The American Lung Association of the City of New York supports comprehensive tobacco control policies that prevent and reduce tobacco use among adults and children, and policies that reduce exposure to deadly environmental and tobacco smoke. Building on the success of the enactment of legislation in July 2003 that banned smoking in all indoor workplaces, the American Lung Association and our tobacco control partner organizations worked in 2004 to make sure the law was properly implemented and enforced.
New York’s tobacco control efforts are paying off. In New York City, the benefits of a high cigarette excise tax, smoking cessation programs, and a comprehensive smokefree air law led to 100,000 fewer smokers in 2003, representing an 11 percent decline in just one year. Issues we are currently working on and our priorities for 2005 include:
ALACNY Urges City Council to Ban the Sale of Candy-Flavored Cigarettes
In commemoration of World No Tobacco Day, an international day of action against the deadly effects of tobacco use, health and youth advocates met at City Hall to take a stand against the tactics the tobacco industry uses to engage a new generation of smokers, including marketing lethal cigarettes in assorted candy flavors, glamorizing smoking in the movies, and sponsoring community and youth focused events.
The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2006 is “Tobacco: Deadly in any disguise or form,” and City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera, the American Lung Association of the City of New York and the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-free City joined youth, led by the Point CDC and Reality Check, to reveal the deadly disguises Big Tobacco employs to addict young smokers and urge the introduction of legislation to ban flavored cigarettes in New York City.
Youth advocates who have organized an anti-tobacco industry campaign in conjunction with the American Lung Association of the City of New York, stepped up their efforts to rid New York City of flavored cigarettes by asking the Council to introduce legislation to outlaw them. They have concentrated efforts on educating their community and legislators about targeted marketing to youth, and especially to urban, minority populations.
For more information on how to support the ban on candy-flavored cigarettes, contact Michael Seilback, Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, at 212-889-3370, ext. 14.
State Legislation to Ban Flavored Cigarettes
The American Lung Association of the City of New York strongly supports recently introduced legislation (A.3983/S.1952) by Assemblymember Grannis and Senator Fuschillo to ban the sale of flavored cigarettes. Most experts agree that candy flavored cigarettes have the greatest appeal to new smokers, 90% of whom are teens or younger. These candy flavored cigarettes appear to be the latest attempt by Big Tobacco to attract kids. This important legislation would prohibit the tobacco industry from selling cigarettes with natural or artificial flavoring that makes the cigarette or its smoke have a flavor attractive to youth.
State of New York Tobacco Control
In the most recent edition of the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control report, New York receives an “A” for Smokefree Air Laws, an “A” for Comprehensive Youth Access Laws, a “B” for Cigarette Tax rates and an “F” for Tobacco Prevention and Control Spending. We received this failing grade because while the Center for Disease Control recommends New York State spend $95,830,000 on prevention and control, we only have budgeted $41,449,998 for fiscal year 2005 – less than half the recommended amount! While we applaud our state legislators for their leadership on Smokefree Air and Youth Access Laws, it is high time we allocate more funding to necessary and effective prevention and cessation programs.
Federal Legislation
Each year, more than 440,000 Americans die from smoking-related illnesses caused by tobacco products that have largely escaped all health and safety new word? by the federal government. It is inexcusable that these deadly consumer products are unregulated, but that can change.
Important federal legislation is pending before Congress this session that could dramatically affect tobacco control efforts in the future. A bill introduced in 2004 would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products and advertising. This piece of legislation passed overwhelmingly in the Senate, but was blocked at the last minute in the House of Representatives. Senators Dewine and Kennedy and Congressmembers Waxman and Davis reintroduced S.666/H.R.1376 in 2005, and we must fight now to ensure its passage this time around.
Granting the FDA authority over tobacco products will require the disclosure of ingredients and additives in tobacco products, require changes in tobacco products to reduce harm, require independent scientific testing of tobacco products and health claims about them, prohibit dangerous and deceptive claims, restrict advertising and promotion that appeal to kids and crack down on illegal sales of tobacco products to children.
Congress and the Administration need to use their authority to strengthen protections for all Americans from tobacco products. In 2004, thousands of advocates joined the American Lung Association in support of legislation that would grant FDA regulatory authority over tobacco products. The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed strong FDA legislation twice. Leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives blocked a vote on this legislation, despite over 80 co-sponsors of the legislation.
Please take action to tell Congress that you support S.66/H.R.1376!
Department of Justice Case Against Big Tobacco
For decades, tobacco companies have misled the public about the dangers of their products and used deceptive practices to lure children into a lifelong addiction to tobacco. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a RICO (Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act) case alleging that for 50 years the tobacco industry has commited fraud against the American public. The trial, conducted over the past nine months, ended with closing arguments on June 15th.
Intially, a remedy sought by the Department of Justice was a $5 billion-per-year comprehensive tobacco cessation effort over the next 25 years to help every smoker who wants to quit. However, the trial ended with a surprise request from the Justice Department that the tobacco companies only fund a $2 billion per year, five-year smoking cessation program. We need your help to tell President Bush and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales not to let Big Tobacco off the hook!
The American Lung Association of the City of New York will continue to advocate for increased funding at both the City and State levels to ensure we are doing all we can to prevent people from starting to smoke and giving people the tools to quit smoking.
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