AMA strengthens anti-tobacco policies The American Medical Association (AMA) adopted policies at its interim meeting reaffirming the commitment of our nation's physicians to preventing tobacco use. The policies ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to require tobacco companies to add graphic warning labels depicting the negative health consequences of smoking to all cigarette packages and call for raising the minimum legal purchase age of all tobacco products to 21. California earlier this year passed a California Medical Association (CMA)-sponsored law that would raise California's smoking age to 21, as part of the most ... November 21, 2016 General AMA, Electronic Cigarettes, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax), Public Health, Smoking, Tobacco 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Medical Association applauds voter approval of Proposition 56 The California Medical Association (CMA) today applauded voter approval of Proposition 56, the California Healthcare, Research and Prevention Tobacco Tax Act of 2016. Voters overwhelmingly passed the measure, rejecting Big Tobacco’s $70 million deceptive campaign. Prop. 56 will increase California’s cigarette tax by $2 per pack, with an equivalent increase on products containing nicotine derived from tobacco, including e-cigarettes. In every other state that has significantly raised cigarette taxes, smoking rates have gone down, especially among children. “This is a great day for public health in California,” said CMA Immediate Past ... November 9, 2016 General Ballot Measures, Election, Electronic Cigarettes, Medi-Cal, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax), Public Health, Tobacco, Tobacco Tax 0 0 Comment Read More »
Free online CME course on e-cigarettes and cough reflex sensitivity Physician’s Weekly offers several continuing medical education (CME) activities on its website at http://www.physiciansweekly.com/cme-corner. The latest course, “CME: E-Cigarettes and Cough Reflex Sensitivity,” tackles the recent vaping craze. With information presented by Peter V. Dicpinigaitis, M.D., professor of clinical medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, this course discusses the effects of a single exposure to e-cigarette vapor on cough reflex sensitivity. To obtain CME, participants must review the course, correctly answer two out of three questions on the post test, and complete and submit an activity evaluation. This activity has been ... November 7, 2016 General CME, Continuing Medical Education, Electronic Cigarettes 0 0 Comment Read More »
Big Tobacco launches dishonest ad campaign about Prop. 56 Tom Torlakson, California’s state superintendent of public instruction, has demanded that broadcasters immediately stop airing false and deceptive ads from tobacco companies about the Proposition 56 tobacco tax initiative. Big Tobacco, which has put $36 million into the opposition campaign so far, continues to assert that Prop. 56 would take money away from education — a statement Torlakson called “preposterous” and “insulting to those of us committed to the education and well being of California’s children.” “It is absolutely untrue to claim that no money from the proposed tobacco tax would ... August 25, 2016 General Political Advocacy, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax), Smoking, Electronic Cigarettes, Public Health, Tobacco, Tobacco Tax 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA releases white paper on public health threat of flavored tobacco products The public health threat to youth and minority populations from smoking is climbing because of tobacco companies’ development and predatory marketing of new products such as candy and fruit flavored e-cigarettes, according to a new white paper published by the California Medical Association (CMA). Despite decades of policies and education about the deadly health toll of tobacco’s deadly, new products that appeal to young people and are falsely thought to be healthier have led to an uptick in the numbers of new smokers and in continued use among established smokers, ... June 8, 2016 General Public Health, Smoking, Tobacco, Electronic Cigarettes 0 0 Comment Read More »
New report gives California "F" grade for tobacco control policies California is largely failing in its efforts to fight tobacco use, according to the American Lung Association (ALA). In its 14th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report released on February 3, ALA gave California a failing grade in three out of four possible categories: Tobacco prevention and cessation funding, tobacco taxes, and access to cessation services. For the final category, which rates a state’s efforts to provide smoke-free air, California received a “B.” “While significant progress has been made in reducing youth cigarette smoking, youth use of other tobacco products, including e-cigarettes ... February 9, 2016 General Electronic Cigarettes, Public Health, Save Lives California, Tobacco, Tobacco Tax, American Lung Association 0 0 Comment Read More »
Report: high levels of cancer-causing chemicals found during e-cigarette tests The Center for Environmental Health (CEH), a consumer safety organization based in Oakland, has announced it will take “legal action” against electronic cigarette manufacturers after finding cancer-causing chemicals in a number of “vaping” products. CEH said that it is initiating legal action against the companies for failing to warn consumers of the presence of these cancer causing chemicals, as required under California’s strong consumer protection law known as Proposition 65. CEH's report, “A Smoking Gun: Cancer Causing Chemicals in E-cigarettes,” outlines the first-ever large sampling of actual e-cigarettes and vaping ... September 8, 2015 General Tobacco, Electronic Cigarettes 0 0 Comment Read More »
Study: e-cigarette use among youth could lead to smoking other tobacco products Youth who use e-cigarettes as their first method of smoking could transition to smoking regular cigarettes and other tobacco products, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Researchers surveyed 2,530 ninth-graders from 10 Los Angeles public schools for the study. None of the students had ever used combustible cigarettes before the survey, but those who had previously used e-cigarettes (222 students) were found to be more likely to smoke combustible tobacco during the subsequent year. “This study indicates that e-cigarettes are introducing many ... August 28, 2015 General Public Health, Smoking, Tobacco, Electronic Cigarettes 0 0 Comment Read More »
Study finds sharp rise in the use of e-cigarettes among young people A new study has found that 4.6 million young people — a quarter of all high school students and nearly 8 percent of middle school students —used tobacco in some form last year. According to the study, there was a decline in the numbers of high school students smoking cigarettes (from 16 percent to 9 percent), as well as a decline in the use of cigars and pipes. However, the study found that there was a substantial increase in the use of e-cigarettes (9.4 percent) and hookah pipes (13.4 ... April 23, 2015 General Public Health, Tobacco, Electronic Cigarettes 0 0 Comment Read More »
CDPH mounts television ad campaign highlighting the dangers of vaping Twenty-five years after launching the first anti-smoking advertisements in the state, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) launched a new series this week of television, digital and outdoor ads, all highlighting the dangers of e-cigarettes, a practice commonly known as “vaping.” With one of the lowest smoking rates in the nation, California has been a leader with its aggressive anti-smoking campaigns, but the aggressive marketing and escalating use of e-cigarettes threatens to erode this progress. CDPH recently released a report and a health advisory highlighting areas of concern regarding e-cigarettes, ... March 24, 2015 General Public Health, Deparftment of Public Health, Electronic Cigarettes 0 0 Comment Read More »
