Cancer CANdor Blog

Five years ago this week, we celebrated a landmark public health victory as the president signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law.

Last monthŠ—'s news that the FDA is proposing to regulate all tobacco products was long-awaited and very welcomed by public health advocates. There was lots of news coverage of the proposalŠ—'s release, but whatŠ—'s next?

It couldnŠ—'t be a more appropriate day for the FDA to launch its first-ever national anti-tobacco education campaign aimed at youth ages 12-17.

This morning at a White House event, acting Surgeon General Boris Lushniak released the 32nd Surgeon GeneralŠ—'s report: The Health Consequences of Smoking Š—– 50 Years of Progress. The report is an important compilation of the more than 50 years of strong scientific data showing how the tobacco epidemic has caused an enormous avoidable public health tragedy.

A new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health caught my attention this morning with some staggering statistics about tobacco use among our nationŠ—'s youth. The bottom line: far too many children are using flavored tobacco products.

Unfortunately, for most of you the answer to the question above is Š—“not well.Š— According to a new edition of the ACS CAN report How Do You Measure Up? released today, many state legislatures are missing opportunities to enact laws and policies that could not only generate new revenue and long-term health savings, but also save lives.

But thanks to the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which Congress passed in 2009, the FDA now has regulatory authority over the tobacco industry, reining in its misleading marketing of its deadly products. The law included a ban on terms such as Š—“light,Š— Š—“mildŠ— and Š—“low tarŠ— from tobacco packaging and marketing. Unfortunately, a new study I came across today documents how the tobacco industry is using deceptive tactics to sidestep this ban.

Tobacco control advocates had much cause for celebration yesterday! In a victory for public health, U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler ordered strong corrective statements that the tobacco companies must make to explain that they deliberately deceived the American public for decades about the health hazards of their deadly products.

A new edition of the ACS CAN report How Do You Measure Up? shows that the majority of states are not measuring up on legislative solutions to prevent and fight cancer. The report ranks where states stand on these issues that play a critical role in reducing cancer incidence and death. It measures seven specific issues.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took an important step today to address the illegal sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to kids. The FDA announced that it sent warning letters to more than 1,200 tobacco retailers threatening civil penalties against those selling tobacco to kids.