Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids | Global Health Advocacy Incubator

ADVOCACY & IMPACT

This monthly newsletter highlights the impact of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) across the United States and around the world.

FORWARD PROGRESS

Mexico Implements One of World’s Strongest Tobacco Control Laws
Mexico [[link removed]] this month implemented one of the world’s strongest laws to fight tobacco use, prohibiting smoking and use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in all public places and banning the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products. In a statement [[link removed]] when the law was enacted last year, Tobacco-Free Kids called it “a historic and comprehensive tobacco control law that will protect millions of Mexicans from the deadly harms of tobacco use.” Civil society organizations in Mexico led the advocacy efforts with significant support from Tobacco-Free Kids, including funding, legal and communications support.

Ohio Governor Vetoes Bill to Stop Cities from Banning Flavored Tobacco Sales
In a major victory for kids, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine vetoed a bill [[link removed]] that would have overturned local laws to reduce tobacco use, including Columbus’ new law ending the sale of flavored tobacco products. This action clears the way for Columbus to implement its law, which has been strongly supported by Tobacco-Free Kids and local partners. It also allows other communities to take similar action.

International Partners Receive Award for Vehicle, Road Safety
The Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI) celebrated [[link removed]] with partners La Liga Contra La Violencia Vial [[link removed]] and Coalición Movilidad Segura México [[link removed]] for receiving the Prince Michael award for their contributions to vehicle and road safety in Colombia and Mexico, respectively. The award, an international recognition for groups that improve road safety, further cements their standing as safety leaders.

Strong Social Media Strategy Helps Push South Africa Tobacco Control Legislation Forward
The South Africa Tobacco-Free Youth Forum launched an impactful digital campaign to advance a tobacco control bill from the Executive Office to Parliament, mobilizing advocates to contact decision-makers and calling out specific members of the Cabinet on social media. With technical support from Tobacco-Free Kids, the group’s digital efforts generated more than 11,000 engagements and strong media coverage in just a few days, and the Cabinet overwhelmingly advanced the bill to Parliament.

Annual Report Shows States Continue to Shortchange Tobacco Prevention Programs
An annual report [[link removed]] issued by Tobacco-Free Kids and partners shows that U.S. states continue to shortchange tobacco prevention and cessation programs proven to save lives and health care dollars. This year, the states will collect $26.7 billion from the 1998 tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes, but will spend just 2.7% – $733.1 million – on programs to prevent kids from using tobacco and help tobacco users quit. A handful of states set a positive example by increasing funding, including Oregon, Maine, Connecticut, Maryland and Oklahoma.

Tobacco-Free Kids Launches New Ads Urging FDA to Eliminate Flavored E-Cigarettes
In new video [[link removed]] and digital ads [[link removed]] , Tobacco-Free Kids highlights the continuing severity of youth e-cigarette use in the U.S. and urges the FDA to end its delays in reviewing e-cigarette marketing applications and eliminate all flavored e-cigarettes. The ads point out that over 2.5 million U.S. kids still use e-cigarettes and 85% of them use flavored products.

Ecuador Coalition Presents Transit Recommendations to Government
With support from GHAI, the Ecuadorean Coalition for Safe Mobility delivered recommendations [[link removed]] on the 2021 Transit Law to senior officials in the Ecuadorian government. The coalition, which is comprised of 44 civil society organizations, prioritized its recommendations based on five behavioral risk factors: speeding, drunk driving, seatbelt use, helmet use and child restraint systems.

GHAI and the O'Neill Institute Launch FULL, a Global Healthy Diet Database
In partnership with the O'Neill Institute at Georgetown University Law Center, GHAI launched FULL, a database of laws and decisions across the world [[link removed]] to facilitate research on policies for healthy diets. The database, which aims to reduce diet-related non-communicable diseases, allows users to explore topics such as the advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages, school meals and regulations on labeling for prepackaged foods .

International Legal Consortium Contributes to WHO Training
Tobacco-Free Kids’ International Legal Consortium provided training for government officials and nongovernmental stakeholders in Tanzania on implementation on the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in support of the WHO FCTC Secretariat.

VOICES IN THE FIGHT

Meet Ella Paligo
Ella Paligo, a high school senior from Henderson, Tenn., is always looking for a way to make an impact. Whether it’s serving in student government, helping incarcerated individuals as they prepare for release, or advocating for a tobacco-free future, Ella goes the extra mile to make the world a better place. Ella is an active member of the Sumner County TNSTRONG Ambassadors, which received Tobacco-Free Kids’ 2022 Group Youth Advocates of the Year Award.
WATCH VIDEO: [link removed]

Meet Thania Balcorta
As a 2005 Youth Advocate of the Year, Thania worked closely with Tobacco-Free Kids and advocated in Congress for tobacco control legislation. That life-changing experience showed her the power of the youth voice and inspired her to pursue a career serving her community as a police officer in Fremont, Calif. Today, she seeks to inspire the next generation of youth advocates to serve their communities and empower young people to create change.
WATCH VIDEO: [link removed]

IN THE NEWS

Tobacco Companies Seek to Evade California’s New Law Ending Flavored Tobacco Sales
Stories in The New York Times [[link removed]] and L.A. Taco [[link removed]] exposed how R.J. Reynolds is introducing new products aimed at evading California’s new law ending sales of flavored tobacco products, including menthol cigarettes. If California fails to take decisive action, “the industry once again will escape,” Tobacco-Free Kids President Matt Myers told The New York Times.

U.S. FDA Denies Marketing Applications for Two More Menthol E-Cigarettes
In a significant step forward, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration denied [[link removed]] marketing applications for two more menthol-flavored e-cigarettes. Tobacco-Free Kids issued a statement [[link removed]] commending the FDA for recognizing that “menthol is a flavor that attracts and is widely used by kids, and menthol products have played a major role in the ongoing crisis of youth e-cigarette use.” We urged the FDA to swiftly finish its ongoing review of e-cigarette marketing applications and clear the market of all flavored e-cigarettes, including menthol-flavored products.

2022 CityHealth Report Adds Flavored Tobacco Assessments
For the first time, CityHealth’s annual assessment [[link removed]] of health polices in U.S. cities examined flavored-tobacco policies. The organization awarded a medal to 25 of 75 cities [[link removed]] for passing policies to end the sale of flavored-tobacco products – a bold step to protect kids, improve health equity and save lives.

Court Ruling Protects Food Label Regulations in Colombia
Colombia’s administrative court protected the country’s food label regulations [[link removed]] — for products high in sugar, sodium, trans fats, fats and with any sweeteners — with a ruling that requires the Ministry of Health to promulgate a new regulation [[link removed]] based on the best scientific evidence, and to include civil society in monitoring implementation.

Pakistan Session Highlights Need to Ban Novel Tobacco Products
An interactive session organized by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) called on the Pakistani government to ban the sale and advertisement of novel tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products. The Islamabad Post reported [[link removed]] the event featured speakers including Tobacco-Free Kids’ Malik Imran Ahmed, who shared his concerns that the tobacco industry is infiltrating markets with these products.

Nonprofit Organization Shares Commentary on GHAI Report
Ashka Naik, director of research and policy at Corporate Accountability, used a recent GHAI report [[link removed]] to press civil society organizations [[link removed]] to continue their commitment and focus on the ways ultra-processed food and beverage corporations market their harmful products.

----------

About Us
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is the leading advocacy organization working to reduce tobacco use and its deadly consequences in the United States and around the world. The Global Health Advocacy Incubator builds on the successes and lessons learned in the fight against tobacco to support advocates working to tackle other critical public health challenges across the globe. Together, we are taking on the toughest fights in public health and working to create a more equitable, just and healthier future.

[link removed]
[link removed]

DONATE: [link removed]

[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]



Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
1400 I St NW, Ste 1200
Washington, DC xxxxxx
United States



If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe: [link removed] .