PACT Notes

June 15, 2018

American Lung Association: PA Can Do Better, 10 Years After Smoking Ban

The Clean Indoor Air Act (Act 27 of 2008) was signed into law on June 13, 2008. The legislation prohibits smoking in a public place or a workplace. However, the bill allows for exceptions where Pennsylvania workers continue to be exposed to harmful secondhand smoke. In Pennsylvania, over 2,300 venues are exempt, leaving many hospitality workers exposed to harmful carcinogens.

NJ Senate and Assembly Pass Smokefree and Vape-free Park and Beaches Bill

Both the NJ Senate and Assembly overwhelmingly passed the bill to make all public parks and beaches 100% smokefree and vape-free, meaning no e-cigarette usage. The bill heads to Governor Murphy for his consideration. Once signed into law, the bill will take effect in 180 days. New Jersey will be the first State in the USA to make all local, county and state public parks and beaches 100% smokefree and vape-free, meaning no use of electronic smoking devices as well.

San Mateo County, CA Votes To Ban Flavored Tobacco Sales

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 in favor of banning the sale of flavored tobacco products at pharmacies and retailers in the unincorporated areas of the county as a way to promote community health (particularly among youth). If approved by a second reading at the next Board meeting, the ordinance takes effect within 30 days.

Richfield, MN Raises Age for Tobacco Sales to 21

Richfield has become the latest Minnesota city to raise the legal age for buying tobacco. The Richfield City Council voted unanimously to raise the age to 21. Nine other Minnesota cities have already raised the age — Edina, St. Louis Park, Bloomington, Plymouth, North Mankato, Falcon Heights, Shoreview, Minneapolis and St. Peter.

Webinar Rescheduled: What we Can do to Rein in JUUL: A Policy Discussion

The webinar hosted by the Public Health Law Center originally scheduled for Friday June 15, 2018 has now been rescheduled for July 11, 2018 from 1-2 pm EDT. If you signed up previously you must re-register for the new date and time. In this webinar legal and policy experts will discuss the recent steps that the FDA has taken to regulate JUUL and other e-cigarette products, as well as options for state and local governments to supplement and enhance federal regulation.

PACT Notes

PACT Notes – December 21, 2018

A new study found that increases in adolescent vaping from 2017 to 2018 were the largest ever recorded in the past 43 years for any adolescent substance use outcome in the U.S.

In just one year e-cigarette use among youth has skyrocketed, increasing by:
90% among 12th graders
96% among 10th graders
74% among 8th graders

PACT Notes – December 14, 2018

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark 1998 legal settlement between the states and the tobacco companies, which required the companies to pay more than $200 billion over time as compensation for tobacco-related health care costs.

The report challenges states to do more to fight tobacco use – the nation’s No. 1 preventable cause of death – and to confront the growing epidemic of youth e-cigarette use in America. In Pennsylvania, 8.7 percent of high school students smoke cigarettes, while 11.3 percent use e-cigarettes. Tobacco use claims 22,000 Pennsylvania lives and costs the state $6.3 billion in health care bills annually.

PACT Notes – December 7, 2018

This week Senator Mario Scavello (PA-40) released a co-sponsorship memo for Tobacco 21. He is actively looking for support in the Senate and plans to introduce legislation in the session starting in the new year. While PACT is still advising that advocates wait until the new year to start their legislative visits, if you have any connections with Senators you think might be interested in support please reach out to PACT and we are happy to connect them with Senator Scavello’s Office.