As a part of the coalition’s campaign, the health
department plans to publicize the names of Northern Kentucky restaurants that
are smoke-free. This information was
collected during annual state restaurant inspections.
For more information, contact Stephanie Creighton at 859-578-7660.
Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts at
Dartmouth released a survey that found that residents in the southeastern part
of the state support smoke-free restaurants.
The survey, funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health
(MDPH), was mailed to 17,500 residents in 22 communities on the southeastern
region of the state that have weak or non-existent regulations on ETS. Twenty percent of the sample responded, and
8.8 percent were smokers. The survey
found that 79.7 percent welcomed some type of ETS regulation, and 71.6 percent
favored a ban on smoking in restaurants. The Greater Fall River Tobacco Free Mobilization
Network plans on using the research to pass
an ordinance banning smoking in restaurants.
In other news, the Plymouth
Town Council narrowly passed a restaurant ordinance banning smoking by a vote
of 54 to 44 on April 10, 2001. The ban
will take effect September 1, 2001.
Outdoor seating areas and private clubs are exempt. A similar bill had previously failed in October
2000.
In addition, on March 27, 2001
the Massachusetts Department of Public Health released a MDPH Tobacco Control
Program report on the economic effects of restaurant smoking restrictions on
restaurant business in Massachusetts. By analyzing 1,000 restaurant meal taxes
from 1992 to 1998, the MDPH was able to determine if restaurant business
declined or improved after implementation of smoking bans. The findings
indicate the adoption of the highly restrictive smoking policies does not
result in a decrease in business.
For more information, contact Roseanne Pawelec at 617-624-5006.
Michigan
The Marquette City Council is
seeking to overturn a March 13, 2001 Michigan Appeals Court ruling stating that
Marquette’s ban on smoking in restaurants was preempted by state laws. If the Michigan Supreme Court decides to
hear the case, it
would most likely be argued during the fall of 2001.
For
an analysis of the decision by the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project, go to http://www.tcsg.org/sfelp/home.htm.
Minnesota
The Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco (MPAAT) launched a
statewide, locally developed, ETS media campaign on April 9th, 2001. The $5.5 million campaign will work to raise
awareness of the dangers of ETS and also focus on children. Scenarios are presented in which smokers
unknowingly expose their loved ones to ETS.
Radio, television, and print advertising will run for 18 months with the
tagline, “Secondhand smoke. Still want
to breathe it?” In addition, Minnesota
will have it’s first three-dimensional bus shelter advertising.
For more information on the media campaign, go to http://www.mpaat.org/shsMain.asp
To
view photos of the new ads, go to http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010405/MNTH004-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010405/MNTH004-b
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010405/MNTH004-c
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010405/MNTH004-d
In other news, on March 19, 2001, Duluth City
councilors voted 5 to 3 to remove a provision in the city’s smoking ban which
prevented minors from being in restaurants where smoking was allowed. The ordinance took effect January 1,
2001. Councilor Gary Eckenberg felt
that banning minors from restaurants that allow smoking would give an edge to
bowling alleys and pool halls, which are exempt from the ban. Since the inception of the ordinance, city
councilors have exempted 4 restaurants from the ban because of lost sales.
Mississippi
Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center released a study entitled “Tobacco Control in Mississippi: 1999-2000” and found that 42 percent of Mississippi households chose to be smoke-free in 2000. This is a 63 percent increase from 1999, when 25.8 percent of homes were smoke-free. The study coincides with the first year of the Mississippi Tobacco Pilot Project, a tobacco prevention and education program directed by the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. Results also included information about attitudes on smoking. Sixty-seven percent of the state’s adults believe tobacco should be regulated as a drug.
To view the report, go to http://www.ssrc.msstate.edu/socialclimate/SocialClimate9900.PDF.
New Jersey
On April 11, 2001 the Belmar Borough Council voted 4 to 1 to prohibit smoking on beaches and boardwalks. Violators will be fined $25 and those who litter tobacco products will be fined $100 and two days of community service. Signs indicating that smoking is allowed within a certain area will be posted with ashtray envelopes provided by RJ Reynolds.
North Dakota
The Minot City Council passed an ordinance entitled "Smoke-Free Family Dining" to ban smoking in restaurants by a vote of 10 to 4. The ordinance will go into effect January 1, 2002. Smoking will be allowed in separate rooms with separate ventilation systems. Violators will be fined up to $500 or 30 days in jail.
For more information, contact Kelly Schmidt, Coordinator for Minot Stop
Tobacco Access to Minors (STAMP) Coalition, at 701-852-1376.
Rhode Island
The state Supreme Court voted to delay implementation of the East
Greenwich restaurant smoking ordinance on March 20, 2001, just minutes before
the ordinance was scheduled to take effect.
The ordinance bans smoking in restaurants, but allows it in separate,
ventilated areas. The suit is brought
on by one restaurant and the Rhode Island Hospitality Association. The Court promised the give the appeal
fast-track consideration, with oral arguments likely to be heard in late fall
2001.
In addition, merchants will now be required to obtain a state and local
license to sell tobacco products in Coventry, Rhode Island. The Coventry Town Council voted that
merchants obtain free licenses to sell tobacco through the town clerk’s
office. Merchants who sell tobacco products to a minor will be fined on a
graduated scale, starting at $300 for the first offense. Fines collected will finance police checks
for tobacco stings.
Wisconsin
The Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board launched a $6.5 million media campaign focused on three primary messages: Second Hand Smoke Kills; Nicotine is Addictive, Tobacco is Deadly; and The Tobacco Industry Lies. These messages are being released in three phases and linked to local prevention, cessation, and smoke-free environment initiatives. The campaign will also include messages specific to youth and communities of color.
For more information, contact David F. Gundersen, 608-267-0944.
Florida
The Florida Department of Health’s Office of Equal
Opportunity sponsored a youth weekend in April 2001 for Native Americans
Stopping Tobacco in Youth (NASTY). The
event combined dancing, singing, drumming, and traditional American Indian food
with an educational message about the dangers of smoking.
ALERT on Big
Tobacco!!
The Lorillard Tobacco Company, as part of its Youth Smoking Prevention
Program, is airing three new commercials designed to spread the word among
teens that it's not cool to light up. The ads, produced by Bozell/New York,
will air throughout the year on youth-oriented prime time and cable television. The company, a unit of Loews Corp., is also
sponsoring the 2001 98 Degrees U.S. Revelation Tour that includes a ticket
giveaway on the interactive teen site http://www.buttoutnow.com
In
addition, Philip Morris has joined British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco
International to launch a pan-European anti-youth smoking campaign. The three companies will unveil a campaign
logo and media sometime in late April 2001.
The campaign, reaching 38 European countries and costing $3.6 million, will
be featured on MTV Europe and a variety of cable networks. The campaign has already begun in Portugal
and Russia. The companies have set up
their own Web site, http://www.youthsmokingprevention.net,
which will be promoted through the media campaign.
Study on College Students and
Smoke-free Housing
The Harvard School of Public Health released 2
studies on college students and smoking.
One study was a national study on smoke-free dorms in colleges in which
101 4-year colleges were compared. The
researchers found that current smoking prevalence was significantly lower among
residents of smoke-free housing (21.0%) as compared with residents of
unrestricted housing (30.6%).
Smoke-free residences may help protect those students who were not
regular smokers in high school from smoking in college. However, the difference in smoking rates may
be due to self-selection of students into smoke-free residences. The study is published in the April 2001
issue of the American Journal of
Preventive Medicine.
In addition, the Harvard School of Public Health
also released a study surveying health center directors at 604 four-year U.S. colleges and found that although 81
percent of colleges prohibit smoking in all public areas, only 27 percent
prohibit smoking in dormitories. The
study also found that 40 percent of colleges surveyed do not offer smoking
cessation programs to help students who want to quit. This study was published in the March 2001 issue of the Journal of American College Health.
For more information, go to http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/press3222001b.html.
Evaluation of new family program
Researchers at the University of North Carolina
School of Public Health at Chapel Hill evaluated a home-based, rather than
school-based, family program to reduce smoking and drinking entitled “Family
Matters.” The UNC-designed program was
implemented nationally. It focuses on
communication and involves telephone calls from health educators and a series
of four work booklets designed to offer useful information to parents and
adolescents about the dangers of tobacco and alcohol, improving family
communication skills, tips for avoiding peer pressure, etc. Reduction rates for teen smoking was 16.4
percent and white teens reduced smoking within the first year at a rate of 25
percent. The study was funded by the
National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in April 2001 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
For more information, contact Dr. Karl Bauman, Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education at
UNC, at 919-929-6572 or kbauman@mindspring.com.
California
California state Attorney General Lockyear and the State Superintendent
of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin warned school officials throughout the
state to beware of Philip Morris’s free bookcover campaign. Throughout the year, Philip Morris
distributed bookcovers to schools nationwide.
The bookcovers featured Philip Morris’s name on it and the message
“Think. Don’t Smoke.” However according
to a 1999 Teenage Research Unlimited study of youth between the ages of 12 and
16 found that state youth prevention campaigns are much more effective than
Philip Morris’s program. Youth found
the latter unpersuasive. Philip Morris
responded to the Attorney General by promising to stop sending the bookcovers
to California schools but has refused to recall the thousands already
distributed.
For more information, contact Nathan
Barankin, Attorney General’s Office, 916-324-5500 or Doug Stone, California
Department of Education at 916-657-3027.
In other news, Santa Barbara County launched a media campaign targeting
young adults, 18-24 years old, during the first week of April 2001. The
county's ads are the first in California to be funded with MSA dollars and
appear in campus and weekly entertainment newspapers, as well as on television
and radio. The tobacco industry also launched their first-ever local
advertising effort with a series of full-color, full-page Lucky Strike ads.
Santa Barbara's campaign is entitled "Money" and focuses on the high
price tag on tobacco use.
For more information, contact Dawn Dunn, Tobacco Control Coordinator, at 805-681-5407.
District of Columbia
Georgetown
University partnered with HealthMedia, Inc. to offer a smoking cessation
program to the University community, including faculty, staff, students and
spouses. HealthMedia’s program Breathe is available online and provides
an individually tailored, four-part smoking cessation action plan.
For
more information on HealthMedia, go to http://www.healthmedia.com.
Florida
A recent evaluation of Florida’s “truth” campaign by
researchers at Florida State University found that 94 percent of Florida’s
teens, ages 12-17 confirmed awareness of the campaign. The survey, entitled Florida Anti-Tobacco
Media Evaluation (FAME), reports on the 30th month of the “truth”
advertising campaign. Nearly two-thirds
of the 1,810 respondents claim the “truth” television advertisements have
prompted them to think about whether or not they should smoke, and one-third
have talked about the ads with their friends.
Researchers concluded that the greater the awareness of “truth” ads, the
greater the anti-tobacco attitude/belief among Florida youth. By the end of the 30th month of
the truth advertising campaign, the prevalence of cigarette use among youth 16
and over declined nearly 29 percent since its high at the end of the first
year.
To view the FAME report, go to http://tobacco.med.miami.edu/octreport.htm.
For a copy of the FAME report and recent TRUTH
commercials, contact Blanca Mesa, Porter
Novelli, at 305-646-7313.
On March 6, 2001, Marion County Commissioners voted
5-0 on an ordinance requiring that all tobacco products be placed behind the
counter or otherwise out of reach of the public. Violators will be penalized on a graduated scale. The first violation will result with a
warning, with subsequent violations fined as much as $500 and jail time with
the maximum of 60 days. Stores that do
not allow those younger than age 18 inside, such as liquor package stores, will
be exempted from the ordinance. The new
rules go into effect May 1, 2001.
Commissioners had previously voted the bill down 3-2, but were recently
persuaded by the local coalition of Students Working Against Tobacco
(SWAT).
Illinois
The North Aurora village board approved an ordinance
to curb youth smoking. The ordinance,
requiring retailers to obtain a license to sell tobacco, would fine retailers
for selling to minors on a graduated scale between $50 to $750. Minors caught purchasing or possessing
tobacco will face similar fines.
Massachusetts
The Plymouth South High School Committee unanimously
approved a pilot program, which fines students caught smoking on school
grounds, in school vehicles or at school-sponsored events. The program began March 12, 2001 and will
last through the fall 2001 semester.
Penalties are on a graduated scale.
First time violators will pay a $50 fine or receive eight days detention
with parent notification. Funds from
the fines will go to pay for anti-tobacco materials and smoking cessation
programs. Students will not be able to
participate in after-school activities until they pay the fine or serve the
detentions.
In other news, UMass Lowell launched a media campaign to convince adults
to stop buying cigarettes for underage smokers. The commercial was shot at a
local store and will appear in 50 cities.
The target audience is women, ages 35 to 55. The tobacco prevention program at the Lowell YWCA is
simultaneously running a pilot program to work with convenience stores to rid
their stores of promotional advertising for cigarettes.
Minnesota
Minnesota’s youth anti-tobacco movement, Target Market, is taking to the road and relaunching its Document Tour in the state. The tour will stop at 30 communities and will last for 6 weeks through April and May 2001. The Document Tour is an interactive exhibit to educate teens about how industry marketing practices target them. The tour features two interactive kiosks where youth can videotape or email messages to be delivered to tobacco executives. Students will have the opportunity to graffiti a giant placard on the outside of the trailer to be sent to Philip Morris as a petition to drop the Marlboro Man as the brand’s mascot.
The Tour premiered in October and November 2000. Eighty-three percent of the youth who participated said that what they learned would impact their decision not to smoke.
For more information, visit www.Tmvoice.com
Ohio
As of March 15, 2001, it is
illegal in Ohio for anyone under 18 to use, possess, attempt to purchase, or
pay for or share in the cost of cigarettes, other tobacco products or papers
used to roll cigarettes. Violators of the law can be fined up to $100, lose
driving privileges for up to 30 days and be assigned to up to 20 hours of
community service work and take a youth smoking education program or other
smoking treatment program. Parents will be
notified. Exceptions are made for juveniles who accept
or receive tobacco products as part of their jobs, or if the minor is
accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or an adult spouse.
Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island has declared all academic buildings,
residence halls, and offices on the campus to be smoke-free as of June 1,
2001. University-owned vehicles are
also included in the ban. Tobacco
products are not allowed to be sold on campus and advertisement of tobacco
products in university-sponsored publications is prohibited. The state Department
of Health and the New England division of the American Cancer Society has
teamed up to provide smoking cessation assistance and awareness/prevention
programs. A Web site provides details
about the campaign at www.uri.edu/smokefree.
Virginia
The Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation, the New Leaf, which controls 10 percent of the state’s MSA funds, voted to spend $28 million dollars during the next three years on a statewide media campaign focusing on youth prevention. Board members would like the message to be tailored for behavior change.
Washington
The youth tobacco prevention
group SOUL (Saving Ourselves from Unfiltered Lies) held a rally at the
Washington State Capitol on March 7, 2001.
At the rally, youth asked lawmakers to increase the state's tobacco
prevention funding to $26 million and to pass laws that ban the sale of single
cigarettes and require tobacco products to be stored behind counters or in
locked cabinets.
To promote its new teen
community and anti-tobacco Web site OutrageAvenue.com, the Washington State
Department of Health is sponsoring an Internet-based teen reality show called
“Unfiltered.” The show will
feature five tobacco-using
teens from across the state who will live together
for three days and have their lives taped.
The hitch - they will have to check their privacy and their cigarettes
or chew at the door. Throughout the
weekend they will participate in activities that show the real-life effects of
tobacco use, such as viewing organs of smokers and talking to cancer
patients. The weekend will be hosted by
Piggy from MTV's Road Rules and the episodes showcasing their actions and
reactions will be streamed on OutrageAvenue.com beginning May 7, 2001.
For more information, contact Lisa LaFond, Washington State Department of Health, at 360-236-3634.
Community Care of Missoula launched a pilot program entitled, “The Teen Tobacco Cessation Program,” in March 2001. The program offers three quitting groups in different formats to meet the varying needs of teen tobacco users. One program is running for 8 weeks and is a science-based cessation program specifically designed for youth. The same group of high school students meet weekly to progress through specific stages. Another school-based program uses research-based cessation techniques that tailors to the group's needs each week. In this drop-in program, students don't have to commit to attending all the sessions. Finally, a twelve-step peer support group is offered. Two high schools and the Community Care House offer these programs.
For more information contact Patrick McCormick, Director of Community
Care, 406-549-2890, or comcare@montana.com.
New Jersey
The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior
Services is promoting their cessation services in a very unique way - through Autowraps, Inc. From March to June 2001, fifty state
residents are “wrapping” their own cars with a high-quality vinyl adhesive
material that pictures advertisements for the NJ cessation programs including
logos and contact information. Those
driving the cars will receive stipends and are required to drive VW Bugs and be
non-smokers. Participants will drive
the cars in high traffic areas and near schools, hospitals, and recreation
areas.
For more information, contact Laura Otterbourg or Chris Gage, New Jersey Department of Health and
Human Services, at 609-984-7160.
New York
New York City is utilizing a
portion of settlement dollars to fund a $3 million multimedia advertising
campaign with a cessation message. The
slogan "Quit Yet?" ("?Todavía Fumando?" in Spanish) appears
in print, radio and TV commercials in English and Spanish. Smokers are encouraged to call the New York
Smokers Quitline at 1-888-609-6292 to receive information about smoking
cessation services.
TV and print advertisements present a New York City saturated with "Quit Yet?" signs fictionally placed in some of the city's most famous locations - Times Square, the Chrysler Building, and the façade of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. To emphasize that nicotine is addictive, the song "You made me love you" plays in the background with the lyrics "You made me love you; I didn't want to do it" and "You made me want you, and all the time you knew it, I guess you always knew it." Actual "Quit Yet?" posters on billboards, subway cars, movie theater cinema billboards, taxi tops, and bus shelters throughout New York City comprise the other part of the $3 million campaign and reinforce the TV and radio spots.
For more information, contact Jeffrey Escoffier, NYC Department of Health
Media and Marketing Group, at 212-788-4971.
West Virginia
Public Employees
Insurance Agency will be cutting monthly premiums for non-smokers starting in
July 2001. Families will save $10 a
month and individuals will save $5 a month.
To receive the discount, non-smoking members must sign an affidavit that
they do not use tobacco. Last year,
tobacco-related medial claims for smoking-related illnesses cost the agency
$19.8 million. Between 30 to 35 percent
of those enrolled in the insurance program are use tobacco products.
Wisconsin
In partnership with Wisconsin
Women's Health Foundation, the State Division of Public Health, the Division of
Health Care Finance, and the Innovative Resource Group, First Breath, is a
pilot study that will target women enrolled in the state's Special Supplement
Nutrition Program for WIC and Prenatal Care Coordination (PNCC) programs. First Breath will offer counseling, local
support group meetings, follow-up telephone support, and educational
materials. Five counties and two tribal
centers are participating. The program
is funded with settlement dollars by a $244,242 grant from the Wisconsin
Tobacco Control Board.
For more information, contact Lisette Jehn, 608-251-1675.
OTHER NEWS
President Bush’s Budget
The President released a detailed budget for Congress on April 9,
2001. In this proposed budget, CDC
would receive an overall cut of 3 percent. The National Center for Chronic
Disease and Health Promotion, under which the Office on Smoking and Health is
housed, would receive $575 million.
This is a decrease of $175 million or 23 percent from FY 2001. Please note that the budgeted $125 million
decrease in funding was for the continuation of a youth media campaign.
In addition,
the National Institute of Health would receive a 13.5 percent increase or
additional $2.75 billion. SAMHSA would receive a 3.4% increase or additional
$101 million for substance abuse treatment.
The FDA would receive a surprising 8.1 percent increase. The Indian Health Service would receive an
overall increase of 3.3 percent.
To view the DHHS budget, go to http://www.hhs.gov/budget/pdf/hhs2002.pdf.
Five state attorney generals file
lawsuit with Big Tobacco
On March 19, 2001, Arizona Attorney General Janet
Napolitano, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, New York Attorney General
Eliot Spitzer, Ohio Attorney General Betty D. Montgomery and Washington Attorney
General Christine O. Gregoire filed lawsuits against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco
Company for violation of the 1998 MSA agreement. Oklahoma Attorney General Drew
Edmondson and Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher, chairman of NAAG's
Tobacco Enforcement Committee, said that the lawsuits were filed in five states
where the violations were most prevalent.
The states are contesting the year-round advertising for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series. The states want the company to remove the billboards after a NASCAR race has been run instead of leaving them up at tracks on the Winston Cup circuit throughout the racing season. The settlement restricts the placing of those signs -- which are an exception to the MSA's general ban on outdoor advertising -- to a 90-day period preceding the first sponsored event at a particular track, and a 10-day period following the last sponsored event at that track. California filed an additional action contesting Reynolds' advertising in publications with greater than 15 percent youth readership. Ohio has filed additional action concerning matchbooks bearing the Winston logo.
Smokeless States
The SmokeLess States National Tobacco Policy Initiative based at the
American Medical Association (AMA) announced the recipients of approximately
$16 million in grant awards for a three-year policy initiative funded by The
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
The states with statewide tobacco prevention and control coalitions that
will receive funds in the first of two rounds of funding are: Alaska, Arizona,
Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota,
Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Grant
recipients' policy efforts under this initiative fall into three main areas:
increasing state tobacco excise taxes, reducing exposure to environmental
tobacco smoke and fostering changes in Medicaid and private insurance to cover
tobacco dependence treatment. A second
granting phase will follow this round of grant awards in June 2001.
Taxing Smokeless Tobacco
US Tobacco Inc. and its US Smokeless Tobacco subsidiary are advocating
that states switch the tax formula on moist snuff. Moist snuff is currently taxed as a percentage of wholesale
price, but US Tobacco Inc. wants to tax the product by weight (by the
ounce). This could mean better profits
for US Tobacco Inc., which holds an estimated 75 percent part of the smokeless
tobacco market with products like Copenhagen and Skoal. However, it would translate into lower
revenues for states. Other smokeless
tobacco producers oppose this move and
feel that US Tobacco Inc. will gain a competitive advantage.
Connecticut and North Dakota both tax by weight and US Tobacco Inc. is
currently lobbying 20 states to make the same conversion. The New York governor’s office and some
Illinois state senators currently support the measure.
Where Does Tobacco Lie on Priorities for State Legislators
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) reports that in a recent survey of 53 chairs of state health committees, representing 39 states and Puerto Rico, the top health priorities for this legislative session are prescription drug costs and coverage, long-term care, access to health care, mental health and substance abuse, and the health care workforce. Health Chairs were also asked to select the top 10 issues legislators should expect to see on their committee agendas in 2001. The issues identified include:
·
Increased funding for/expansion of home and community
based care (55 percent);
·
Allocation
of tobacco settlement funds (53 percent);
·
Enactment or modification of state pharmaceutical
assistance programs (53 percent);
·
Regulation of nursing homes (49 percent);
·
Supporting healthy schools (47 percent);
·
Shortages of certain health professionals--nurses, nurse
aides (45 percent);
·
Reporting of medical errors or health plan performance
(43 percent);
·
Expanding eligibility under Medicaid (42 percent);
·
Tobacco
control (43 percent); and
·
Violence prevention in schools (41 percent).
Health committee chairs play a critical role in setting state health policy agendas and are integral figures in the establishment of health care initiatives and legislation. The survey was conducted by the Health Chairs Project, a collaboration between NCSL and the Schneider Institute for Health Policy at Brandeis University.
The complete survey results and analysis are available on
the NCSL web site at: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/Forum/hcsurvey.htm.
Virginia’sTobacco Farmers
The Virginia
Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission, a 31-member
group that controls half of the state’s MSA funds, voted to finance 26 economic
development projects in Southern Virginia.
Most of the $20 million will finance projects to diversify traditionally
tobacco dependent economies. In
Southside, money was distributed based on a formula that considered how many
tobacco-related jobs each locality has and how much tobacco quota is held by the
residents. Projects include developing industrial parks, expanding job training
programs, and business recruitment.
US supports Massachusetts Supreme Court
case!
The U.S. Justice Department filed a brief with the U. S. Supreme Court
defending Massachusetts’ authority to impose tight restrictions on cigarette
advertising aimed at youth.
Massachusetts adopted regulations that prohibit outdoor billboard and
sign advertising of all tobacco products within a 1,000 foot radius of schools
and playgrounds. Tobacco promotions
must be placed higher than child’s eye level at 5 feet or higher. Big Tobacco has challenged these rules, all
the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, on free speech grounds.
The Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly has
noted that the case is a test of whether state regulations can preempt federal
law. The U.S. Solicitor General’s
Office also petitioned the high court for permission to argue on the state’s
behalf on April 25th, 2001.
ALERT on South Carolina!!
The South Carolina state House of Representatives has cut the entire
Department of Health and Environment Control’s budget for tobacco control,
which totals $1.7 million. The program
is focused on youth prevention. The
House-passed budget in currently in the Senate Finance Committee.
South Dakota
The state legislature passed a bill at the end of March 2001, which shifts tobacco prevention efforts from the State Human Services Department to the State Health Department. This transition eliminates an 11-mem