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Prevention and Cessation Press Releases

August 9, 2018

New Report Shows State Lawmakers Can Do More to Prevent, Reduce Cancer

State lawmakers across the country are missing important opportunities to pass and implement proven legislative solutions to prevent and fight cancer, according to a report released today by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). How Do You Measure Up?: A Progress Report on State Legislative Activity to Reduce Cancer Incidence and Mortality grades states on the strength of evidence-based policies that help to prevent cancer, which kills roughly 1,670 people a day nationwide, forces patients to pay nearly $4 billion in out-of-pocket expenses every year and in 2015 cost the country more than $80 billion in direct medical expenditures. 

July 2, 2018

State Bills Limiting Local Authority Could Threaten Future Public Health Policies

In the last few weeks nine states have worked to pass bills that restrict local lawmakers’ ability to pass future innovative and proactive public health policies. These bills are known as “preemption bills” because they block, or preempt, authority of lower levels of government to pass laws stronger than state law. Preemption bills are popular among groups like the tobacco industry to prevent future legislation that could impact the sale of its products. The following is a Statement from Christopher W. Hansen, President of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).