PACT Notes

August 31st, 2018

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Tobacco Product Use Among Middle and High School Students – United States, 2014-2017

CDC analyzed data from the 2014-2017 National Youth Tobacco Surveys to assess the use of seven tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, hookahs, pipes, and bidis) among U.S. middle and high school students from seven racial/ethnic groups-whites, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, American Indian/Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians/Other Pacific Islanders, and multiracial.

New Investigation Exposes How Tobacco Companies Market Cigarettes on Social Media in the U.S. and Around the World

Tobacco companies are secretly advertising cigarettes on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter by paying social media influencers – popular young people with large online followings – to post images of cigarettes and smoking as part of a marketing strategy documented in more than 40 countries. Following a two-year investigation the findings were published today online and detailed in a petition sent to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by nine leading public health and medical groups.

New Webinar: Tobacco Cessation Coverage Policy: 2018 Update

Over the past year there has been a lot of news around healthcare coverage, but what has changed in terms of cessation requirements? Different types of health plans have different requirements for cessation coverage. This summer, expansions of Association Health Plans and Short Term Limited Duration plans have added more categories. Join the American Lung Association on Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 2:30pm EDT as we discuss the current tobacco cessation coverage requirements and the implications of new coverage on tobacco cessation.

Juul, E-Cigarettes Popular Among Teens, Being Investigated by the FDA

The Food and Drug Administration says it is preparing to launch a campaign to discourage teens from using e-cigarettes, also known as vaping. The FDA is also investigating the marketing strategies and impact of several vaping products, including the most popular e-cigarette, Juul, which is estimated to make up 72 percent of the e-cigarette market. The agency says its new campaign is just part of its effort to find out why e-cigarette use is rampant among teenagers, and how to stop it.

Save the Date: Day at the Capitol 2019

We are very happy to announce that this year’s Day at the Capitol will be held on Tuesday, May 7th, 2019 at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg! Please mark your calendars and share the linked flyer with community partners. Registration information will be provided in the upcoming weeks.

We look forward to seeing you on May 7th! If you have questions, please contact Sarah Lawver.

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.