November 8, 2011
We just published, a study in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showing that strong clean indoor air laws are associated with large increases in voluntary smokefree policies in the home, as well. Although the aim of clean indoor air laws is to reduce second hand smoke exposure in public venues, our results show that these laws have the important additional benefit of stimulating smokefree homes, with a larger association in homes occupied by smokers, protecting kids and other family members from second hand smoke. We analyzed data from the Tobacco Use Supplement to Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS), a nationally representative household survey of tobacco use. They looked at the likelihood of a person living in a home with a 100% smokefree ban, and how that related to individual characteristics, household composition, and whether the residential region is covered by clean indoor air laws. Living in a county fully covered by a 100% clean indoor air law in workplaces or restaurants and bars is associated with an increased likelihood of having a voluntary 100% smokefree-home rule, for both smoking and nonsmoking households. In addition the presence of children in the home makes a smokefree rule more likely.
October 27, 2011
The bizarre Herman Cain campaign ad featuring his campaign manager, Mark Block, smoking is just the latest in their longstanding tobacco promotions. Cain has a longstanding working relationship with the tobacco industry.
October 22, 2011
Major Hollywood studios will release at least two more PG-rated movies with smoking by the end of 2011:
1) Hugo, produced and directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Johnny Depp, will open November 23, 2011 in the United States. Set in Paris in the 1930s, the story of a boy and his father has been rated "PG for mild thematic material, some action/peril and smoking."
Distributed by Viacom (Paramount), the live-action movie was produced by GK Films (Graham King), whose other smoking productions include Rango (PG), The Tourist (PG-13), Next (PG-13), Blood Diamond (R) and The Departed (R). Earlier this year, Rango delivered more than 800 million tobacco impressions to US theater audiences.
October 6, 2011
October 6, 2011
Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director
National Institute on Drug Abuse
National Institutes of Health
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 5213
Bethesda, MD 20892-9561
Dear Dr. Volkow,
I was very pleased to read the recent statement by NIDA’s National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse, “Points to Consider Regarding Tobacco Industry Funding of NIDA Applicants.” It is a sensible and scientifically sound response to the overwhelming evidence that the tobacco industry has used funding of science in its efforts to maintain its sales and profits at the cost of the public’s health.
As the Council noted, this distortion of science was a key element of Federal Judge Gladys Kessler’s ruling, upheld on appeal, that the tobacco companies created an illegal racketeering enterprise and that this behavior was continuing and likely to continue in the future.
I hope that you will act on this recommendation by seeing that the considerations suggested by the Council are formally integrated into NIDA’s funding decision making process.
Please share this letter with the Council and others at NIDA who were instrumental in developing this policy.
Thank you for NIDA’s leadership on this important issue.
Best wishes,
October 6, 2011
| The National Institute for Drug Abuse's National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse (NACDA) has made a very important recommendation to NIDA on the issue of tobacco industry funding for research. After summarizing the tobacco industry's long history of funding research as part of its ongoing effort "to deceive the American public about the health effects of smoking and environmental tobacco smoke, the addictiveness of nicotine, the lack of health benefits from low tar and "light" cigarettes, and their manipulating the design and composition of cigarettes in order to create and sustain nicotine addiction," NACDA suggested that NIDA take care to "ensure that the design, conduct, and reporting of research results is not compromised or does not appear to be compromised by an Investigator's or Institution's relationship with the tobacco industry." In particular, they offered two "Points to consider," quoted in full below:
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