June 15, 2015
Erin Sutfin and colleagues at Wake Forest University just published “ The Impact of Trying Electronic Cigarettes on Cigarette Smoking by College Students: A Prospective Analysis” in American Journal of Public Health that adds to the evidence that e-cigarette use is depressing quitting smoking cigarettes.
This paper follows several hundred college students over 3 years during which time they assessed smoking behavior, how often respondents smoked (a measure of nicotine dependence) other tobacco use, and a variety of personality and demographic characteristics. Controlling for all these factors, the authors found that among young adults who were smoking at baseline, e-cigarette use was associated with higher likelihood of smoking at follow-up.
Here is the abstract:
June 15, 2015
Kim Klausner, who has managed the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library and other related industry document collections so well for the past several years, is retiring and the UCSF Library is looking for someone to take over the position.
Here is the job announcement. Please pass it on to anyone you know who might be interested.
The Industry Documents Digital Library Manager develops and supports industry document collections publicly available on the UCSF Industry Documents Digital Library at http://ift.tt/1Fp53S3. The first and largest of these collections is the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library followed by others including the pharmaceutical industry and food. These digital archives of documents, acquired largely through litigation, serve as the foundation for collections that foster research that advances public health.
Obama setback on Trans Pacific Partnership: Tobacco control advocates need to speak out publicly now
June 14, 2015
The bulk of the press coverage on President Obama’s failure win endorsement of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) on Friday has concentrated on the strong unified opposition by organized labor and the general political fallout of his defeat.
There is no question that these issues are important. There is a broad consensus outside the corporate interests that have been pushing the TPP (including with nearly $200 million in campaign contributions to House members) We have been following this issue closely and agree that the evidence strongly supports the proposition that the earlier trade agreements upon which the TPP is based have led to declining opportunities for American workers, wage stagnation, and increasing income inequality.
But that is not the only thing wrong with the TPP.
June 8, 2015
Amanda Fallin and I just published "Tobacco-control policies in tobacco-growing states: where tobacco was king" in Millbank Quarterly that explains why, after years of lagging the rest of the country, progress on tobacco control is now taking place there.
Here is the abstract:
Policy Points: The tobacco companies prioritized blocking tobacco-control policies in tobacco-growing states and partnered with tobacco farmers to oppose tobacco-control policies. The 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, which settled state litigation against the cigarette companies, the 2004 tobacco-quota buyout, and the companies' increasing use of foreign tobacco led to a rift between the companies and tobacco farmers. In 2003, the first comprehensive smoke-free local law was passed in a major tobacco-growing state, and there has been steady progress in the region since then. Health advocates should educate the public and policymakers on the changing reality in tobacco-growing states, notably the major reduction in the volume of tobacco produced.
June 6, 2015
A great video sums up Obama word games about TPP in song: Fast Track, Trade Agreements, and the TPP Razzle Dazzle https://youtu.be/Lyf-z4xBv9I