Legal Update, the newsletter of the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium

Dear Colleagues,

The latest issue of the Legal Update, the newsletter of the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, is now available at http://www.publichealthlawcenter.org/sites/default/files/resources/tclc-legal-update-summer-2014.pdf.  This special commemorative edition looks back at tobacco control accomplishments since 1964, the year the first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health was released.  We feature reflections on memorable moments in tobacco control law and policy from Consortium attorneys at several legal resource centers and we review a few major legal challenges over the last decade.  We include a salute to a committed public health champion who has played a pivotal role in U.S. tobacco control legislation – Congressman Henry Waxman, along with a special story by attorney Cliff Douglas about Waxman’s ingenuity as a tobacco control champion.  We also feature an "Ask a Lawyer"  column by Consortium attorney Mark Meaney on a key challenge facing the tobacco control community today – e-cigarettes.  Finally, we provide links to new tobacco control resources, tobacco law and policy job postings, and upcoming events.

We hope you find the Legal Update helpful in your work.  As always, if you would prefer not to receive these messages, please let us know. 

Best regards, 

  

Doug Blanke, Executive Director

It’s All Acute to Me: Expanding Opportunities for Cessation Counseling Beyond Primary Care

It’s All Acute to Me: Expanding Opportunities for Cessation Counseling Beyond Primary Care
Wednesday, July 23^rd;  12-1:00 pm ET

This AAP Richmond Center webinar will focus on opportunities for tobacco cessation counseling outside the primary care setting. Opportunities for these discussions in the hospital setting will be discussed, as well as referring patients, clients, and families to local resources like the state quitline. Featured presenters include Susan Walley, MD, FAAP of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Rachel Boykan, MD, FAAP, Stony Brook University. Contact richmondcenter@aap.org with questions.

Register today!

Upcoming Webinars

Webinar - Smoke-free Foster Care: Tales from the Field

Host: Tobacco Control Legal Consortium

When: June 24, 2014, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. (Central Time).

Speakers: Kathleen Hoke, J.D., Director, Legal Resource Center for Public Health Policy, University of Maryland School of Law; Pat McKone, Director, Tobacco Control Programs and Policy, American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest; Jeanne Weigum, Executive Director, Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota; and Molly Moilanen, Director of Public Affairs, ClearWay Minnesota

Description of topic: Foster children face a disproportionate number of health-related challenges due to backgrounds that can include physical and emotional abuse, neglect, malnutrition, and in-utero alcohol or drug exposure. Despite this, in many states these children are still placed in foster homes where they are exposed to the health hazards of secondhand smoke. This webinar presents an overview of policy considerations for state and local communities interested in providing a safe smoke-free environment for children in foster homes. It describes policy options and challenges, and provides case studies of two states that have passed smoke-free foster care regulations:  Maryland in 2008 and Minnesota in 2014. 

REGISTER HERE

 

---

Webinar - Top Cancers in Indian Country: Risk Factors, Regional Issues, and Opportunities
Host: National Native Network
When: June 24, 2014 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EDT
Speaker: Dr. David Espey, Acting Director of CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control

Learning objectives:
By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the top cancers in Indian Country and associated risk factors
• Identify regional issues and needs related to prevention, control, and surveillance
• Identify and leverage regional and national resources in cancer prevention and control

REGISTER HERE

 

---

Webinar - Smoking and Dementia: Are You at Risk for Alzheimer’s?

 

Host: Smoking Cessation Leadership Center

When: June 25, 2014 at 2:00pm Eastern Time/ 11:00am Pacific Time (90 minutes)

Speaker: Eric B. Larson, MD, MPH, MACP, Vice President for Research, Group Health and  Executive Director & Senior Investigator, Group Health Research Institute

Webinar objectives:

• Describe how research has changed  our understanding of Alzheimer’s and late life dementias
• Value the magnitude of the “epidemic” of Alzheimer’s and late life dementias
• Explain that reduction of vascular risk is a promising way to reduce risk of experiencing Alzheimer’s and late life dementia and that these conditions are among the most feared of any chronic disease
• Apply the knowledge that smoking increases vascular risk and the risk of developing late life dementias and  Alzheimer’s disease  to promote smoking cessation
• Assess that evidence of declining incidence rates reported  in several recent papers argues for preventability of Alzheimer’s and late life dementias

REGISTER HERE

---

New Resources to Promote the 2014 Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health
The 2014 Surgeon General’s report, The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress, is now available as an eBook. The Full Report, Supplemental Evidence Tables, and Executive Summary are available in ePUB (compatible with Apple’s iBooks, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, and many others) and MOBI (Amazon Kindle) formats for your mobile electronic device. 

Download them for free at http://bookstore.gpo.gov/ebooks.

Please note: you will need to complete the checkout process in order to receive the FREE eBook. If you have any questions about these eBooks, please feel free to contact Leslie Norman at LNorman@cdc.gov.

SGR50 Products now available en Español

Several products associated with the 2014 Surgeon General Report are available in Spanish. You can find all the products on the Surgeon General Spanish Resources webpage.

• Executive Summary: This Executive Summary of the Surgeon General’s Report, released in January, 2014, provides an overview of the full report of the Surgeon General and highlights the conclusions and findings.
• Consumer Booklet: This easy-to-read, illustrated booklet summarizes the Surgeon General’s Report released in January, 2014. It is designed to give concerned adults information to help them make choices that will improve their own health and the health of their children, their families, and their communities.
• Public Service Announcement - 5.6 Million Children: This public service announcement (PSA) is designed to educate adults about the long-term impact of tobacco use on this nation’s future – its youth. The PSA points out that 5.6 million children alive today will ultimately die early from smoking if we do not do more to reduce current smoking rates.

For more information and resources, please visit the Surgeon General 50th Anniversary website.

Message from the National Behavioral Health Network

Over the coming year, the National Behavioral Health Network will promote health and wellness efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use and cancer among people with mental illness and substance use disorders by:

·         Showcasing the expertise and the great work that Many of YOU are already engaged in local communities across the U.S. and abroad;

·         Connecting YOU to peers as well as state and national-level resources;

·         Engaging, empowering and educating states and local communities on the importance of targeted health and wellness promotion and education efforts for this population; AND

·         Providing YOU access to leading experts and thought leaders in the fields of tobacco and cancer.

Starting June 2014, the National  Behavioral Health Network will be rolling out:

·         FOUR webinars showcasing clinical, community and policy interventions aimed at eliminating tobacco and cancer-related disparities among people with mental illness and substance use disorders and CALLING YOU TO ACTION;

·         ONE multi-state leadership forum to document and disseminate best practices and recommendations from states that have or plan to implement tobacco and cancer control efforts;

·         BI-MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER, the Network Insider,  that provides cutting-edge information and resources, showcases what’s happening in local communities, highlighting the latest news and literature and will serve as a bulletin board for events that are happening across the U.S. and abroad; AND

·         National Behavioral Health Network WEBSITE, that will provide an interactive experience for Network participants and serve as a forum for peer-to-peer networking among Network participants and resource hub.

>>>>>>Stay Tuned in the upcoming weeks for detailed information about these events! <<<<<<<

We are looking forward to working together to eliminate tobacco and cancer-related disparities that exist among people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders!

Do you have any thoughts on how to prevent and reduce tobacco usage and cancer rates among people with mental illness and substance use disorders? Please send your comments to me at ShelinaF@thenationalcouncil.org.

New CDC data on a range of youth risk behaviors show youth cigarette smoking at 22-year low

	CDC Hill Announcement
	Thursday, June 12, 2014 New CDC data on a range of youth risk behaviors show youth cigarette smoking at 22-year low A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that analyzes priority health risk behaviors in youth found that in 2013 there were changes in a number of health behaviors among high school students, including those related to smoking, computer usage, and sexual activity. Smoking among high school students dropped to the lowest levels since 1991 when the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey  (YRBS) first began collecting these data. Nationwide, cigarette smoking rates among high school students dropped to 15.7%, marking the first time the U.S. has met its national Healthy People 2020 objective of reducing adolescent cigarette use to 16% or less.  Despite this progress, reducing overall tobacco use remains a significant challenge. For example, other national surveys show increases in hookah and e-cigarette use. Other key findings in the 2013 report include: No change in smokeless tobacco (e.g. chewing tobacco, snuff, dip) use since 1999, and  a decline in cigar use that has slowed in recent years, with cigar use now at 23% among male high school seniors (includes cigars, cigarillos, little cigars). 41% percent of students who had driven a car or other vehicle during the past 30 days had texted or emailed while driving. A significant decrease in drinking soda (or pop) one or more times per day from 34% in 2007 to 27% in 2013. A doubling in the percent of those using a computer three or more hours per day from 22% to 41% between 2003-2013 for non-school related work. Among high school students who are currently sexually active, a decline in condom use from 63% in 2003 to 59% in 2013.  Sexually active in this survey is defined as having had sexual  intercourse during the previous 3 months. CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is the only surveillance system designed to monitor a wide range of priority health risk behaviors among representative samples of high school students at the national, state, and local levels. National, state, and large urban school district surveys are conducted every two years among high school students throughout the United States. These surveys monitor priority health risk behaviors including unintentional injuries and violence; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection; tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; unhealthy dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity. These surveys also monitor obesity and asthma. More than 13,000 U.S. high school students participated in the 2013 National YRBS. Parental permission was obtained for students to participate in the survey, student participation was voluntary, and responses were anonymous. States and large urban school districts could modify the questionnaire for their own surveys to meet their needs. The 2013 YRBSS report includes National YRBS data and data from surveys conducted in 42 states and 21 large urban school districts. CDC has prepared fact sheets that include in depth information for each topic area, and there are also data tables that compare each state or large school district with national data.  For additional information on CDC’s activities in adolescent and school health, please visit www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/index.htm or contact Amy Pulver at APulver@cdc.gov.
	Note:  Please feel free to forward this information to others within your organization or to your networks.  If you wish NOT to receive announcements like this, please e-mail with Unsubscribe as the subject line.  If you have received this as a forward and would like to be on the distribution list, please e-mail with Subscribe as the subject line.