May 5, 2015
Our next Smokefree Movies ad that is running May 6 in The Hollywood Reporter and May 12 in Variety lists some of the most bankable names in Hollywood, along with prominent producers and directors, who are responsible for the most smoking in movies.
You can see the ad on the new Smokefree Movies web site here.
Go to http://smokefreemovies.ucsf.edu/whos-accountable to run these rankings by Hollywood role, time-period and film rating. The database includes every top-grossing film released 2002-now, and thousands of names of people and the companies involved. The names are captured directly from the Who’s Accountable displays on the SFM web site that are updated every week based on new movie data collected by our partners at Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down!
The numbers in the ad are important. They show that kid-rated movies with smoking released after the US film industry was briefed about the harm they do, in 2003, have recruited three million kids to smoke, of whom a million will eventually die from tobacco-induced diseases.
April 30, 2015
It has been a year, after years of delay and meddling by the White House Office of Management and Budget, since the FDA released its proposed deeming rule on e-cigarettes and other tobacco products and we are still waiting for the final rule. In the meantime out-of-control marketing by the cigarette and e-cigarette companies has led to exploding e-cigarette use, especially among kids.
Even when the rule is finally issued, if it resembles the proposed rule, it will have little practical effect because it does nothing to reign in use of flavors in e-cigarettes or other tobacco products, internet sales of e-cigarettes (something the FDA wanted to do and that the While House took out), or e-cigarette marketing. The Administration could, I suppose, act on public comments that the public health community and attorneys general submitted calling on the FDA to close these loopholes in the final rule but, given that the White House has blocked eliminating menthol from cigarettes for years despite strong evidence (including from the FDA’s own analysis) that doing so would protect public health, I am not holding my breath.
Like everything else in tobacco, the progress on e-cigarettes is being made at the state and local levels. I just hope that the final FDA rule does not do anything to make that process more difficult.
April 30, 2015
Last year, in part because of lack of proactive support from the big health groups, a bill to include e-cigarettes in the state clean indoor air law was hijacked by behind-the-scenes lobbying by the big cigarette companies (for details, see out California report).
This year things are different. As described below, the big health groups are working hard to support Senator Mark Leno’s SB140. This is a very well-written bill that will make a substantial commitment to public health.
The fact that the bill is stuck in the Senate Appropriations Committee is strong evidence that the industry is fighting hard (as always, in the shadows), since this bill does not require appropriating any money. Indeed, by improving health it will save money.
As Jim Knox notes below, there are also two bad bills that will help the industry.
I testified for SB140 in the Health Committee and urge others who support science-based public health to do what they can to help move this bill forward.
Here is Jim's briefing:
From: Jim Knox [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2015 7:12 PM
April 29, 2015
Blu E-Cigs Not Safer or Healthier, Class Claims
Courthouse News Service
SANTA ANA, Calif. (CN) - Lorillard Tobacco Company falsely advertises its Blu brand of electronic cigarettes as "safer" and "healthier" than standard smokes when they're not, a class claims in state court.
Lead plaintiff Larry Diek says in a 50-page complaint filed last week in Orange County Superior Court that he would not have purchased Blu e-cigarettes if he had known about their dangers.
(The full story is at the link above)
April 29, 2015
This letter was sent to Karen Smith, head of the California Department of Public Health, a couple days ago;
April 27, 2015
Karen Smith, M.D., M.P.H.
State Health Officer and Director
California Department of Public Health
1615 Capitol Ave.
Sacramento, CA 95814
[email protected]
Dear Dr. Smith,
We, the undersigned public health and health equity leaders from throughout the state, want to express our strong support for the California Department of Public Health’s recent steps to protect California’s youth from the dangers posed by e-cigarettes. As public health professionals, we concur with the Department and believe that the time to take public health action on e-cigarettes is now.