March/April 2003
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:
b
Georgia
The Loganville City Council voted to ban smoking
in public places including restaurants.
The ordinance bans smoking within five feet of doorways and takes effect May
10, 2003. Individuals violating the law will be subject to a $50 fine. Business
owners that violate the law are subject to a $100 fine for the first offense, a
$200 fine for the second offense within a year, and a $500 fine for the third
offense within a year.
Indiana
The Bloomington City Council passed an ordinance banning smoking including restaurants and bars. The ordinance takes effect for restaurants in August 2003. Private clubs, and 18-and-over businesses with smoking areas do not have to comply until January 1, 2005. In addition, Marion County, which includes Indianapolis, is currently considering a clean indoor air ordinance.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has seen significant increases in
local secondhand smoke regulations to create 100 percent smokefree worksites
including bars and restaurants. Over 40 communities are participating in local
Clean Air Works Coalitions. Clean Air Works partners include local
Boards of Health, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Tobacco
Free Mass (Smokeless States coalition), the Massachusetts Association of Health
Boards, local organizations, and labor unions.
The Boston Public Health Commission passed a regulation that requires all worksites including bars and restaurants to be smoke free. These regulations go into effect on May 5, 2003. Boards of Health in Saugus, Watertown, and Framingham have also passed regulations requiring smoke-free worksites effective May 5, 2003. The Boards of Health in the cities of Peabody and Beverly will follow suit in August 2003, and Chelsea will implement its regulations banning tobacco smoke in all worksites beginning September 2003.
For more information, contact Eileen Sullivan, at Eileen.M.Sullivan@state.ma.us.
New Mexico
During a March 18, 2003 election, voters in Las Cruces defeated a proposed smoking ordinance that would have eliminated smoking in bars, parks, and truck stops. In addition, the mayor of Albuquerque signed an ordinance into law, which bans smoking in restaurants, but exempts bars within restaurants. The Albuquerque City Council approved the ordinance on March 17, 2003 after months of debate and two vetoes of previous ordinances. Duke City enacted an ordinance banning smoking in public places, including restaurants. Stand-alone bars are exempt. Restaurants with bars must become completely smokefree or have separate ventilation within one year.
New York
The New York General Assembly passed a bill that bans smoking statewide in most public places, including restaurants and bars. The law provides exemptions for membership clubs whose workers are unpaid, cigar bars, hotel and motel rooms, residential health-care facilities, and a maximum of two tobacco promotion events a year at any location. The bill was signed into law by Governor George Pataki on March 26, 2003 and goes into effect July 2003. The new state law does not preempt localities from enacting stronger measures.
In addition, the Westchester County Board of Legislators passed an ordinance in March 2003, which bans smoking in public places including restaurants and bars. New York City’s smokefree restaurant and bar ordinance took effect on March 30, 2003. Through a collaborative project between the city and state health department, free nicotine replacement therapy was provided to the first 35,000 eligible New York City smokers who called the Quitline.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Health released supportive public
opinion data to restrict smoking in
restaurants and other workplaces. Seventy-one percent of Oklahomans support
legislation that would prohibit smoking in workplaces and public places. The belief that secondhand smoke can cause
serious health problems is shared by 81.4 percent of all current nonsmokers and
by 41.5 percent of all smokers. The survey was conducted by the College of Business
Administration at Oklahoma State University in February 2003.
In addition, the State Board of Health passed a resolution at the end of March 2003 to adopt permanent rules to restrict smoking in public places including restaurants and worksites. There has been movement on the legislative front with two statewide clean indoor air bills passing the state Senate. A resolution calling for a statewide vote on banning smoking in indoor workplaces passed both the state House and Senate.
For more information, go to http://www.health.state.ok.us/program/hpromo/news/smokesurvey.html.
Illinois
The
Illinois Department of Public Health and its teen-led anti-tobacco movement,
REALITY Illinois, launched the Dying for a Smoke tour on March 7, 2003,
in Springfield. The tour is traveling throughout the state for nine weeks, raising community awareness about the negative health
effects of tobacco use, encouraging cessation among teens and adults, and
promoting smokefree places. A
hearse adorned with tobacco facts and driven by mock “funeral directors” leads
the tour. Each stop includes a phony funeral for tobacco companies, handouts
outlining the deadly effects of tobacco use, and a unique photo opportunity
that vividly illustrates the impact of tobacco use.
For
more information, go to www.realityillinois.com.
New Mexico
A new state law prohibits self-service displays of tobacco products and requires face-to-face, direct sales for tobacco products. The law also limits use of vending machines in public places. Vending machines are allowed in age-controlled establishments such as bars and allows or they must have a remote-controlled lock-out device.
To view the law, go to http://legis.state.nm.us/Sessions/03%20Regular/FinalVersions/house/HB0136.pdf.
North Carolina
The Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission will
launch “Tobacco. Reality. Unfiltered,” a statewide radio media campaign
directed at teens to discourage tobacco use in April 2003. One spot, “Spiritless,” targets American
Indian teens and highlights the differences between cigarette use and
ceremonial tobacco. Another spot addresses younger, middle school teens, by
offering a lesson about addiction. The spots feature messages dealing with
second-hand smoke and tobacco-related illnesses and will run from April 21, 2003 and through
October 2003. The Commission has allocated a
total of $18.6 million over three years to the Teen Tobacco Use Prevention and
Cessation Initiative.
For more information, go to http://www.hwtfc.org/.
Washington
Youth smoking rates dramatically declined in
Washington State according to the Healthy Youth Survey. Smoking rates declined by 53 percent among 6th
graders, 39 percent among 8th graders, 40 percent among 10th
graders, and 36 percent among 12th graders since the late 1990s.
This decrease translates into 53,000 fewer kids smoking in Washington than
before the state began its comprehensive anti-tobacco program (adjusted for
population growth). The Healthy Youth
Survey is a collaborative effort by the Department of Health, Office of
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Department of Social and Health Services,
and Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.
For
more information, contact Julia Dilley, Washington Department of Health, at 360-236-3632 or go to http://www.doh.wa.gov/Publicat/2003_News/YouthSurvey/HealthyYouthSurvey02summary.doc.
California
The Billy DeFrank Lesbian & Gay Community Center, The Center OC and American Legacy Foundation launched a statewide social marketing campaign on February 27, 2003. The campaign features images of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals who have triumphed over adversities like alcohol and drug addiction, homelessness, and breast cancer and are using this strength to quit smoking. Capitalizing on these individual successes, the campaign aims at inspiring other LGBT individuals to quit smoking. Taglines include messages such as, "I didn't survive gay bashing to die from lung cancer."
The social marketing firm, Better World Advertising,
created the media campaign.
Michigan
The Detroit smoke-free home
pledge program evaluation was completed by the Michigan Tobacco Control Program
in Spring 2003 to determine if signing a smoke-free home pledge can make an
impact on smoke-free home status and smoking cessation among African-American
families. The Detroit smoke-free home program was launched in May 2002
for Mother's Day. The following reports on preliminary results:
Approximately 400
participants were randomly selected to complete a six-month follow-up survey.
There were 110 surveys completed for a 33 percent response rate. Two
focus groups were held, one for participants that signed the pledge and one for
those that did not sign the pledge, to determine if there were any differences
between the two groups. Evaluation results revealed that nearly 80
percent of participants remembered where they signed the pledge and most
pledges were signed at local community organizations and churches. There
was an increase in the number of participants that maintained smoke-free homes
after signing the pledge, from 70 percent to 85 percent. In addition, the
main reason participants signed the pledge was to protect the health of
children, followed by smoking-related illness of the individual or other family
members. Signing the smoke-free home pledge helped some of the
participants and their family members who were smokers to attempt quitting and
to encourage other smokers living in their home to quit. An
interesting and valuable outcome from the focus groups was that participants,
who were smokers and had not signed the pledge, agreed to sign the pledge
during the focus group and made arrangements to form their own cessation
support group.
North Dakota
The North Dakota Public Education Task
Force on Tobacco recognized the lack of media targeted
toward the Native American population and developed a pilot public education
project with the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe. It was consensus of the culture that
they may not change their behavior to protect themselves, but would change
in order to protect the future of the tribe. The campaign focuses on
protecting children from secondhand smoke by "Holding Them Sacred,"
the campaign’s theme. Three visual representations of the
theme were tested with local focus group participants. Once the print
ads were chosen, five radio ads featuring a local drum group were
developed. The print ads were distributed to the tribal members
through the local and tribal newspapers, and radio ads were placed on the
tribal radio station. Since the campaign began on the Spirit Lake Sioux
Reservation, two additional tribes have expressed an interest in replicating
this campaign on their reservations.
For more information, contact Stacy Johnson, North Dakota
Department of Health at sajohnso@state.nd.us.
Excise
tax
The following reports on some states’ actions to increase
the tobacco excise tax. Unless
otherwise indicated, generated revenue will be dedicated to the general fund.
The Arkansas state Senate passed a 30 percent increase in the
cigarette excise tax that totals a $1.00 increase per pack, but the bill failed
in House committee. The Senate most
recently passed a 15 percent increase in the cigarette excise tax.
The
Maryland state Senate voted to triple the tax on cigars, chewing
tobacco and snuff from 15 percent to 45 percent of the wholesale price.
South
Dakota Governor Mike Rounds signed legislation to increase the cigarette excise
tax from $0.20 to $0.53. The levied tax
takes effect July 1, 2003.
New
Mexico Governor Bill Richardson signed legislation to increase the cigarette
excise tax from $0.21 to $0.91. The
levied tax takes effect July 1, 2003. A
portion of funds is dedicated to improvements to the University of New Mexico’s
health centers and local governments.
Connecticut
Governor John Rowland signed legislation to increase the cigarette excise tax
from $1.11 to $1.51. The levied tax
became effective March 15, 2003.
Wyoming
Governor Dave Freudenthal signed legislation to increase the cigarette excise
tax from $0.12 to $0.60. The levied tax
becomes effective July 1, 2003.
West
Virginia Governor Bob Wise signed legislation to increase the cigarette excise
tax from $0.38 to $0.55. The new tax
becomes effective May 1, 2003. Revenue
will be dedicated to Medicaid.
California
California smoking rates have declined to historic lows that are far below the national average. Per capita cigarette smoking has fallen by more than 60 percent since the inception of the statewide tobacco prevention program. The latest California Adult Tobacco Survey (CATS) shows that 16.6 percent of adults smoked in 2002, down from 17.3 percent in 2001. In addition, smoking among 8th graders decreased by 45 percent, from 11.7 percent in 2000 to 6.4 percent in 2002. Among 10th grade students, smoking decreased 24 percent, from 19.5 percent in 2000 to 14.8 percent in 2002. Among 12th graders, smoking dropped 8 percent, from 24.8 percent in 2000 to 22.9 percent in 2002.
The California Department of Health Services will
launch four new media advertisements that expose the industry's marketing
tactics and one ad that targets social smokers. Other ads deliver information
about the myth that "light" cigarettes are safer than regular
cigarettes and another highlights the tobacco industry's misleading "teen
prevention" campaign.
Wisconsin
On April 7, 2003, Governor Jim Doyle, along with the Wisconsin
Tobacco Control Board and tobacco prevention advocates, launched “Let’s Be Clear,” a
statewide media campaign that features leaders from Wisconsin’s communities of color and emphasizes
the dangers of secondhand smoke, the costs of tobacco in Wisconsin, and the
importance of quitting. The new ads are based on unscripted conversations with
residents around the state and are designed to deliver straight talk and real
facts about both the health and economic costs of tobacco to the state. The campaign was launched at the Eisner Museum of Advertising
and Design in Milwaukee, which featured an exhibit showcasing both pro- and
anti-smoking advertising and the influence on American culture.
For more information, go to www.hadenoughwisconsin.com.
Call for Papers
Health Promotion Practice, an official journal of the Society for Public Health Education
(SOPHE), announces a call for original manuscripts for a theme issue on the
status of tobacco control and prevention research, policy and practice five
years after the Master Settlement Agreement. "The Shifting Landscape:
Tobacco Control and Prevention: Five
Years after the Master Settlement Agreement" will examine the impact of
the MSA in its successes and in its missed opportunities. Manuscripts can be
either research or descriptive in format (noting a focus on the journal's
mission of focusing on implications for practice), including policy analyses,
intervention comparisons and evaluations, case studies, historical
perspectives, point-counter point dialogues, interviews with policy experts,
and/or descriptions of intended and/or unintended effects Authors should follow
the "Instructions to Authors" found in issues of Health Promotion
Practice or on the web page http://www.sophe.org/public/docs/Guidelines3.rtf Manuscripts should not
exceed 30 typed pages, including figures and references. Deadline for all
manuscripts is June 10, 2003.
National News
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed more than 1,400 pages of “preliminary findings of fact” in its racketeering lawsuit against the tobacco industry. The DOJ will attempt to recover $289 billion for fradulent marketing practices, among other illegal practices. The case is scheduled for September 2004.
A Madison County Illinois Circuit Judge cut the amount of the Philip Morris appeal bond to $6.8 million in a class action lawsuit regarding light and low tar cigarettes. Philip Morris was ordered by the Illinois county circuit court on March 21, 2003 to pay $10 billion in damages in a class action lawsuit for deception of marketing light/low tar cigarettes. Philip Morris appealed the decision and thus, according to Illinois state law, had to post a $12 billion bond. Illinois, like many other states, requires defendants who appeal class action verdicts to post a bond equal to damages plus interest. Philip Morris claimed it would file bankruptcy if the bond amount was not reduced and might not be able to make tobacco settlement payments to the states. Thirty-seven state Attorneys Generals and the National Conference of State Legislators filed an amicus brief to “set the bond in an amount that would avoid any adverse effect on payments to the states and require the posting of a bond sufficient to protect the interests of Illinois consumers at the time the appeal is concluded.” The bond was lowered and Philip Morris was able to make the $2.6 billion tobacco settlement payments to 46 states. According to a March 22, 2003 Los Angeles Times article similar lawsuits on the deception of marketing light and low tar cigarettes have been filed in 11 states against the tobacco industry.
Attorneys Generals in California, Oregon, and Washington filed lawsuits against online cigarette retailers alleging they are selling to minors as well as avoiding responsibilities to pay state sales taxes. Retailers include Dirt Cheap Cigarettes Inc., smokin 4 less, Cyco.net Inc., smokes Inc., and LLP Enterprises/CigOutlet.
New Legacy Partnership
The American Legacy Foundation and the Entertainment
Industry Foundation (EIF) have committed $5
million to a new partnership to educate the public
about the health effects of smoking and to provide direct cessation services.
The partnership includes a national advertising campaign, entitled
"Portraits", featuring celebrities, Brooke Shields, Jessica Simpson,
and Cicely Tyson, who have personally been affected by smoking. The advertisements link consumers to a
national information line that directs callers
to cessation information in their area. In addition, the two organizations are
working with the Division of Cardiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to
create a state-of-the-art clinical smoking cessation services that will be
available to people in Southern California. They are also developing smoking
cessation services specifically aimed to help entertainment industry employees
at the workplace.
Funding for Target Market, a successful
Minnesota statewide youth anti-tobacco campaign, has been eliminated. The Governor’s budget proposal includes
diverting the Minnesota Tobacco Settlement Endowment, which funds Target
Market, to balance the budget. The
state legislature has not yet approved the budget. While staff positions end April 30, 2003, media will continue
until the summer. Nearly 200 youth
gathered outside the annual Target Market conference with duct tape over their
mouths to signify they would not be silenced in an effort to save the program.
Funding for the Oregon Tobacco Prevention
Program was suspended as of April 7, 2003 until the end of June, after program
funding for the remainder of the year was transferred to the general fund. All program services, including the statewide
quitline, have been suspended. Governor
Ted Kulongoski's budget proposal for the two years starting in July 2003
includes $15.8 million for tobacco prevention.
The program is funded via voter-approved excise taxes on tobacco
products.
SAVE THE DATE
·
2nd
National Collegiate Tobacco Symposium
May 1-2, 2003; Providence, RI. The conference is
hosted by Bacchus and Gamma and is intended for a broad spectrum of student
affairs professionals, researchers, health educators, students and community
members to learn the latest research and strategies to reduce smoking on
college campuses.
For more information, go to http://www.bacchusgamma.org/tobsym02.asp.
·
21st National Conference on Health Education and Health
Promotion
May 21-23, 2003; San Diego, California. Sponsored by the Association of State and
Territorial Directors of Health Promotion and Public Health Education
(ASTDHPPHE) and CDC, this conference is geared towards a wide variety of
professionals in health-related careers.
This year’s theme is
"Emerging Opportunities for Health Promotion and Health Education:
Sailing into New Waters," where session tracks will focus on policies and
environmental interventions, strategies for emerging health issues, addressing disparities, and
funding issues.
For more information, go to http://www.astdhpphe.org/21national.asp.
· Smoking out the
Snake: Exposing and Countering Tobacco Industry Sponsorship
May 29-30, 2003; Universal City, CA.
Planned by the California Tobacco
Control Section and many other partners, this conference will expose the motives of the industry and whom they target. Topics of discussion will include tools and
techniques to counter sponsorship, local and state legislation, legal action,
information on special populations such as ethnic groups, youth, college age,
LGBT and other priority populations, and more.
For more
information, go to www.cce.csus.edu/conferences.
·
13th Annual
Social Marketing in Public Health
June 18-21, 2003; Clearwater, FL. The conference, sponsored by the Department of Community and Family Health and the College of Public Health, University of South Florida, is designed for public health professional and health educators from state and local health departments, volunteer agencies, non-profit organizations, federal and other public agencies, academia, etc.
For more information, go to http://www.publichealth.usf.edu/conted/.
FFor
Prevalence
·
According to an analysis, between 1996 and 2001, the
prevalence of current smoking was relatively stable in 41 states and the
District of Columbia while the proportion of current smokers who were some day
smokers increased significantly in 31 of those states and the District of
Columbia. Prevalence of some day
smoking was slightly higher for men than women and decreased with age from
18-24 and 45-65 years old. Some day
smoking was higher among Hispanics (38.1 percent) and African Americans (26.9
percent), than Caucasians (18.7 percent).
The analysis is published in the April 11, 2003
issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity
and Mortality Weekly Report.
For
more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/research_data/adults_prev/mm5214_Intro.htm.
Youth
prevention
· The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) released a new version of "How Schools Work and How to Work with Schools: A Primer for Professionals Who Serve Children and Youth." The guide is designed to assist those who work in education, health, and social services at the state and local levels.
For more information, go to http://www.nasbe.org/NASBE_Bookstore/Safe_Healthy.html or call (800) 220-5183.
Secondhand Smoke
·
A
study in Helena, Montana found that the number of heart attack victims admitted
to a regional hospital dropped by nearly 60 percent during the first six months
that the Helena smokefree ordinance was in effect. The study's authors
attribute much of the sharp decline in acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) to a
near-elimination of the rapid and harmful effects of secondhand smoke on blood
platelets and the arteries that supply blood to the heart. Helena’s smoke-free
ordinance went into effect June 5, 2002 and was suspended in a legal challenge
six months later.
For more information, go to http://pub.ucsf.edu/today/cache/news/200304012.html.
·
Indoor
air quality testing conducted at eight of Delaware’s hospitality venues,
including five restaurants, one casino, one stand-alone bar, and one pool hall,
showed a 95 percent drop in carcinogen levels since the Clean Indoor Air Act went
into effect November 27, 2002 .The study was conducted by Repace Associates,
Inc., an indoor air quality consulting firm based in Bowie, Maryland.
To view the report, go to http://tobaccofreekids.org/pressoffice/release611/wilmingtonsurvey.pdf.
· A study found that while 70 percent of restaurants in Georgia's Southeast Health District were smoke-free, many restaurants that did permit smoking provided insufficient barriers to secondhand smoke. Public health officials in the Southeast Health District are concerned about the issue and plan to educate restaurant owners about reducing patrons' and employees' exposure to secondhand smoke. The study was published in the April 11, 2003 issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5214a3.htm.
·
A
report entitled, "Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Middle and High School
Students - Texas, 2001," found that half of Texas middle school and
two-thirds of high school students reported secondhand smoke exposure within
seven days before the survey. Results
are based on findings from the Texas Youth Tobacco Survey (TYTS). The study was
published in the February 28, 2003 issue of the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5208.pdf.
·
The
National Center for Tobacco-Free Older Persons released a set of model
smokefree policies applicable to senior centers, adult day care centers,
nursing homes, and assisted living cacilities.
The website also contains the Joint Commission on Accreditation of
Healthcare Organizations’ standards dealing with smoking in long-term care
facilities.
For more information, go to http://www.tcsg.org/tobacco/smokepolicies.htm.
·
The
Praxis Project developed a document and powerpoint presentation entitled “Clean
Indoor Air and Communities of Color: Challenges and Opportunities.” The resource provides a better understanding
of the various factors that influence involvement, or lack of involvement, with
local tobacco control policy-making activity among communities of color. It
also provides guidance for work with communities of color in policy.
To
view the powerpoint and document, go to http://www.thepraxisproject.org/tools.html.
Cessation
·
A
working paper entitled “Lighting Up and
Slimming Down: The Effects of Body Weight and Cigarette Prices on Adolescent
Smoking Initiation,” published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that smoking initiation is more likely among females who are overweight, who
report trying to lose weight, or who describe themselves as overweight. However
this factor did not have an effect on male smoking. The paper also found that
higher cigarette prices decrease the probability of smoking initiation among
males but have no impact on female smoking initiation.
For more information, go to http://papers.nber.org/papers/W9561. Please note there is a cost of $5 associated to view the paper.
Excise tax
·
“Strategic
Thinking on State Tobacco Tax Increases” is document designed
to assist public health advocates in recognizing and weighing the strategic
decisions that must be made before beginning a campaign to increase tobacco
taxes at the state level. It addresses environmental scans, options for
structuring tobacco tax, revenue dedication, etc. This document was jointly
developed by the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American
Lung Association, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, the Praxis Project, and
Smokeless States.
To view the document, go to
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/375/strategic_tax.pdf.
Funding
·
Results
from an Indiana statewide public opinion poll found that 84 percent of voters
believe funding for the state's tobacco prevention program should be more than
or equal to the minimum level recommended by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). By a margin of 67 percent to 25 percent, Indiana voters
would look favorably on a candidate for state office who wants to preserve
tobacco prevention funding over one who backs cuts to the program. Results were
released by the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American
Lung Association of Indiana, and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.