Victory! City Council passes critical legislation to reduce tobacco use

In case you haven't already heard, the City Council passed two historic pieces of legislation last night! One bill will raise the minimum legal sale age for tobacco products to 21. The second bill, the Sensible Tobacco Enforcement Act, will step up enforcement against retailers who evade tobacco taxes or sell tobacco without a license, prohibit coupons or price discounts for tobacco products, create a minimum price for cigarettes and little cigars, and set minimum packaging requirements for cheap cigars, little cigars and cigarillos to crack down on the sale of “loosies.” Read our joint statement on the passage of these two bills. This is a HUGE VICTORY for NYC as it, once again, leads the nation in policymaking that protects public health and saves lives. Please send a thank you message to the City Council. THANK YOU for standing by us as we continue our work to reduce tobacco use around the country and around the world! Kevin O'Flaherty Director, Northeast Region

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Smoking Prevention in Schools Found to Be Effective Strategy

Photo Credit: blog.childtrends.org

Certain school-based programs that aim to keep kids from smoking cigarettes seem to work, according to a fresh look at some past research.

After examining over a hundred "gold standard" studies, researchers found that school-based programs that teach children life skills and self-esteem were linked to a significant reduction in the number who started using tobacco down the road.

 

READ FULL FEATURE: Science Daily
Research conducted by The Cochrane Library

 

A Message from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Logo: Tobacco Free Kids

You may have seen some intriguing headlines in the news recently: "NYC aims to ban cigarette sales under 21s," or "Hiding the Smokes." Here's what's really happening:

Mayor Bloomberg and the City Council have been hard at work proposing policies that will keep kids from smoking and help smokers quit. These new proposals would prohibit sale of tobacco products to anyone under 21, set minimum prices on products and prohibit the display of tobacco products in stores. 

Sensible Tobacco Enforcement Bill Increases penalties for retailers who evade tobacco taxes or sell tobacco without a license.    Prohibits retailers from redeeming coupons or honoring other price discounts for tobacco products.   Creates a minimum price for cigarettes and little cigars, which are virtually identical to cigarettes, at $10.50 per pack.   Requires that cheap cigars and cigarillos be sold in packages of at least 4, and little cigars be sold in packages of at least 20. Cigars that cost more than $3 each are exempt from the packaging rule.

Tobacco Product  Restriction Bill Prohibits the display of tobacco products to protect children from the marketing of cigarettes through their display at retail counters. Does not inhibit retailers ability to advertise and communicate tobacco product price and information to customers

We need to ensure that these measures are supported, so we need your help! Learn more about these initiatives and tell your friends to support them here. Stay tuned for some more calls to action from us-- the City Council will need to hear from you soon!

President Obama calls for cigarette tax hike of 94 cents a pack

Photo Credit: Newsday

President's Obama's call for a 94-cent-a-pack hike on federal cigarette taxes to fund early childhood education programs is controversial.

Anti-smoking groups applaud the proposal, but some tax experts and tobacco companies are against it.  

The case for the tax. The tax is being presented as way to fund education and reduce smoking rates. It would raise roughly $78 billion over 10 years.

"The proposed tobacco tax increase would have substantial public health benefits, particularly for young Americans," the president's budget read. "Researchers have found that raising taxes on cigarettes significantly reduces consumption, with especially large effects on youth smoking."

READ FULL ARTICLE: MyFoxNYC.com

Kick Butts Day is March 20th

Mark Your Calendars for Kick Butts Day on March 20th.

Started in 1996 by the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Kick Butts Day is a nationwide day of action to spread the word about the harmful effects of tobacco and smoking products on young people.

Organizers have created an interactive website to assist those interested in having young people participate in the campaign.   KickButtsDay.org has a list of easy to plan activities that are sure to get the attention of both kids and adults alike.

More than 100 youth led activities are expected to occur nationwide to raise the awareness about the issue and encourage kids to stay tobacco free.  Materials are provided free-of-charge and most needing only a short time for preparation


CHECK OUT OUR ISSUE SPOTLIGHT ON KICK BUTTS DAY for Activities & Fact Sheets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Toll of Tobacco in New York

High school students who smoke	12.5% (132,400)
Male high school students who use smokeless or spit tobacco	11% (females use much lower)
Kids (under 18) who become new daily smokers each year	22,500
Kids exposed to secondhand smoke at home	1,120,000
Packs of cigarettes bought or smoked by kids each year	33.4 million
Adults in New York who smoke	18.1% (2,747,400)

Adults who die each year from their own smoking	25,400
Kids now under 18 and alive in New York who will ultimately die prematurely from smoking	389,000