Stanton Glantz, PhD's blog

Americans for Prosperity is just another group fronting for Big Tobacco in the No on 29 campaign

Submitted by sglantz on Sun, 2012-05-13 15:24

Knowing that they must do their best to stay out of the public eye, the tobacco companies running and financing the campaign against Proposition 29, the initiative Californians will vote on this June to raise cigarette taxes by $1 a pack to fund anti-smoking activities and medical research, the cigarette companies have tried to hide behind various "independent" groups that they have funded for years. Read more »

Governor Brown dismisses tobacco industry spokesdoctor from Prop 65 scientific advisory committee

Submitted by sglantz on Thu, 2012-05-10 20:19

The Sacramento Bee just reported that Governor Jerry Brown removed LaDonna Porter from the state scientific committee charged with evaluating potential water pollutants for the state of California.  Porter has served as spokesdoctor for two tobacco industry campaigns against cigarette tax increases, as well as supported ind Read more »

38 Attorneys General tell studios to stop kid-rated smoking "now"

Submitted by sglantz on Thu, 2012-05-10 10:46

The attorneys general just sent made VERY strong letters to the studios telling them to get smoking out of youth-rated films.  The letter will curl your hair.

It is especially encouraging that, in this day of divisive hyperpartisanship, the signatories are so bipartisan. Of 25 GOP-affiliated AGs, 13 (52%) signed and of 27 Democratic AGs, 21 (78%) signed.  (The remaining are unaffiliated.) Read more »

New NIH "Addiction Institute" must not damage existing tobacco control research

Submitted by sglantz on Wed, 2012-05-09 21:33

The National Institutes of Health has announced that it is creating a new  "National Institute of Substance Use and Addiction Disorders" and invited public comment on this plan. If done well, this could be an improvement.  If done poorly -- particularly if all tobacco-related work was swept into the new institute -- this plan could do great harm to the tobacco research enterprise.  The public comment period is open until 11:59 PM on Friday May 11.  While the deadline is near, I urge everyone to put in comments on this proposal. Read more »

Why did Philip Morris just give Gov Jerry Brown $26,000 for his 2014 re-election campaign?

Submitted by sglantz on Mon, 2012-05-07 18:13

The San Francisco Chronicle just reported that Philip Morris gave Jerry Brown a sizable contribution for his re-election campaign 2 1/2 years from now.

I can think of several reasons that Philip Morris would make such an investment: Read more »

LaDonna Porter, the tobacco industry spokesphysician against Prop 29, advocated for toxic industries against public health

Submitted by sglantz on Thu, 2012-04-26 16:35

Her work fronting for the tobacco industry in its' advertising against California's Proposition 29 is not Dr. LaDonna Porter's first work promoting a toxic industry.  (You the ad she made for the tobacco companies by clicking here.) Read more »

Prop 29 opponents California Taxpayers Assn and California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce have financial ties to Philip Morris

Submitted by sglantz on Sun, 2012-04-22 19:00

The California Taxpayers Association (CalTax) and the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, which signed the "No on 29" ballot arguments have long histories of working with the cigarette companies, including "donations" from Philip Morris over the years. Read more »

Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds recycle losing arguments that they used to (unsuccessfully) oppose Prop 99 in 1988

Submitted by sglantz on Thu, 2012-04-19 14:17

Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds (and a few pals) have started their media blitz against Proposition 29, the initiative to be voted on this June that would increase the cigarette tax by $1 and allocate the money to reinvigorate Californian's anti-smoking program and fund medical research on cancer and other tobacco-induced diseases.  What is amazing is how little has changed since voters saw through Big Tobacco's lies in 1988 and passed Proposition 99 that changed the world Read more »

More calls for Obama to ban menthol from former health officials

Submitted by sglantz on Wed, 2012-04-18 20:07

Joseph Califano, Jr., and a distinguished group of former Secretaries of Health, CDC Directors and Surgeons General have again called on the FDA to act on well-established science demonstrating that menthol in tobacco products endangers public health.  My only criticism of what they are demanding is that it does not go far enough.  The FDA should not just prohibit menthol flavored c Read more »

South Korea: ‘KT&G Sangsang Univ.’ employs education for marketing

Submitted by sglantz on Sat, 2012-03-31 10:47

The Korean tobacco company, KT&G, has developed a clever way to use "educational programs" as a way to get around South Korea's restrictions on cigarette marketing.  The courses both improve the company's image (in itself important, since young adults who do not like or trust tobacco companies are less likely to smoke and, if they do, are more likely to be planning to quit [evidence 1, evidenc Read more »

Syndicate content