Public Health Law Center - General News

New International Status Report on Cigarette Package Health Warnings

admin — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 22:02:10 +0000

The Canadian Cancer Society recently released the Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report , which ranks 198 countries/jurisdictions based on the size of their health warnings on cigarette packages, and lists countries that have finalized requirements for picture warnings. Considerable progress has been made in this area internationally. This is the third edition of the report, with previous editions published in 2008 and 2010. To see the 2010 version of the report, click read more

Australia’s High Court Upholds Historic Cigarette Plain Packaging Laws

admin — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:02:01 +0000

On August 13, in a ruling hailed by health officials around the world, Australia’s highest court upheld the government’s tough new plain packaging act, which prohibits tobacco company logos, branding, colors and promotional text, and requires graphic health warnings, on cigarette and tobacco product packages. The court rejected a challenge by four tobacco companies, including Imperial Tobacco, Philip Morris Limited and British American Tobacco, which claimed the act violated their intellectual property rights and devalued their trademarks.

Sodium Watch

admin — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:26:55 +0000

Sodium Watch

posted on Mon, Jan 14 2013 9:17 am by Shari A. Dawkins

More than One Billion People Protected by Tobacco Control Policies

admin — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 04:24:21 +0000

Dramatic headway has been made in global tobacco control since 2008, according to a new report just released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Fifty-five percent of the world’s population is now covered by at least one of the WHO’s MPOWER suite of six effective anti-tobacco policies. The greatest gains were made in requiring large graphic health warnings on packages of tobacco. Bloomberg Philanthropies has helped fuel this progress through its six-year $375-million initiative to promote tobacco control interventions in 15 low-and middle-income nations that are

Wave of State Laws Preempting Local Nutrition-Related Legislation

admin — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 21:00:18 +0000

Several state legislatures are passing laws that prohibit municipalities and other local governments from adopting regulations aimed at rising obesity and improving public health, such as requiring restaurants to provide nutritional information on menus or to eliminate trans fats from the foods they serve. Public health advocates worry that the new preemption laws – often supported by the restaurant industry -- will stall a movement among cities and counties that are establishing a range of policies and tools designed to reduce obesity among their residents.

FDA to Conduct Independent Review of Menthol Cigarettes

admin — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:09:26 +0000

The Food and Drug Administration announced this week that it will conduct an independent review of research on the public health impact of menthol cigarettes. This decision to conduct more study on whether to outlaw menthol cigarettes disappointed many in the tobacco control community, since a blue ribbon scientific advisory committee, which was mandated to study the issue, already concluded in March that menthol cigarettes harm the public health.

CDC Names Decade’s Top 10 Public Health Achievements

admin — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 17:08:12 +0000

Fighting tobacco use, controlling infectious diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis, improving motor vehicle safety, and reducing heart disease and death have been named by the CDC as among the 10 top public health achievements of the first decade of the 21^st century. Other achievements include improvements in vaccine-preventable diseases, better maternal and infant health, better cancer prevention, improved occupational safety and public safety preparedness, and aggressive steps that have led to fewer childhood lead poisonings. Still, much more needs to be done to prote

FDA Unveils Graphic New Cigarette Warning Labels

admin — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:44:26 +0000

On June 21, the Food and Drug Administration announced nine new graphic warnings for cigarette packages – the most significant new labels in more than twenty-five years. The new warnings, which depict the negative health impact of cigarettes, are required to cover at least 50 percent of every pack of cigarettes sold in the U.S. by mid-2013. Manufacturers are required to place them on all cigarette packs, cartons and ads by no later than September 2012.

Use of smokeless tobacco products higher among blue-collar workers

admin — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:48:33 +0000

Exposure to smokeless tobacco products has significant health risks, including stroke, and cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, and pancreas. A recent study assessed whether workplace smoking restrictions led to increased use of smokeless tobacco products among workers in the United States.

Paternal smoking linked to daughters’ decreased reproductive lifespan

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 14:00:21 +0000

Menopause is a natural life event for all women, signaling the end of their reproductive lifespan. A new study has explored the relationship between a woman’s age at menopause and her parents’ smoking status.