This story appeared in the Colorado Sun on June 11, 2020. Colorado lawmakers are looking at adding a measure to the November ballot to increase taxes on tobacco and vaping products. A full version of the story can be found here
We tried to narrow it down to one winner, but one is a lonely number. For the first time, Tobacco Free North Dakota (TFND) is awarding two $1,000 scholarships for the Video Essay Scholarship Contest. The two winners are Sidney Anderson of Lisbon and Amy Moylan of Bismarck. Anderson will be attending Northern State University in South Dakota. Moylan will be attending the University of Mary in Bismarck.
“These two submissions were two of the best we’ve had since we started this contest three years ago,” said Heather Austin, Executive Director of TFND. “After discussion with the board, we decided both Sidney and Amy submitted award-winning videos.”
Usually,TFND hosts an in-person ceremony for the winner. This year, we opted for a socially-distanced video call with each winner.
This story was posted on CNN’s website on June 3. The opinion piece was written by Kelly Henning, the director of public health at Bloomberg Philanthropies. She’s also a former professor of infectious disease at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and served as director of the Division of Epidemiology at the New York City Health Department.
TFND’s former president Dr. Eric Johnson was among the authors published in a study showing adult patients with diabetes who smoke have a higher risk of unplanned medical visits. Dr. Johnson says the study was a “Collaboration between University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences Department of Family and Community Medicine, UND Masters of Public Health Program, and Sanford Health recently published.”
To read the study, click here
The 2019 Community Readiness Survey of North Dakota is showing adults across the state are deeply worried about tobacco use, particularly among youth.
Just a few numbers in the survey show:
To read the full survey, click here
New York state’s law banning the sale of flavored tobacco went into effect on Monday, May 18. Below is a statement from Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:
“New York’s historic law prohibiting the sale of all flavored e-cigarettes takes effect today. This action is the right move to reverse skyrocketing youth use of e-cigarettes and couldn’t come at a better time as health experts are warning that smoking and vaping can worsen the effects of COVID-19. It’s more critical than ever to keep our lungs healthy. This measure is necessary to prevent e-cigarettes from addicting a new generation of kids and reversing the enormous progress we have made in reducing youth tobacco use.
Also going into effect is a statewide ban on the sale of all tobacco products at pharmacies. New York follows Massachusetts in taking this important action, and the city of Oakland did the same just last week. We applaud Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his strong leadership in pushing for these measures.
Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge Governor Cuomo and state lawmakers to continue and step up the state’s efforts to prevent kids from using any tobacco products and help current tobacco users quit. That includes providing robust funding for the state’s tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
The New York legislature should also tackle the serious problem of other flavored tobacco products – especially menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars – when they next return to session. It’s time to stop tobacco companies from targeting and addicting kids with flavored products once and for all and put an end to the tobacco industry’s long and harmful history of targeting kids and African Americans with menthol cigarettes. The coronavirus pandemic should serve as a wakeup call to make our lungs healthier now and for the future.
New York is one of four states that have prohibited the sale of flavored e-cigarettes, along with Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island (Massachusetts prohibited the sale of all flavored tobacco products). We strongly urge other states – including neighboring Connecticut and Vermont – to join in protecting the health of our kids by ending the sale of flavored tobacco products.
There is no time to waste as the youth e-cigarette epidemic has gone from bad to worse. According to the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey (2019 NYTS), e-cigarette use among high school students nationwide increased to 27.5% in 2019 compared to 11.7% in 2017. Altogether, more than 5.3 million middle and high school students now use e-cigarettes. In New York, 27.4% of high school students use e-cigarettes, compared to 4.8% who smoke cigarettes. The evidence is clear that flavored e-cigarettes have fueled this epidemic – 97% of youth e-cigarette users report using a flavored product in the past month, and 70% cite flavors as the reason for their use.”
Tobacco kills more than 8 million people globally every year. More than 7 million of these deaths are from direct tobacco use and around 1.2 million are due to non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
Tobacco smoking is a known risk factor for many respiratory infections and increases the severity of respiratory diseases. A review of studies by public health experts convened by WHO on 29 April 2020 found that smokers are more likely to develop severe disease with COVID-19, compared to non-smokers.
COVID-19 is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs. Smoking impairs lung function making it harder for the body to fight off coronaviruses and other diseases. Tobacco is also a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, respiratory disease and diabetes which put people with these conditions at higher risk for developing severe illness when affected by COVID-19. Available research suggests that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe disease and death.
WHO is constantly evaluating new research, including research that examines the link between tobacco use, nicotine use, and COVID-19. WHO urges researchers, scientists and the media to be cautious about amplifying unproven claims that tobacco or nicotine could reduce the risk of COVID-19. There is currently insufficient information to confirm any link between tobacco or nicotine in the prevention or treatment of COVID-19.
Nicotine replacement therapies, such as gum and patches are designed to help smokers quit tobacco. WHO recommends that smokers take immediate steps to quit by using proven methods such as toll-free quit lines, mobile text-messaging programs, and nicotine replacement therapies.
Within 20 minutes of quitting, elevated heart rate and blood pressure drop. After 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in the bloodstream drops to normal. Within 2-12 weeks, circulation improves and lung function increases. After 1-9 months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
WHO stresses the importance of ethically approved, high-quality, systematic research that will contribute to advancing individual and public health, emphasizing that promotion of unproven interventions could have a negative effect on health.
The City of Oakland (CA) unanimously approved a measure to bans the sale of all flavored tobacco products at all locations within the city. Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, posted this statement about the decision:
“Oakland’s City Council today took an important step to protect the health of its kids by unanimously (8-0) ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products at all locations with no exemptions. This action – which covers flavored e-cigarettes, cigars and menthol cigarettes – is the right move to reverse skyrocketing youth use of e-cigarettes and stop tobacco companies from targeting and addicting kids with flavored products. It also couldn’t come at a better time as health experts are warning that smoking and vaping can worsen the effects of COVID-19. It’s more critical than ever to keep our lungs healthy. This measure is necessary to prevent flavored tobacco products from addicting a new generation of kids and reversing the enormous progress we have made in reducing youth tobacco use.
Oakland was one of the first cities to prohibit most sales of flavored tobacco products when it acted in 2017. But its exemption for so-called adult-only tobacco stores created a loophole that the tobacco industry has shamelessly exploited. While just a handful of such shops existed before the law, more than 55 currently operate in the city, with some of these “adult-only tobacco stores” simply being walled-off areas in a store or gas station.
There is no time to waste as the youth e-cigarette epidemic has gone from bad to worse. According to the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey (2019 NYTS), e-cigarette use among high school students nationwide increased to 27.5% in 2019 compared to 11.7% in 2017. Altogether, more than 5.3 million middle and high school students now use e-cigarettes. The evidence is clear that flavored e-cigarettes have fueled this epidemic – 97% of youth e-cigarette users report using a flavored product in the past month, and 70% cite flavors as the reason for their use.
Flavored products have long been a favorite tobacco industry strategy for targeting kids. In addition to e-cigarettes, flavored cigars have proliferated in recent years and become popular with kids, while more than half of youth smokers – including seven out of ten African-American youth smokers – smoke menthol cigarettes. The evidence shows that menthol makes it easier for kids to start smoking and harder for smokers to quit. Oakland’s law helps put an end once and for all to the tobacco industry’s long and harmful history of targeting kids and African Americans with menthol cigarettes. The city of Los Angeles, the state of California and others should follow suit by also ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products with no exemptions.
The Oakland City Council also voted to prohibit the sale of tobacco products at pharmacies, provide stronger compliance and enforcement of the law prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products, and clarify that the law penalizes retailers who violate the law and does not penalize youth for possession, use or purchase of tobacco products.”
Here’s a post from Dr. Stanton Glantz, the Director of the Center for Tobacco Research Control & Education, about loopholes in regulations allowing products like Puff Bars to continue to be marketed to kids.
The city of Lincoln passed a T21 ordinance during their April 30 meeting. TFND supports this measure for all of North Dakota’s cities and counties. The vote to change ordinance 12-07-12 Sale of Tobacco To and Possession, Sale or use by a person under the age of 21 ordinance was unanimous.
The age for purchase and possession of all tobacco products was increased to age 21 to match federal laws and allow for local enforcement of those laws. If cities don’t have local ordinances recognizing age 21 for tobacco products, it makes it difficult to enforce because violators will go to Federal Court instead of local. It is important for all cities to pass local ordinances for age 21.
Below are additional updates to ordinance:
Thank you to our friends at the Bismarck Tobacco Free Coalition and the Lincoln City Council for their support and work on this important issue!