Essential Resources

Advocacy and Legal Issues

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)
Action on Smoking and Health, is a nonprofit legal action anti-smoking organization based in the U.S., that has been devoted to the many problems of smoking for over 35 years. Its principal activity is to serve as the legal action arm of the nonsmoking community, bringing or joining in legal actions concerning smoking, and insuring that the voice of the nonsmoker is heard. It also serves as an advocate of the nonsmokers' rights movement. This site provides many links to tobacco-related resources.

Advocacy Institute (AI)
Founded in 1985, the Advocacy Institute works to achieve a just society, in the U.S. and globally, based on the following core values: justice for those denied justice; economic equality for those denied sustenance and opportunity; public health and security for those at preventable risk; and access to political power for those who have been denied an equal voice in the policy-making process. In such a society, all people are able to participate fully in shaping public values and policies. Through reflection, networking with fellow advocates and skill strengthening, the Advocacy Institute facilitates capacity building workshops and seminars that aim to strengthen social movements. The publications list includes a number of resources on tobacco.

Alliance for Justice
The Alliance for Justice is a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children's and consumer advocacy organizations. Since its inception in 1979, the Alliance has worked to advance the cause of justice for all Americans, strengthen the public interest community's ability to influence public policy, and foster the next generation of advocates.

Additional links: Nonprofit Advocacy Project The Nonprofit Advocacy Project works to strengthen the voice of the nonprofit sector in important public policy debates by giving tax-exempt organizations a better understanding of the laws that govern their participation in the policy process. Foundation Advocacy Institute The Foundation Advocacy Initiative seeks to educate grantmakers on their legal rights to support advocacy work through workshops and on-going technical assistance. This project encourages foundations to support nonprofit advocacy work, allowing nonprofits to influence public policy with confidence and commitment.

American Cancer Society – Advocacy in Your Community
Under the “In My Community” section, fill in either your zip code or city/state and press the Go button. Information about your community and how to get involved is provided.

American Heart Association (AHA)
This site includes information on public advocacy, a legislative action center for electronic communication, legislative priorities, advocacy news, facts and statistics, coalitions, organizations and Members of Congress.

American Lung Association (ALA)
Information about becoming an advocate, advocacy updates, public policy briefs and a congressional toolbox is provided.

American Public Health Association (APHA) – Legislative Issues and Advocacy
APHA, a member-based organization, brings together researchers, health service providers, administrators, teachers and other health workers in a multidisciplinary environment of professional exchange, study and action. APHA is concerned with a broad set of issues affecting personal and environmental health, including federal and state funding for health programs, pollution control, programs and policies related to chronic and infectious diseases, a smokefree society and professional education in public health. The APHA Web site contains a section that provides links related to legislative issues and advocacy.

Additional link: Media Advocacy Manual Developed in 2000, the "Media Advocacy Manual" includes general information about advocacy and public health. In addition, there is information about planning your message and ways of using the media.

Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights
Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights is a national lobbying organization dedicated to nonsmokers' rights, confronting the tobacco industry at all levels of government to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke and youth from tobacco addiction. ANR pursues an action-oriented program of policy and legislation.

The Web site includes a wide variety of materials, including how to protect yourself from secondhand smoke, health hazards of secondhand smoke, information about local clean indoor air ordinances (including how to pass an ordinance, and the economic impact of ordinances), ventilation issues, preemption, smokefree airports campaign, tobacco industry strategies and tactics, education programs for youth and action alerts.

Additional link: Smokefree Advocacy — How to Pass A Clean Indoor Air Ordinance The section called “Making Your Point” has information about meeting with elected officials, tips for testifying, tips for writing letters, sample speaking and writing points, and media advocacy. Smoke Free Ordinance Lists The Americans for Non-smokers’ Rights Foundation has full updated lists of municipalities and states with smoke free ordinances in effect as of July 7, 2005. State laws and other legislation are also specified.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is fighting to free America's youth from tobacco and to create a healthier environment. Its goals are to alter the public's acceptance of tobacco, change public policies at federal, state and local levels to protect children from tobacco, and increase the number of organizations and individuals fighting against tobacco.

Additional link: Action Center The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids runs an online Action Center where individuals can contact elected officials. KidsBeforeProfits.org In an effort to raise the level of attention paid to tobacco issues, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids launched an online campaign, KidsBeforeProfits.org, urging Governors, U.S. Senators, and candidates for those offices to make tobacco prevention a priority.

Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (CTRI)
The Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention is a nationally recognized academic center established in 1992 by the University of Wisconsin at Madison. It is the designated lead campus agency devoted to confronting tobacco dependence. CTRI is committed to aiding smokers in overcoming their dependence on tobacco and thereby reducing the tremendous burden that tobacco use exacts on the health and finances of American families. The Center accomplishes its aims through four program areas: research, clinical, outreach and education, and policy.

DVDanger Action Kit
This smoke-free movies campaign information kit provides advocates with the resources to involve coalition members and other advocate network groups in educating families about the dangerous DVDs that are labeled with smoking content information.  The kit includes 2006 campaign overview with retailer contact information, 2006-2007 movie list, fact sheet, sample letter to leading DVD retailers, press release, sample newspaper campaign ads and web-ready DVDanger logos.  Click to access this resource.

E-Advocacy for Nonprofits, published by Alliance for Justice
More nonprofits are discovering the power of the Internet to promote their public policy agendas. This is the only guide available that comprehensively addresses the laws governing Internet advocacy, from voter education Web sites to e-mail action alerts. Published 2000. 69 pages.

Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation and Advocacy
Housed at the University of Maryland School of Law, the Legal Resource Center for Tobacco Regulation, Litigation, and Advocacy was established in 2001 and is dedicated to giving legal support to communities, community groups, employers, local governments, and others wishing to reduce smoking, the sale of tobacco products to children, and the dangerous health effects of tobacco products. The Center was established with funding from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Office of Health Promotion, Education and Tobacco Use Prevention with monies from the state's tobacco settlement.

LGBT Anti-Tobacco Money Pledge for Legislators
The LGBT Tobacco Research Project at the University of California, San Francisco has created a website that includes the details and tools necessary to encourage state representatives to sign an anti-tobacco pledge. The website features a list of LGBT elected officials from California who have already agreed not to take money from tobacco companies, a sample pledge letter, and a Power Point presentation that explains the methods and approaches organizers can utilize to secure this commitment from state officials. Click here to access the website.

Midwest Academy
The Midwest Academy offers five-day training sessions for leaders and staff of citizen and community groups. The Academy is one of the nation's oldest and best known schools for community organizations, citizen organizations and individuals committed to progressive social change.

New Generation of Tobacco Products Threatens Efforts to Reduce Tobacco Use, Save Lives in U.S., Report Warns
Congress Urged to Grant FDA Authority Over Tobacco Products. Click to view a summary of the new products report or to view the press release.

New Publication – The Verdict Is In (TCLC)
The Tobacco Control Legal Consortium has developed a publication summarizing the court's key findings in the Department of Justice's fraud case against cigarette companies.  You can also download the report (by chapter) by clicking on the title above.

Preemption: Taking the Local Out of Tobacco Control (Why Big Tobacco Hates Local Control, What It Will Do to Eliminate It, How Advocates Can Fight Back)
A resource from the American Medical Association’s SmokeLess States®: National Tobacco Policy Initiative, this guide on preemption – the tobacco industry's favorite weapon against local tobacco control laws, is available at this Web site.

Smokefree Action Network
SmokeFree Action Network offers tobacco control organizations a free place to maintain a Web presence, complete with directory information, event calendar, and action alerts. Individuals can sign up to receive alerts and news and can send an EZ letter to policymakers on a variety of local and national tobacco control topics. EZ letters can be customized by each individual.

Smoke-Free Environments Law Project (SFELP) – The Center for Social Gerontology, Inc.
The Smoke-Free Environments Law Project is a statewide project which provides information, consultation and advice for businesses, local units of government, and individuals in Michigan on policies and practices to protect employees and the general public from the harmful effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and to address the legal requirements and liability issues related to ETS.

This Web site is intended to provide information about ETS and the legal and liability issues related to ETS. While SFELP is a law project serving just Michigan, most of the information on this site is relevant to all states. The materials provided on this site are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be and should not be construed as legal advice.

Strategic Thinking on State Tobacco Tax Increases
This document, published in 2003, is designed to assist public health advocates in recognizing and weighing the strategic decisions that must be made before beginning a campaign to increase tobacco taxes at the state level. As every case is different, this document is intended to guide advocates through the kind of critical thinking that is needed to prepare for a successful campaign. Public health advocates who have considered these strategic decisions will be prepared to be central participants and leaders in discussions of tobacco tax increases.

TALC’s new checklists on adopting tobacco-free legislation
The Technical Assistance Legal Center (TALC) has released two new “checklists” in an ongoing series designed to help communities draft and adopt legislation based on our model ordinances. Click here to learn more and view the checklists.

Technical Assistance Legal Center (TALC)
The Technical Assistance Legal Center (TALC) is a clearinghouse on tobacco policy issues, a place for "one-stop shopping" for solid legal advice. TALC provides free legal technical assistance on the following tobacco control policies: advertising restrictions; retailer licensing; self-service display bans; community event sponsorship by the tobacco industry; the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA); zoning restrictions on tobacco retailers; divestment of public and other funds from tobacco stock; legal options for those affected by smoke in apartment buildings; and other issues upon request.

Additional links: TALC’s Enforcement Roadmaps TALC presents its new Enforcement Roadmaps, designed to make it easier for advocates to identify and move past the roadblocks that stand in the way of effective tobacco law enforcement. The best way to increase enforcement of tobacco laws is to eliminate the barriers that may be impeding local enforcement. However, without an overall sense of how enforcement is designed to occur, ways around the barriers may be difficult to find. TALC has developed a series of Enforcement Roadmaps to illustrate each of the three main enforcement pathways: civil, criminal, and administrative. Each roadmap package consists of two main parts: a booklet and a poster. Together, each package helps advocates identify potential enforcement roadblocks and see the context in which these barriers exist. For questions about these materials or to request copies: contact TALC staff attorney Randy Kline at rkline@phi.org or (510) 444-8252, ext. 303. 10 Ways to Limit Tobacco in Your Community updated TALC has updated their popular publication “10 Ways to Limit Tobacco in Your Community” with new policy options and new graphics. The foldout map and brochure offers 10 innovative ways to use policy to reduce tobacco use in communities.

Ten Policy Changes that Could Curb Tobacco Addiction
A National Action Plan for Tobacco Cessation” includes six recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services, and four public-private partnership proposals. At least one out of 10 US smokers would quit and 3 million premature deaths would be prevented if these policy changes were implemented, researchers suggest.

The Praxis Project: Fighting Back on Budget Cuts — A Toolkit
All over the country, health programs are facing severe budget crises. Tobacco control programs have come under particularly heavy pressure. This publication is designed to be a resource for organizers, community groups and public agencies at various levels of capacity working to build support for healthy budget priorities. This "kit" will help groups better understand the economic context in which budget cuts are taking place, develop strategic communications and organizing plans for approaching this issue and gain tools and methods for researching state budget processes. This kit is based on three assumptions:

• It will require broad, multi-issue coalitions in each state to beat back these cuts, and these coalitions must be formed around our common interests.
• We have to expose problems with the budget process as well as with the budget spending priorities.
• It will be important to go beyond defending our programs to posing alternatives, especially ways to increase revenues at the state level and increased matching funds at the federal level.

Thinking Strategically About Collaboration: Alcohol and Tobacco Control Policy
SmokeLess State has produced a new report titled “Thinking Strategically About Collaboration: Alcohol and Tobacco Control Policy."

Tobacco Control Legal Consortium
The Tobacco Control Legal Consortium is a national network of legal programs supporting tobacco control policy change by giving advocates better access to legal expertise. Drawing on the expertise of its collaborating legal center, the Consortium works to assist communities with urgent legal needs and to increase the legal resources available to the tobacco control movement.

Additional links: Legal Update from the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium Legal Update is a short, user-friendly bulletin from that brings you updates on key legal developments affecting the tobacco control community. There is No Constitutional Right to Smoke A recent publication, There is No Constitutional Right to Smoke, prepared by Samantha Graff of the Technical Assistance Legal Center at the Public Health Institute in Oakland, California debunks the notion that a constitutionally protected right to smoke exists. This law synopsis explains why smoking is not a protected liberty or privacy right under the US Constitution’s Due Process Clause or Equal Protection Clause. It also highlights two types of state laws that may create a limited right to smoke and describes how these laws can be amended or repealed so they do not impede local tobacco control efforts.

Tobacco Control Resource Center, Inc. and The Tobacco Products Liability Project (TPLP)
The Tobacco Control Resources Center, Inc. and The Tobacco Products Liability Project, founded in 1984 by doctors, academics and attorneys, studies, encourages and coordinates 1) products liability suits against the tobacco industry; and 2) legislative and regulatory initiatives to control the sale and use of tobacco as a public health strategy. The legal assistance that TPLP provides to states and municipalities attempting to pass tobacco control measures ensures that such measures are 1) enacted in a legally valid manner; and 2) drafted so as to withstand probable tobacco industry legal challenges to the measures. TPLP ultimately hopes to see 1) the true social cost of cigarette smoking reflected in the cost of each pack of cigarettes; and 2) municipalities undertake tobacco control measures armed with the legal information necessary to resist tobacco industry intimidation.

Tobacco Law Center
The Tobacco Law Center, a legal resource center at William Mitchell College of Law in Minnesota, works to improve tobacco control laws and policies at the local, national and international levels. Through a combination of research, policy development and analysis, technical assistance and strategic consulting, the Center helps policymakers, nonprofit organizations, advocates and health professionals address critical legal issues. The Center provides unbiased, practical information and guidance on emerging problems; encourages the adoption of "best practices" approaches; and pioneers the development of innovative new options. Recent initiatives have focused on the regulation of secondhand smoke, strengthening workers’ rights, the Internet sale of cigarettes, controlling tobacco advertising and promotion, reducing youth access to tobacco, and analyzing international tobacco litigation.

The Center works closely with state and local partners to improve the effectiveness of tobacco prevention efforts in Minnesota. At the national level, the Center has joined with other legal centers to launch the new Tobacco Control Legal Consortium, which will support the creation of new legal resources for tobacco control advocates across the United States. Internationally, the Center has worked with such partners as the World Health Organization, the American Lung Association and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on issues ranging from the international regulation of tobacco to global litigation and access to tobacco industry documents.

Worry-Free Lobbying for Nonprofits: How to Use the 501h Election to Maximize Effectiveness, published by Alliance for Justice
This booklet describes how nonprofit groups, and the foundations that support them, can take advantage of the clear and generous provisions in federal law that encourages their lobbying activities. Published 1999. 12 pages.

Zogby International released results from a poll, conducted on behalf of Lorillard, which shows public opposition to FDA regulation of tobacco products
The Mellman Group, Inc. (D) and Public Opinion Strategies (R), outlines several problematic aspects of the Lorillard/Zogby survey and highlights previous polling (including independent polling) showing broad support for FDA regulation of tobacco products.

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Countering Tobacco Industry Sponsorship

Advertising Bans as a Means of Tobacco Control Policy The results of a systematic literature review reported in the October 2007 issue of International Journal of Public Health imply that advertising bans have a negative but sometimes only narrow impact on consumption and a complete ban has higher effectiveness. View the abstract: click here.

Audit of New MPAA Tobacco Ratings Researchers have released an audit of the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) tobacco rating practices, covering the first six months since the new ratings plan went into effect. Download the report: http://repositories.cdlib.org/ctcre/tcpmus/MPAA2007/.

Buck Tobacco Tip Sheets
This series of Tip Sheets reflects best practices to restrict tobacco sponsorship of rodeos. The “best practices” are the results of the Buck Tobacco Sponsorship campaign, a project of the Public Health Trust. The Tip Sheets were written in collaboration with local, state and national-level tobacco control advocates knowledgeable about rodeo sponsorship, and were funded by the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC).

The Tip Sheets are designed to support the work of advocates around the country who want to address tobacco sponsorship at their local rodeos, and they are organized around action ideas based on Buck Tobacco's successes and lessons learned. Included are fact sheets, resource lists, and action ideas for planning and implementing a local project to restrict tobacco sponsorship of rodeos.
 
Further  information about  how to address  tobacco sponsorship  of rodeos  is available on the Buck Tobacco Sponsorship website at www.bucktobacco.org.

Project SMART Money
This organization has been in the vanguard of countering tobacco industry sponsorship in California and would like to help others across the country build the capacity to eliminate tobacco industry sponsorship.

Why Should AAPI Organizations Give Up Their Tobacco Industry Monies?
Developed by Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment and Leadership (APPEAL), this fact sheet targeting AAPI organizations outlines why they should not accept funds from tobacco companies.

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Cessation

American Legacy Foundation and Mayo Clinic’s EX Cessation Program
This program helps you create a personalized cessation program, which targets the physical, psychological, behavioral and spiritual aspects of addiction. The website also features a Resource Center and an online community for EX members to share their experiences.

American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking Online
Seven-week online password-protected cessation program. Description of the program is listed.

Bringing Everyone Along
The tobacco leadership Network is pleased to announce the launch of, Bringing Everyone Along (BEA).  BEA is a two year project funded by the American Legacy Foundation to help professionals adapt tobacco cessation program and services to treat smokers with mental illness and substance abuse disorders.  Click here to read more.

Cigarette smoking among adults --- United States, 2007
Just prior to the Great American Smokeout, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the latest data on the smoking prevalence among adults. In 2007, 19.8% of American adults were cigarette smokers, which is a statistically significant difference from the 2006 smoking prevalence of 20.8%. Of those who smoked every day, 39.8% had succeeded in quitting smoking for at least one day in the past year. Although this is the lowest smoking rate in the past 40 years, smoking rates haven’t dramatically changed since 2004, when the CDC reported that 20.9% of adults were smokers. Significantly more work needs to be done in order to achieve the CDC’s Healthy People 2010 goal of reducing the prevalence of smoking to 12% or less. Click here to access the article in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Click here to read a news report on the findings.

Comprehensive Statewide Tobacco Cessation Leadership Project
The Comprehensive Statewide Tobacco Cessation Leadership Project is an ongoing project designed to assist tobacco control programs to expand tobacco cessation services in their states. The website provides a list of participants, project sponsors, meeting agendas, and presentations from the 2005 meeting. It also provides a valuable resource list of links to important cessation topics.

Counseling and Interventions to Prevent Tobacco Use and Tobacco-Caused Disease in Adults and Pregnant Women
In April 2009, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) released updated recommendations that instruct healthcare providers to ask all adults about tobacco use and to provide cessation interventions for those who use tobacco. Research suggests that a combination of behavioral counseling and pharmacotherapy is the most effective approach. For pregnant women, intensive pregnancy-tailored tobacco cessation counseling should be given. These recommendations were given a grade of “A,” which indicates that there is a significant amount of evidence in the scientific literature that the benefits of following these guidelines are substantial. The recommendation statement appears in the April 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Guide to Community Preventive Services
See section on Strategies to Increase Tobacco Cessation. The recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services for interventions to reduce tobacco use and exposure to ETS are based on the strength of the evidence of effectiveness found during systematic reviews of evidence of effectiveness of selected population-based tobacco control and prevention interventions. A determination that evidence is insufficient should not be confused with evidence of ineffectiveness. A recommendation of insufficient evidence may reveal areas where future prevention research is needed.

Harm Reduction Theory Called Into Question by American Cancer Society Study
The American Cancer Society recently released the results of a twenty-year study that tracked more than 112,000 former male smokers who either switched to using spit tobacco (“switchers”) or quit using tobacco products. Researchers observed that after twenty years of follow-up, switchers had a higher rate of death from a variety of tobacco-related diseases than those who quit using tobacco products entirely. To view the research study, please click here.
 
To view policy and position statements in relation to this study and the Harm Reduction Theory please visit the following links:

• The National Network on Tobacco Prevention and Poverty (NNTPP) Policy Statement on Snus and a Harm Reduction Product in Tobacco Cessation
   
• Position Statement Opposing Use of Smokeless Tobacco as a Less Harmful Cessation Treatment in West Virginia
   
• Switching from Cigarettes to Oral Tobacco Products a Poor Substitute for Quitting: American Cancer Society Study Finds Higher Risk of Tobacco-Related Disease among Switchers

Healthcare provider reminder systems, provider education, and patient education: Working with healthcare delivery systems to improve the delivery of tobacco-use treatment to patients—An action guide
This evidence-based tool from Partnership for Prevention® and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is for public health practitioners, healthcare providers, and others interested in increasing delivery of tobacco-use treatment in clinical settings. Links to tools and resources, tips for implementation and overcoming potential obstacles, suggested resource needs, and questions and potential data sources for evaluation planning are also included.

Helping Young Smokers Quit: Identifying Best Practices for Tobacco Cessation
The Helping Young Smokers Quit initiative is a two-phase project that addresses the critical need to disseminate effective, developmentally appropriate cessation programs for adolescent smokers. While a growing number of teen cessation programs are available, little is known about: how many programs exist, where they are located, what services they offer, what populations they serve, or how they provide treatment. The HYSQ initiative has two primary aims:

1. Identify and describe tobacco treatment programs available to youth across the United States, and
2. Evaluate smoking cessation programs that are tailored for youth to help understand what works.

How to Quit – Useful Resources to Quit Smoking
Resources include: “You can quit smoking”, “Don’t let another year go up in smoke: Quit Tips”, “I Quit!: What to do when you’re sick of smoking, chewing, or dipping.” The site also includes references for other websites to help quit smoking.

Increasing Demand for and use of Smoking-Cessation Treatments
According to an article in the December 2007 Supplement of American Journal of Preventive Medicine, many smokers want to quit but don't. This article recommends steps that can be taken to increase both demand for and use of effective smoking cessation treatments. To view the abstract click here.

Kicking the habit may be contagious, study finds
A recent study showed that social relationships have a powerful effect on an individual’s smoking cessation behavior. The study looked at the social dynamics of smoking cessation, and found that when someone in a smoker’s social circle decides to quit, particularly a spouse, sibling, or coworkers the smoker is more likely to quit too. Interestingly, this phenomenon was observed regardless of the geographic distance between the individuals in a social group. The researchers also noted that well-connected people are more likely to successfully quit smoking than socially isolated people. Click here for a summary of the research, or click here to read the abstract of the research, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

My Last Dip:  A web-based smokeless tobacco cessation project
MyLastDip is a unique Web-based intervention that is designed to help chewing tobacco users aged 14 to 25 quit. The MyLastDip research project provides scientifically tested content that has proven effective in helping people quit their use of chewing tobacco or snuff. It is free to use — in fact, participants are paid to answer questions using an online survey several times over a 6-month period. MyLastDip can be used anytime you can access the Internet. My Last Dip was developed by the nonprofit Oregon Research Institute, an internationally-recognized behavioral sciences research firm, and is supported by funding from the National Cancer Institute. The program relies on recommendations and referrals from tobacco control professionals and educators to connect young smokeless tobacco users with this cessation program. Click here to access an informational website designed specifically for health educators and tobacco control professionals.

National Blueprint for Action: Youth and Adult Tobacco-Use Cessation
The National Blueprint was developed by The Youth Tobacco Cessation Collaborative (YTCC) in 1998–1999 as a consensus document to guide discussions regarding funding research and programs related to youth tobacco use cessation; reflect common goals and objectives among national organizations that fund such efforts; help ensure that funding plans and programs across organizations build the strongest possible national efforts to support youth cessation; and coordinate funding efforts. The group has outlined separate approaches to funding research, implementation, and support and demand. The Blueprint is intended to facilitate planning, discussion and priority-setting for youth tobacco use cessation.

National Cancer Institute New Smoking Cessation Website
The National Cancer Institute’s commercial free smoking cessation website which features an evidence-based online quitting guide, cessation materials for special populations, quit-line information, and instant messaging with cessation experts.

National Partnership to Help Pregnant Smokers Quit Action Plan
A group of organizations, ranging from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality to the Washington Business Group on Health, have joined forces to help pregnant smokers quit smoking. They are committed to working together to reduce the number of pregnant women who smoke to 2 percent or less by 2010. Their plan is to achieve this by translating science-based interventions into effective programs and policies. This will entail:

• Ensuring screening of all pregnant woman for tobacco use, and that all pregnant and postpartum smokers receive cessation counseling
• Using the media effectively
• Harnessing resources in communities and workplaces
• Promoting policies that support smokefree environments and improved access to cessation treatments
• Promoting research, evaluation and surveillance

National Quitline Statistics: 1-800-QUIT-NOW
The North American Quitline Consortium (NAQC) regularly releases data on call attempts to the national quitline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Click here to download the latest quitline call data report.

National Tobacco Cessation Collaborative (NTCC)
The National Tobacco Cessation Collaborative (NTCC) is dedicated to providing the best available information on tobacco cessation. The information included on the NTCC website is compiled from organizations throughout Canada and the United State and includes: a bibliography on cessation research, policy information such as coverage and reimbursement, tobacco taxes, and smoking bans, reports and presentations, and links to tobacco cessation programs and services.

NAQC Policy Playbook
The North American Quitline Consortium has released this new resource to promote the availability of quitline services as more and more smoke-free laws and tobacco taxes are implemented nationwide. The toolkit is intended to compliment the policy-oriented Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-free Laws (www.goingsmokefree.org). The NAQC Policy Playbook offers information to raise awareness among policymakers about the role of quitlines as smoke-free policies are implemented. The playbook is also a resource to inform the quitline community of the tools available in the Toolkit for Implementing Smoke-free Laws and the steps for successfully implementing smoke-free policies.

New American Lung Association report:  Quitting smoking saves lives and money
The American Lung Association has released a new report that demonstrating the benefits of improving state insurance coverage of tobacco cessation treatments. By spending money to help smokers quit, states can save money on future smoking-related healthcare costs—which can amount to $20,000 over a smoker’s lifetime. The report includes a distillation of the DHHS Clinical Practice Guideline on Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, which describes tobacco cessation therapies. The report calls upon states to expand coverage of cessation treatments for Medicaid recipients and state employees. Although smoking rates are high among individuals with low socioeconomic status, only seven states provide comprehensive Medicaid coverage for cessation, and six states provide no coverage at all. Click here to read a summary of the report. Click here to download the report.

New HHS Guide Helps Nurses Encourage Patients to Quit Smoking
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a new tool that will give nurses evidence-based information that they can use to help their patients quit smoking. The free pocket guide, Helping Smokers Quit: A Guide for Nurses, gives nurses easy access to information based on the “5 As” approach to cessation intervention: Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange. It also includes a current listing of smoking cessation medications approved by HHS’ Food and Drug Administration and a referral to HHS’ National Quitline, 1-800-QUIT NOW.

The guide is available on the AHRQ Web site at or by contacting AHRQ’s Publication Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295, or by e-mail at ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov.

North American Quitline Consortium Website
The North American Quitline Consortium's mission is to increase access to smoking quitlines. It seeks to increase the availability and effectiveness of quitline services and maximize collaboration among the professionals that provide the services. The website provides access to a quitline locator map, an electronic newsletter, training and technical assistance, research and evaluation of quitlines, and best practices for organizations.

Predictors of Young Adult Participation in a Cessation Program
An article in the March 2007 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention indicates that race and age were significant predictors of participation for young adults’ ages 18-30 years old. To view the article, please click here.

QuiTIP Database
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids developed this free, searchable, on-line database that contains information on products sold in the US and internationally as tobacco use cessation aids.

Reducing Tobacco Use: The Quest to Quit
A briefing for health reporters, available on the Center for the Advancement of Health Web site. The Center for the Advancement of Health is an independent nonprofit organization that promotes greater recognition of how psychological, social, behavioral, economic and environmental factors influence health and illness. The fundamental aim of the Center is to translate into policy and practice the growing body of evidence that can lead to the improvement and maintenance of the health of individuals and the public.

SCLC Catalogue of Tools
The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center has developed a catalogue of tools to use in helping smokers quit.  This compilation of existing cessation tools offers Quit Now wallet cards, relapse protocol, smoke-free hospital toolkits, videos, mental health resources and more.  Take advantage of this guide to low-cost or no-cost cessation resources.  Click here to view the SCLC’s many resources, and to download a free copy of the catalogue of tools.

Smokers' Acceptance of "Cold Calls" Offering Quitline Services Data from a study in the December 2007 issue of Tobacco Control suggests that "cold calls" may be a strategy to extend the use of quitline cessation services. View the abstract.

Smoking Cessation Quitlines
Provides a state-by-state list of toll-free telephone numbers that offer counseling and information about quitting smoking.

Special Issue on Youth Tobacco Cessation
A special supplement to the September/October issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior presents state of the art on adolescent smoking cessation. Topics include: Youth Tobacco Cessation: Filling the Gap Between What We Do and What We Know; The Youth Tobacco Cessation Collaborative and National Blueprint for Action; A Comparison of Review Methods in Tobacco Prevention and Control Guidelines; Application of a Better Practices Framework to Review Youth Tobacco Use Cessation; Better Practices for Youth Tobacco Cessation: Evidence of Review Panel; Recommendations and Guidance for Practice in Youth Tobacco Cessation; and Improving the Future of Youth Smoking Cessation.

Spit Tobacco: A Guide for Quitting
This booklet is designed specifically for young men who have decided to quit using spit tobacco or who are thinking about quitting. It contains information about developing a plan for quitting, as well as information on over-the-counter and prescription medications available to help break the nicotine habit.

State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco-Dependence Treatments—United States, 2006
If the national Healthy People 2010 objective to increase insurance coverage of evidence-based tobacco-dependence treatments in all 51 Medicaid programs is to be achieved, Medicaid coverage for tobacco-dependence treatments must increase substantially. Despite high smoking prevalence (35%) among recipients, high economic burden, and the availability of evidence-based and cost-effective treatments, 8 state Medicaid programs did not cover any tobacco-dependence treatments, and only one program (Oregon) covered all recommended treatments in 2006. Additionally, even in states that provide coverage, there were significant restrictions on the use of these treatments. Providing full Medicaid coverage for all recommended tobacco dependence treatments, eliminating barriers to the use of these treatments, promoting treatment use, and educating Medicaid recipients and providers about coverage are critical to reducing tobacco use among this increased-risk population. Community and policy interventions (such as increasing the price of tobacco products, sustained media campaigns encouraging cessation and promoting available treatments, comprehensive smoke-free policies, and state-funded quitlines) complement the clinical treatments of tobacco use and increase quit attempts and quitting success. Click to read the full article or click here to learn more.

State Tobacco Cessation Coverage Database
This new resource from the American Lung Association (ALA) contains information on Medicaid coverage of tobacco cessation treatment, state employee health plan coverage, insurance mandates for cessation, quitlines, and ALA programs for each state. These data include details of coverage, such as barriers to accessing treatment, as well as the sources for each data point. A customizable search option allows users to search for states that cover any combination of treatments. The database is updated continuously with the most current information.

Teenquit
Teenquit provides help to teens who want to quit smoking. Its components include online support for teens in their efforts to quit smoking while they participate in the Adolescent Smoking Cessation Escaping Nicotine and Tobacco program (ASCENT), a multifaceted school-based intervention.

The Tobacco Cessation Leadership Network’s new website
The mission of the Network is to help increase the capacity in every state to establish effective, sustainable, and affordable cessation services. They seek to do this by linking state and national cessation leaders to share information, resources, and strategies. At the website users can:

• Retrieve existing information and tools for implementing comprehensive tobacco cessation initiatives
• Access new implementation resources and tools developed through the Network and partners as they emerge
• Tune into discussions about implementation issues through conference calls, online postings, and email exchanges

The website also offers the opportunity to join the Tobacco Cessation Leadership Network.

Tobacco Cessation Guideline
The Public Health Service "Clinical Practice Guideline" is the most detailed review of strategies for patients, providers, and health care systems on interventions to increase smoking cessation/control programs. It provides evidence-based recommendations regarding clinical and systems interventions that will increase the likelihood of successful quitting. Note that it was written to be relevant to all tobacco users – those using cigarettes as well as other forms of tobacco.

Tobacco Cessation Tool Kit
The American College of Chest Physicians has updated their Tobacco Cessation Tool Kit with new data and a new format. The new CD-ROM accommodates a video presentation of how to implement tobacco cessation using these tools into your office practice or hospital setting. All patient education materials are now in both English and Spanish.

Tobacco Control for Dental Hygienists
Leading the Way – Helping our Patients be Tobacco Free is a tobacco control curriculum designed for dental hygiene faculty with the intent of providing a comprehensive, ready-made product to give dental hygiene students competency in integrating and normalizing tobacco control in dental care. The adaptable curriculum includes a Faculty Guide with learning objectives, learning activities, assessment tools and references, Presentation Slides in PDF format and an extensive Tool Box.

Tobacco Free Kids Releases 2 Model Tobacco Use Treatment Documents:
Key Elements of a Model Tobacco Use Treatment Benefit
Model Tobacco Use Treatment Benefit Language

Use of Consumer Survey Data to Target Cessation Messages to Smokers Through Mass Media
A recent study has identified the mass media channels that reach the most cigarette smokers. Researchers used data from the 2002-2003 ConsumerStyles and HealthStyles surveys of adults to estimate demographic-specific exposure to television, radio, newspapers and magazines. Primary results indicate that smokers watched more television and listened to more radio, while reading fewer magazines and newspapers than non-smokers. Cable television networks like USA, Lifetime and the Discovery Chanel and radio genres such as classic rock and country had high reach among smokers. Moreover, these channels were found be cost efficient for the number of cigarette smokers reached. Click here to view the study abstract, which is published in the June 2007 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

Using the 5A Model to Reduce Exposure to Second Hand Smoke
This useful article, Secondhand Smoke (SHS) Deserves More Than Secondhand Attention: Modifying the 5As Model to Include Counseling to Eliminate Exposure from the American Psychological Association, expands on the 5A guidelines for health care workers to assist nonsmoking patients in reducing their exposure to second hand smoke. Advocates may also use this as a tool to further enhance partnerships with the medical/healthcare community for eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke.

Women and Smoking
The women featured in this advertising campaign are real women battling tobacco-related illnesses like emphysema, lung cancer and throat cancer. The campaign shows the real parting letters to their family and loved ones that they have generously allowed Legacy to use. With this national advertising campaign, Legacy hopes to raise awareness of the toll tobacco has taken upon women and encourage women smokers to seek help to quit smoking. The Web site includes fact sheets, copies of ads, and quitting information, including a quit plan.

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Economics

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is fighting to free America's youth from tobacco and to create a healthier environment. Its goals are to alter the public's acceptance of tobacco, change public policies at federal, state and local levels to protect children from tobacco, and increase the number of organizations and individuals fighting against tobacco.

Additional links: Research Center The Campaign’s Research Center includes fact sheets and special reports on tobacco’s toll in your state, tobacco settlement spending, issues related to tobacco and youth, secondhand smoke, special populations and many additional topics. Factsheets by Request By request at the factsheets@tobaccofreekids.org e-mail, the Campaign can provide estimates of how much a state's cigarette tax would have to be raised to fully fund its state tobacco prevention program or how much it would have to be raised to obtain funds that would make proposed cuts to the program unnecessary (in both cases, usually only a few pennies). Send the amount at issue and the Campaign can tell you how many cents the state cigarette tax would have to be increased to raise that amount.

Cancer deaths take heavy financial toll
Two side-by-side research papers in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute used different methods to calculate the current and projected future financial costs of cancer deaths in the United States. The first paper, “Productivity Costs of Cancer Mortality in the United States: 2000–2020,” assesses the cost of cancer by determining the amount of money either not earned or spent due to lives lost. By this method, the cost of a cancer death is dependent on determinants the deceased individual’s earning potential, such as age. This method put the costs of lost productivity and of cancer care at $232.4 billion in 2000, and projects that this figure will grow to $308 billion in 2020. The other article, “Estimates and Projections of Value of Life Lost From Cancer Deaths in the United States,” calculated the amount of years of life that will be lost to cancer through 2020 (person-years of life lost), and multiplied by the cost an individual would be willing to pay for an additional year of life (a value set at $150,000 based on previous studies in the U.S.) in order to calculate the cost of cancer. This study estimated the cost of cancer in 2000 at $960.7 billion, and projected a 53%increase by 2020 cost to $1.4 trillion. Click here to read a summary that compares the methods used in each article.

Curbing the Epidemic
The World Bank has produced a comprehensive examination of the fiscal, trade, regulatory, agricultural and industrial aspects of global tobacco use and control. The authors have provided empiric and systematic analyses of the economics of tobacco control. The intended audience is Ministries of Finance, Commerce, Trade and Health in low- and middle-income countries and in development agencies, as well as academic economists, epidemiologists, those working in tobacco control programs, and health planners. Much of the material is also useful in the United States.

Economic Costs of Smoking in the United States and the Benefits of Comprehensive Tobacco Legislation
The functions of the Department of the Treasury include: managing Federal finances; collecting taxes, duties and monies paid to and due to the U.S. and paying all bills of the U.S.; producing all postage stamps, currency and coinage; managing government accounts and the public debt; supervising national banks and thrift institutions; advising on domestic and international financial, monetary, economic, trade and tax policy; enforcing Federal finance and tax laws; and investigating and prosecuting tax evaders, counterfeiters, forgers, smugglers, illicit spirits distillers and gun law violators. This document is a March 1998 report that details the costs of smoking on the U.S. economy.

Economic Impact of Smokefree Policies
The American Lung Association (ALA) has released a new report, Fuzzy Math: How the Tobacco Industry Distorts the Truth about the Economic Effects of Smokefree Restaurants and Bars. This publication describes how the tobacco industry uses misleading studies and evidence to convince decision makers that smokefree restaurant and bar laws will have a negative effect on business.

Economics of Tobacco Control
This World Bank site is for researchers, policymakers, advocates and others, as they choose and implement effective tobacco control measures. It includes background papers on tobacco control in developing countries; PowerPoint presentations on tobacco and policies to reduce its harm; common myths and facts about tobacco control; tools that explain how to analyze tobacco demand, employment, taxation and other issues; and effective interventions to reduce tobacco use.

Investing in a tobacco-free future:  How it benefits your bottom line and community
With the support of the United Health Foundation, the Partnership for Prevention and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids have developed a toolkit to educate business owners on the impact of tobacco use on their bottom line. The toolkit also provides strategies to help companies improve their employees’ health and productivity by reducing tobacco use. These strategies include implementing company policies and programs, as well as community involvement and support of state and local smokefree policies. The toolkit was recently distributed to all Fortune 500 companies, and is available online for distribution to other businesses. Click here for more information.

Papers by Dr. Frank Chaloupka
Dr. Frank Chaloupka is Professor of Economics at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Director of ImpacTeen: A Policy Research Partnership to Reduce Substance Abuse Use. His research focuses on the economic analysis of substance use and abuse, and emphasizes the role of prices and substance control policies in affecting the demands for tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, as well as outcomes related to substance use and abuse. This Web site includes many links to papers written by Dr. Chaloupka.

Saving Lives, Saving Money: Why States Should Invest in a Tobacco-Free Future
This report compares 2001 Medicaid costs attributable to smoking with potential savings from reducing the prevalence of smoking by investing in tobacco control programs. It provides state-by-state estimates of the health care cost savings that can be achieved. The report also highlights successful efforts in California, Massachusetts, Maine and Florida, showing the estimated savings in health care costs due to their investment in tobacco control.

Smoking-attributable mortality, morbidity and economic costs (SAMMEC)
The Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs (SAMMEC) system is an online application which allows users to estimate the health and health-related economic consequences of smoking among adults and infants. SAMMEC has two different modules: Adult SAMMEC and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) SAMMEC. Users of the system can access state-specific data for varying time periods. An updated version of SAMMEC is available in addition to a previous (2001) version of the tool. The updated version has additional data elements and more advanced report capabilities. Registered users can generate and save reports on smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, productivity loss, and healthcare expenditures.

Strategic Thinking on State Tobacco Tax Increases
This document, published in 2003, is designed to assist public health advocates in recognizing and weighing the strategic decisions that must be made before beginning a campaign to increase tobacco taxes at the state level. As every case is different, this document is intended to guide advocates through the kind of critical thinking that is needed to prepare for a successful campaign. Public health advocates who have considered these strategic decisions will be prepared to be central participants and leaders in discussions of tobacco tax increases.

Successful Tobacco Tax Campaign in Washington State
In 2001 voters in the state of Washington approved Initiative-773 by a 2-to-1 margin. This initiative, labeled "Healthcare for Washington's Working Families," raised the state's tobacco tax by 60 cents per pack of cigarettes, making it the nation's highest tobacco tax. The revenue generated by the tax hike was dedicated to increasing access to the state's low-income health insurance program and to funding Washington's tobacco prevention and control program. For more information about this successful campaign, contact Dan Newman, I-773's campaign manager, at dan@messageworks.org or (415) 647-2540.

The Economic Impact of Clean Indoor Air Laws
Clean indoor air laws are easily implemented, are well accepted by the public, reduce nonsmoker exposure to secondhand smoke, and contribute to a reduction in overall cigarette consumption. There are currently thousands of clean indoor air laws throughout the Unites States, and the majority of Americans live in areas where smoking is completely prohibited in workplaces, restaurants, or bars. The vast majority of scientific evidence indicates that there is no negative economic impact of clean indoor air policies, with many studies finding that there may be some positive effects on local businesses. This is despite the fact that tobacco industry-sponsored research has attempted to create fears to the contrary. To access the full article click here.

The Praxis Project: Fighting Back on Budget Cuts — A Toolkit
All over the country, health programs are facing severe budget crises. Tobacco control programs have come under particularly heavy pressure. This publication is designed to be a resource for organizers, community groups and public agencies at various levels of capacity working to build support for healthy budget priorities. This "kit" will help groups better understand the economic context in which budget cuts are taking place, develop strategic communications and organizing plans for approaching this issue, and gain tools and methods for researching state budget processes. This kit is based on three assumptions:

• It will require broad, multi-issue coalitions in each state to beat back these cuts, and these coalitions must be formed around our common interests.
• We have to expose problems with the budget process as well as with the budget spending priorities.
• It will be important to go beyond defending our programs to posing alternatives, especially ways to increase revenues at the state level and increased matching funds at the federal level.

U.S. Progress in Reducing Smoking At Risk Unless States Increase Funding For Tobacco Prevention Programs, Report Warns
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Lung Association and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network are releasing our annual report assessing whether the states are keeping their promise to use their tobacco settlement funds for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.  This year, the report finds that the states have increased funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs by 20 percent to $717.2 million, the highest level in six years.  However, most states still fail to fund these programs at minimum levels recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the states combined are providing less than half what the CDC has recommended.  (The report uses the CDC's 1999 funding recommendations. Next year, it will begin to use the CDC's 2007 recommendations that were issued in October.

Links:
• Full Report
• Chart ranking the states
• State-specific press releases

What you'll save by quitting smoking
Using figures on smoking from the CDC and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Forbes presents in an article and a slideshow the amount of money (not including healthcare costs) that smokers could save each year by quitting. The eyecatching slideshow provides statistics on the average cost of cigarettes per year for smokers in each state, based on per-capita cigarette sales and the per-pack cost of cigarettes. The annual cost of smoking not only reflects states’ cigarette tax rates, but also the amount of cigarettes being bought. The cost of cigarettes can have a dramatic effect on the amount of cigarettes consumed, and raising cigarette taxes is a proven way to decrease smoking rates. For example, in New York State, where cigarettes are the most expensive in the country at $8.66 per pack, only 34 packs were sold per capita, totaling $296 per smoker. Meanwhile, South Carolina sold 91 packs of cigarettes per person in 2007 at an average cost of $3.33, with a total cost of $304 per person. By going smoke-free, smokers can save on cigarettes, but the cost savings in healthcare expenditures is even more impressive.

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Evaluation

Antismoking Television Advertising and Socioeconomic Variations in Calls to Quitline
An article in the April 2007 issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health assesses the socioeconomic variations in call rates to the Quitline and the impact of anti-tobacco television advertising on call rates. To view the abstract, please click here.

CDC Office of Smoking and Health Surveillance & Evaluation
This website provides state data and statistics of tobacco use. Guidelines and Resources are provided to aid in tobacco control program evaluation.

• CDC Office on Smoking and Health Surveillance and Evaluation Net-conferences
   
• Introduction to Program Evaluation for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
   
• Key Outcome Indicators for Evaluating Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
   
• Introduction to Process Evaluation in Tobacco Use Prevention and Control

Demonstrating Your Program's Worth: A Primer on Evaluation for Programs to Prevent Unintentional Injury
A CDC publication, this book shows program managers how to demonstrate the value of their work to the public, to their peers, to funding agencies and to the people they serve. The purpose is to show that managers and staff need not be apprehensive about what evaluation will cost or what it will show. In this book, the authors show why evaluation is worth the resources and effort involved. They also show how to conduct simple evaluations, how to hire and supervise consultants for complex evaluations, and how to incorporate evaluation activities into the activities of the injury prevention program itself. By learning to merge evaluation and program activities, managers will find that evaluation does not take as much time, effort or money as they expected. While this resource is written for those working in the area of unintentional injury, it is a valuable resource for others working in public health.

Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health
Health improvement is what public health professionals strive to achieve. To reach this goal, they must devote their skill – and will – to evaluating the effects of public health actions. As the targets of public health actions have expanded beyond infectious diseases to include chronic diseases, violence, emerging pathogens, threats of bioterrorism, and the social contexts that influence health disparities, the task of evaluation has become more complex. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed this framework for program evaluation to ensure that amidst the complex transition in public health, public health programs remain accountable and committed to achieving measurable health outcomes.

Local Program Evaluation Planning Guide
Based on the Online Tobacco Information System (OTIS) Version 2, this guide provides projects with step-by-step instructions for writing SMART objectives for CX indicators and assets, understanding how the evaluation plan is entered in OTIS, creating the evaluation design and deciding how to collect data, and writing an evaluation narrative. It includes tips, advice and definitions of evaluation terms throughout the guide. The guide also includes a resource list of books, survey instruments, websites, tips on finding an evaluator, and information on rating the final evaluation reports. An accompanying CD (not yet available) includes sample plans with screenshots from OTIS and narratives on how and why the evaluation design was selected and how and why the particular data collection method was used.

Power of Proof-An Evaluation Primer Print Version

Surveillance and Evaluation Data Resources for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
"Surveillance and Evaluation Data Resources" is an at-a-glance compilation of sources of data useful for tobacco control programs that are conducting surveillance or evaluation. The objective is to provide basic information on each data source to assist state tobacco control programs identify data that are relevant to planning, monitoring and evaluation.

The data sources are organized under major categories: national and state surveys and tools, registries and vital statistics, and topic-specific tools.

Tell Your Story: Guidelines for Preparing a Complete, High Quality Final Evaluation Report
This guide highlights the critical role that evaluation plays in the California Department of Health Services Tobacco Control Section program. The guide may also be helpful tobacco control programs in other states because it includes a discussion on how final evaluation reports are used in local and state tobacco control activities, provides answers to frequently asked questions, and details the required and optional elements featured in a "high quality final evaluation report." Appendices include a full-text sample final evaluation report, a sample Final Evaluation Report Rating Form used by CDHS/TCS staff to score the final evaluation reports, a Final Evaluation Report Checklist (required components for final evaluation report primary objectives), and a Brief Evaluation Report Checklist (non-primary objectives).

University of Wisconsin Monitoring and Evaluation Program
The Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board provides TA for its grantees. However, anyone can access the website for guidance with monitoring and evaluation. The “Multi Year Action Planning”, “Evaluation Planning” and “Evaluation Methods” links on the Resources toolbar provide detailed guidance, templates and worksheets for planning and conducting an evaluation that can be tailored to any program’s needs.

User-Friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluations
Describes the types of evaluations principal investigators/project directors may need to perform on a project. It also describes the evaluation process, including the development of evaluation questions and the collection and analysis of appropriate data. (From National Science Foundation, 1997)

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Global Tobacco Control

World Health Organization Tobacco Free Initiative
Established on April 7, 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) is the health agency for the United Nations. WHO’s objective is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. WHO defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

The WHO Tobacco Free Initiative site features press releases and highlights of current international tobacco control activities as well as links to regional offices. It also includes links to the following tobacco-related resources.

Additional links: WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) The WHO FCTC is an international health treaty for tobacco control. The document includes proposed measures to reduce tobacco demand and supply, information about environmental protection, questions related to liability, and information about tobacco-related research. Research and Policy Development This site includes information about and links to a variety of research topics. These include smoking cessation, secondhand smoke and youth and tobacco, as well as tobacco-related diseases. Surveillance and Monitoring This site includes information about current surveillance projects, which include the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), the Global School Personnel Survey (GSPS), and the Global Health Professional Survey (GHPS).             Capacity Building This site includes strategies to improve national tobacco control capacity, success stories and lessons learned, and information about capacity building workshops.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids -  International Resource Center
The International Resource Center is an online clearinghouse of resources for tobacco control advocates worldwide and is part of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. Tobacco control resources can be searched by topic or by country. The website also offers information on the global impact of tobacco use, existing efforts that support the aims of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), and a listing by country of grants available for tobacco control initiatives.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global Tobacco Prevention and Control
This website highlights global tobacco control priorities and objectives, includes links to global youth, school personnel and health professionals’ tobacco surveys, and links to various tobacco control-related databases.

Curbing the Epidemic
The World Bank has produced a comprehensive examination of the fiscal, trade, regulatory, agricultural and industrial aspects of global tobacco use and control. The authors have provided empiric and systematic analyses of the economics of tobacco control. The intended audience is Ministries of Finance, Commerce, Trade and Health in low- and middle-income countries and in development agencies, as well as academic economists, epidemiologists, those working in tobacco control programs, and health planners. Much of the material is also useful in the United States.

Economics of Tobacco Control
This World Bank site is for researchers, policymakers, advocates and others, as they choose and implement effective tobacco control measures. It includes background papers on tobacco control in developing countries; PowerPoint presentations on tobacco and policies to reduce its harm; common myths and facts about tobacco control; tools that explain how to analyze tobacco demand, employment, taxation and other issues; and effective interventions to reduce tobacco use.

GLOBALink: Global Tobacco Control
GLOBALink’s website features current tobacco news in four languages (English, French, German and Spanish), news bulletins, fact sheets, tobacco control resources and papers, as well as country- and subject-specific networks.

Additional link: GLOBALink’s Regional Summaries and Country Profiles Updated in 2003, the individual country profiles include information related to demographics, smoking prevalence, the tobacco economy, smoking-related disease impact and infrastructure for tobacco control. The regional summaries, in turn, are organized into six geographic regions:  Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, South-East Asia and the Western Pacific.

Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control (GPTC)
GPTC works to strengthen international tobacco control activities at the grass roots level by pairing groups with similar interests and target populations. More specifically, the program pairs groups in the United States and Canada with groups in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the former Soviet Union, and assists them in initiating meaningful partnerships.

GlobalTobaccoControl.org
This interactive website, dedicated to enhancing knowledge about global tobacco control, provides free online training and research and policy guidance on how to curtail the global epidemic of tobacco-related deaths. The site is designed for a variety of audiences, including policy makers, researchers, health educators, public health practitioners, students, smoking cessation organizations, and physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals. It features a curriculum on global tobacco control developed by faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in collaboration with internationally recognized experts, interactive multimedia modules featuring tobacco control experts from around the world, and printable certificates of completion.

Global Tobacco Report Outlines 21 Challenges for 21st Century
A 2010 report from the American Cancer Society outlines 21 challenges and needs for global tobacco control. The writers of the report note that the tobacco trade has been globalized for 500 years, but the public health response has only come about in the past fifty years. The report lists activities, policies, and interventions that must be increased or in some cases decreased in order to achieve success in reducing the rising tide of tobacco use. Click here to read a summary, or click here to access the abstract of the report, which appeared in the January/February 2010 issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.

Global Tobacco Research Network (GTRN)
GTRN’s purpose is to enhance tobacco control research by promoting collaboration and partnerships, providing information, facilitating training, and sharing research tools with the goal of reducing the burden of disease and death caused by tobacco. The GTRN website includes resources for networking, directories of tobacco control researchers and organizations, a tobacco control literature database, research search engines by subject, and information about distance learning and funding opportunities.

Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS)
The World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) began development of the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS) in 1999. GTSS includes both school-based and household-based surveys. The purpose of the GTSS is to enhance countries' capacity to monitor tobacco use, guide national tobacco prevention, and control programs, and facilitate comparison of tobacco-related data at the national, regional, and global levels.

Health warnings on tobacco products - worldwide, 2007
Data from 176 World Health Organization (WHO) member states indicates that the majority of countries, 56%, are requiring cigarette packaging to include health warnings about the risks of tobacco use. Fewer countries, only 9%, required pictorial health warnings. Lower-income countries were less likely to require health warnings than the high-income countries. Requiring health warnings has been shown to be a cost-effective approach to raise awareness of the risks of tobacco use, increase cessation rates, and discourage the uptake of tobacco use. Larger warnings and those that combine pictures and text are most effective. Placing health warnings on tobacco packaging was one of the key evidence-based interventions included in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) that came into force in 2005. This research was published in the MMWR on May 22, 2009.

International Network of Women Against Tobacco (INWAT)
INWAT is an international network of women against tobacco with the goal of improving women’s health by preventing or stopping tobacco use and exposure. INWAT provides contacts to individuals and organizations working in tobacco control; collects and distributes information regarding global women and tobacco issues; shares strategies to counter tobacco advertising and promotion; supports the development of women-centered tobacco use prevention and cessation programs; assists in the organization and planning of conferences on tobacco control; collaborates on the development of publications regarding women and tobacco issues; and promotes female leadership.

International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC)
The ITC Project is a collaboration of tobacco control researchers from around the world, whose mission is to evaluate the psychosocial and behavioral effects of nationwide tobacco control policies. The study follows a panel of participants from Canada, the United States, Great Britain and Australia over a five year period to demonstrate whether specific tobacco control policies have had the desired effect and how and why those policy effects are achieved.

International Tobacco Evidence Network (ITEN)
ITEN is a partnership between the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen the global knowledge base on tobacco control and prevention. ITEN also provides technical assistance to researchers in economics, epidemiology, social science, and other areas related to tobacco control. The ITEN website includes a list of research priorities, a global tobacco control listserv, and a research forum for researchers to share their knowledge, take part in a peer review process, and obtain technical assistance. ITEN research papers and publications are also available on the site.

Research for International Tobacco Control (RITC)
RITC’s mission is to create a strong research, funding and knowledge base for the development of effective tobacco control policies and programs that will minimize the threat of tobacco production and consumption to health and human development in developing countries. RITC funds tobacco control research projects in developing countries that address one of the following five areas: poverty and tobacco; tobacco farming; health systems and interventions; globalization and tobacco; and alternative forms of tobacco use. In addition to funding opportunities, the website includes information about capacity building and links to abstracts of current literature on tobacco control in developing countries.

The Tobacco Atlas
In 2009, the World Lung Foundation and the American Cancer Society published the third edition of The Tobacco Atlas, a comprehensive and interactive resource that plainly displays the consequences of tobacco use on global health and economics. The report estimates that tobacco use consumes $500 billion of the world economy annually as a result of lost productivity, premature deaths, misused resources, and weak tobacco taxation. The Tobacco Atlas exposes the recent trend by the tobacco industry to shift marketing and sales efforts to low and middle income countries that do not have harsh restrictions or monitoring of tobacco products and companies. Click here to read more. Click here to access The Tobacco Atlas website, which allows users to interact with the data to create custom maps, charts, and graphs.

WHO World Health Statistics 2008
This report includes the most recent health statistics on the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 193 member states. Data are reported on 70 health indicators, and part 1 of the report includes ten highlights on health statistics, one of which is entitled “Reducing deaths from tobacco.” The report describes the recent shift in healthcare burden from infectious diseases to chronic and noncommunicable diseases, and names tobacco as the main cause of the shift. The leading worldwide causes of death in 2004, all commonly attributed to tobacco use, include ischemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, lower respiratory infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

AFRICA

World Health Organization (WHO) African Regional Office
The WHO African Regional Office website lists and describes current tobacco-related projects, elements of comprehensive national policy as well as country-specific policies, and provides links to publications and speeches.

ASIA

Asia Pacific Association for the Control of Tobacco (APACT)
Founded in 1989 by ten Asian-Pacific countries, APACT seeks to create a completely smoke-free environment by uniting Asian anti-tobacco initiatives to fight transnational tobacco companies. APACT assists in the implementation of tobacco control programs, which include bans on all cigarette smoking, smoking in public ordinances and prevention education. The website features news stories, the option to compare tobacco-related statistics by country, and a discussion board.

Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA)
The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, founded in 2001, supports government and non-government tobacco control workers and advocates. SEATCA’s objectives are four-fold:

• Promote the implementation of effective evidence-based tobacco control measures
• Encourage greater cooperation between national and regional tobacco control workers
• Organize and facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and experience
• Strengthen national tobacco control initiatives

The SEATCA website includes a news database, information about current activities, country-specific information, as wells as links to publications and additional resources.

World Health Organization (WHO) Southeast Asia Regional Office Tobacco Free Initiative
The WHO Southeast Asia Regional Office’s Tobacco Free Initiative website features surveillance and other regional reports on tobacco, descriptions of a variety of tobacco-related research projects, and links to the global youth, school personnel and health professionals’ tobacco surveys.

AUSTRALIA

Action on Smoking and Health Australia (ASH)
The ASH website is a comprehensive center of news and resources. The website features specialized information for a variety of people – politicians, health professionals, educators, students and parents. The site also includes an extensive tobacco control news section, with information about local and national happenings. Finally, the ASH website offers links to a wide array of tobacco-related resources and publications.

Quit Victoria
Quit Victoria is an initiative supported by The Cancer Council of Victoria, VicHealth, the Department of Human Services and the National Heart Association.  They offer a website with tools and guidance for people trying to quit their use of tobacco.  Quit Victoria also works with community groups to implement no smoking policies, provide education on tobacco to youth and to reduce the smoking rates.

VicHealth Centre for Tobacco Control (VCTC)
Based at Australia’s Cancer Control Research Institute, the VCTC is a research-focused organization. The website includes a database of researchers and projects, publications and reports, and post-graduate research opportunities. The website also includes Australia-specific industry, policy, health and society watches.

EUROPE

European Network for Smoking Prevention
The European Network for Smoking Prevention promotes the activities of national coalitions and smoking prevention networks across Europe, links individual members and smoking prevention groups  to encourage collaboration, and provides general support to tobacco control agencies in Central and Eastern Europe. Their website includes current tobacco-related news and reports, as well as information related to trends and policies in the European Union.

World Health Organization (WHO) European Regional Office
The WHO European Regional Office website features current news and events, country profiles updated in 2003, a tobacco control database, and a lengthy selection of related links to national and international tobacco control websites.

NORTH AMERICA

Canadian Council for Tobacco Control (CCTC)
CCTC coordinates and supports Canadian tobacco control advocates by creating and maintaining a knowledge network and by connecting individuals and agencies. Their comprehensive website includes information related to prevention, cessation, law, industry watch and advice for health professionals. It also features links to tobacco-related statistics at four levels: provincial and territorial, national, American, and global.

Health Canada: Tobacco Control Programme
Web site for the Tobacco Control Programme in Canada.

SOUTH AMERICA

Brazilian National Cancer Institute Ministry of Health 
This website highlights tobacco control efforts in Brazil, including legislation and a tobacco and other cancer risk factors control program. The website also provides information about the WHO Collaborating Centre for Tobacco Control.

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
The Pan-American Health Organization is an international public health organization that is part of the Inter-American System and the United Nations System. Their tobacco website provides links, many in both Spanish and English, to tobacco-related publications and resources.

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Marketing and Advertising

American Public Health Association (APHA) – Media Advocacy Manual
This resource is provided by the American Public Health Association. Developed in 2000, the "Media Advocacy Manual" includes general information about advocacy and public health. In addition, there is information about planning your message and ways of using the media.

BADvertising Institute
The BADvertising Institute provides suggestions for programs to alter tobacco ads to provide hard-hitting messages which are the opposite of what the original ads intended. By juxtaposing silly, gross and disgusting images on top of the original ads, they shock people into realizing how tobacco ads are concealing the truth. Their purpose is to immunize kids against the deceptive advertising, marketing and promotional tactics of the tobacco companies.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health marketing:  eHealth data briefs
CDC’s National Center for Health Marketing has compiled eHealth data briefs with data highlights and demographic breakdowns for several current and upcoming eHealth channels. These briefs describe various technology-based health marketing channels, provide information about the types of users that can be reached, and inform readers about the most powerful ways to reach an audience. A listing of some channels of communication detailed in the briefs includes: internet, blogs, social networks, podcasts, and text messaging.

Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Program
The Office on Smoking and Health has developed a tobacco counter-marketing manual called Designing and Implementing an Effective Tobacco Counter-Marketing Program. Designed primarily for tobacco control program staff in state health departments and national organizations, this comprehensive 450-page document takes the reader step-by-step through the process of developing and implementing a tobacco counter-marketing campaign. By compiling information about what has worked successfully in tobacco control and prevention media campaigns, this resource will help ensure that programs are effective and gain from the past experiences of others. In addition to providing examples from successful campaigns, the manual also includes samples of key documents used throughout the process.

Making Health Communication Programs Work: A Planner’s Guide
The purpose of this guide, developed at the National Cancer Institute, is to learn from and share experiences with those who plan health communication programs. The guide discusses key principles relative to specific steps in program development and includes examples of their use. Sources of additional information on each subject are included at the end of the chapters. A glossary, a bibliography and other resources can be found in the appendices.

Media Campaign Resource Center (MCRC)
CDC has licensed existing advertisements developed by a number of states and federal agencies. These ads are available through the Media Campaign Resource Center for Tobacco Control, which not only gives programs access to these ads but can help develop an ad campaign to use them effectively. The MCRC provides technical assistance and helps programs select media materials. MCRC Online Database contains detailed information on the MCRC's extensive collection of tobacco counter-advertisements for television, radio, print and outdoor use.

MediaSharp
MediaSharpSM is a tool to help middle- and high school youth evaluate messages in the media and make healthy choices. CDC’s MediaSharpSM kit includes an entertaining 7-minute video and an easy-to-follow teacher’s guide with activities, handouts and discussion topics.

Smokers' Perceptions of "Natural" Cigarettes and Industry Advertising StrategiesFindings of a study in the December 2007 issue of Tobacco Control support the idea that informing smokers of conventional cigarettes' chemical ingredients could promote cessation, but that it could also increase the popularity of "natural" cigarettes. Click to view the abstract.

The Effect of Cigarette Pack Displays on Impulse Purchase
According to a November 2007 Addiction article [Epub ahead of print], point-of purchase cigarette displays act as cues to smoke, even among those not explicitly intending to buy cigarettes, and those trying to avoid smoking. Click to view the abstract.

The impact of tobacco advertising bans on consumption in developing countries
Researchers analyzed the effects of tobacco advertising bans in thirty countries. Findings showed that restrictions on tobacco advertisements and promotions cause significant declines in smoking rates. Comprehensive policies are more effective in reducing tobacco consumption than limited advertising restrictions. Comprehensive advertising bans caused per capita cigarette consumption to drop 23.5%, while partial bans caused a 13.6% decline. Advertising restrictions made more of a difference in developing countries because tobacco marketing makes up a larger segment of the advertising in those countries, the researchers speculate. The researchers note that in richer countries, tobacco advertisements are more easily ignored among ads for other products, but tobacco is one of the only products advertised in poorer countries. Click here for a summary of the research. Click here to view the abstract of the article, which appears in the July 2008 Journal of Health Economics.

The role of the media in promoting and reducing tobacco use
This report provides the most current and comprehensive summary of the scientific literature regarding the power of the media both to encourage and to discourage tobacco use. The report is part of the National Cancer Institute’s Tobacco Control Monograph series examining critical issues in tobacco prevention and control. It is an exceptional new resource for those working on tobacco counter-marketing campaigns. The monograph recognizes key ways the nation can reduce tobacco consumption through mass media and makes important conclusions about how that can be accomplished. Based on a review of over 1,000 research articles, the report concludes that tobacco marketing does increase tobacco use, but mass media countermarketing campaigns and bans on tobacco advertising work to reduce tobacco use. Click here to read a press release from the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, or click here to access the NCI website, which includes translations of the monograph in several languages, a media toolkit, and fact sheets tailored to the media, the general public, and policymakers.

The STORE (Strategic Tobacco Retail Effort) Campaign Website
This website includes the information and tools needed to plan, implement, and evaluate customized STORE Campaign efforts. It provides a campaign overview and a section on how to help accomplish campaign objectives. Also, it includes step-by-step information on documenting, selecting a campaign issue, developing strategies, using coalitions, communicating with decision makers, implementing activities and evaluating the campaign. Finally, the website includes an appendix with background information, glossaries and case studies, a tools section with customizable PowerPoint presentations, sample letters and forms, press releases, data collection tools, surveys, and training resources.

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Master Settlement Agreement (MSA)

A Broken Promise to Our Children: Annual Reports on State Spending of Tobacco Settlement Funds
Since the November 1998 multi-state tobacco settlement, annual reports have been issued by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on state spending of the funds received from tobacco companies as part of the Master Settlement Agreement. The reports assess whether the states are keeping their promise to use a significant portion of their settlement funds — estimated at $246 billion over the first 25 years — to attack the enormous public health problems posed by tobacco use in the United States.

American Legacy Foundation
Established as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement with the tobacco industry, the American Legacy Foundation's purposes are to conduct a comprehensive, coordinated program of public education and study, and to fund "cutting edge research and marketing programs that tell the truth about tobacco use." The site contains an overview of the Foundation, an information center, links to research, education and programs, and ways to speak out against tobacco.

Legacy Tobacco Documents Library
The UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management has placed on the Internet the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, a collection of more than 20 million pages of previously secret documents from tobacco industry files. The documents were obtained through the legal discovery process for the lawsuits against the major tobacco companies by the state attorneys general. The site is a single portal into the working files of the major tobacco companies.

National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG)
NAAG fosters interstate cooperation on legal and law enforcement issues; conducts policy research and analysis of issues; and facilitates communication between the states’ chief legal officers and all levels of government.

The Tobacco Project serves as the liaison to the NAAG Tobacco Committee and settling states on the implementation and enforcement of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). The Project assists the states with the coordination of enforcement strategies and dealing with other issues that arise in the area of tobacco. Resources are provided for MSA documents and current legislation related to tobacco.

Additional link: Tobacco Settlement Documents The National Association of Attorneys General Web site has a section devoted to documents and resources related to the Master Settlement Agreement.

National Conferences of State Legislators (NCSL)
NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the lawmakers and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. NCSL is a source for research, publications, consulting assistance, meetings and seminars. It provides an open, bipartisan, national forum for lawmakers to communicate with one another and share ideas. NCSL represents the states’ interests before Congress, the administration and federal agencies.

Tobacco Control in the Wake of the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement

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Policy and Program

Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights
Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights is a national lobbying organization dedicated to nonsmokers' rights, confronting the tobacco industry at all levels of government to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke and youth from tobacco addiction. ANR pursues an action-oriented program of policy and legislation.

The Web site includes a wide variety of materials, including how to protect yourself from secondhand smoke, health hazards of secondhand smoke, information about local clean indoor air ordinances (including how to pass an ordinance, and the economic impact of ordinances), ventilation issues, preemption, smokefree airports campaign, tobacco industry strategies and tactics, education programs for youth and action alerts.

Additional Links: Local Clean Indoor Air Ordinances The lists are updated on a quarterly basis. Only ordinances that have been personally reviewed and analyzed by ANR Foundation staff using standardized criteria are included in ANR Foundation's ordinance lists. The lists include: Municipalities with 100% Smokefree Ordinances Municipalities with 100% Smokefree Ordinances: Tabular format Municipalities with 100% Smokefree Bar Ordinances U.S. Municipalities with Local Tobacco Control Ordinances: Cumulative totals... Chart of Communities with Clean Indoor Air Ordinances: Cumulative Number Enacted by Year Getting Started: Ordinance Development Planning Form This site is a planning form for those involved with ordinance development. Fundamentals of Smokefree Workplace Laws The Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights has compiled a comprehensive guide to best practices for smokefree workplace campaigns. The Fundamentals of Smokefree Workplace Laws contains guiding principles for developing, enacting, and implementing effective smokefree air laws to protect people from the disease and death caused by secondhand smoke. These guidelines are based on the experiences and lessons learned from tobacco control advocates throughout the country over several decades. The ultimate goal is to protect everyone from exposure to secondhand smoke, to create healthier communities, and to create a social norm where the public expects smokefree environments. Tobacco Industry Tracking Database The ANR Foundation’s Tobacco Industry Tracking Database is a collection of information on the activities of the tobacco industry and its allies. A variety of documents are included in the Tobacco Industry Tracking Database including: reports, surveys, research studies, correspondence, mainstream newspaper articles, journal and trade magazine articles, political advertising, press releases, tobacco industry direct mail and promotional packets, and internal tobacco industry documents obtained through lawsuits such as the Minnesota Attorney General’s suit. Smoke Free Ordinance Lists The Americans for Non-smokers’ Rights Foundation has full updated lists of municipalities and states with smoke free ordinances in effect as of July 7, 2005. State laws and other legislation are also specified.

American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control Report
The American Lung Association has released its annual State of Tobacco Control report grading all 50 states and the District of Columbia, on their policies to reduce tobacco addiction, diseases and death. Find out if your state has the policies in place to get the job done. Click here to access the report.

Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment and Leadership (APPEAL)
The Asian Pacific Partners for Empowerment and Leadership (APPEAL), a component of AAPCHO, has established itself as the only national Asian American and Pacific Islander network providing key technical assistance and resources on tobacco control. Their mission is to prevent tobacco use in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community through five priority areas: network development, capacity building, education, advocacy, and leadership development. APPEAL’s “Creating New Mountains Tobacco Control Leadership Program” is a leadership program that specifically addresses tobacco control issues for the diverse AAPI communities. The site has information on capacity building, youth leadership initiatives, policy and leadership development, and a calendar of Asian American and Pacific Islander tobacco control-related events.

Additional link: Policy News The APPEAL Web site has a policy section that includes their policy bulletin, information on federal tobacco legislation, policy links and the draft APPEAL Tobacco Control Policy Recommendations.

Association of National Advertisers (ANA) – Tobacco Advertising Legislation (107th Congress)
Lists status of all bills dealing with tobacco advertising introduced in the current Congress.

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) – Tobacco Prevention and Control Project
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials is the national nonprofit organization representing the state and territorial public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia. ASTHO's members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are responsible for formulating and influencing sound public health policy and assuring excellence in state-based public health practice.

The ASTHO Tobacco Prevention and Control Project was established in 1988 and currently operates under a 5-year Cooperative Agreement with the Office on Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Project raises the visibility of tobacco prevention and control issues among state health officials and their senior staff. It ensures that state health officials and their agencies have the information and tools they need to address tobacco control activities in their state. The Project improves the capacity of states to prevent tobacco addiction and works with partner organizations to analyze emerging issues.

Additional link: Joint Policy Statement on Tobacco Use Prevention and Control A joint policy statement by ASTHO, NACCHO, and NALBOH that states these organizations’ intention to eliminate, to the extent possible, the devastation wreaked on Americans by tobacco.

Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
Best Practices identifies and describes the key elements for effective state tobacco control programs, including programs designed for communities, schools and the entire state. Best Practices addresses the significance of cessation programs, counter-marketing, enforcement, surveillance and evaluation, and chronic disease programs to reduce the burden of tobacco-related diseases. Tobacco control program funding models for all 50 states and the District of Columbia are included.

Best practices user guide: Coalitions-state and community interventions
Developed by the CDC Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) and the Center for Tobacco Policy Research (CTPR) at Washington University in St. Louis, this resource is the first in a series of "User Guides" for the State and Community Interventions category of the 2007 Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. The guide provides information on the importance of utilizing coalitions as a part of a comprehensive program that can help lead to important policy changes.

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is fighting to free America's youth from tobacco and to create a healthier environment. Its goals are to alter the public's acceptance of tobacco, change public policies at federal, state and local levels to protect children from tobacco, and increase the number of organizations and individuals fighting against tobacco.

Additional link: Research Center The Campaign’s Research Center includes fact sheets and special reports on tobacco’s toll in your state, tobacco settlement spending, issues related to tobacco and youth, secondhand smoke, special populations and many additional topics.

Case Studies on the Implementation and Enforcement of Local Tobacco Retailer Licensing Ordinances in California
While the state of California requires a license to sell tobacco products, the state licensing law does not address issues like youth access to tobacco. In order to address this shortcoming, some communities in California have established local ordinances. The case studies presented in this report come from four such counties that all took quite different approaches to implementation and enforcement. The authors report key elements of each of the four programs and conclude that there is no gold standard in regards to implementation and enforcement. Although the case studies come from California, this report is designed for any advocates in communities who have recently adopted tobacco retailer licensing ordinances.

Exposure to Secondhand Smoke among Students Aged 13–15 Years — Worldwide, 2000–2007
Findings from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 137 countries during 2000 to 2007 reveal that half of students aged 13-15 years who have never smoked reported being exposed to secondhand smoke at home (47 percent) or in places other than the home (48 percent). The analysis also found that students who were exposed to secondhand smoke were more likely to begin smoking. Click here to read more.

Evaluation Toolkit for Smoke-Free Policies
This publication provides an overview of approaches to evaluating the effects of smoke-free policies. The publication reviews five types of studies that can be used to assess these policies and four factors to consider in determining which of these studies to conduct in a specific site. The toolkit is intended for use by state tobacco control program staff and others who are involved in conducting these types of evaluations.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products Web site
The Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) oversees the implementation of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This Web site contains information about the FDA CTP, as well as regulatory information for consumers, the tobacco industry, and health professionals.

Health Policy Coach
Developed by the Center for Health Improvement (CHI), formerly the California Center for Health Improvement, Health Policy Coach is designed to guide users through the process of creating and influencing public policies. At the heart of Health Policy Coach is a menu of policies arranged according to the five broad determinants of health – health care, education, work, safety and the environment. Each of these prevention-focused policies is presented in the form of a "profile" – complete with background information, policy ideas, examples of effectiveness and references, and contact information for additional resources. Many of these policies were initially developed and implemented by concerned citizens seeking to improve and protect the health of their communities. As a measure of quality, all the profiles presented by Health Policy Coach have been reviewed by a panel of recognized health experts with local, state and national knowledge and experience. Implementing a policy is all about joining forces in support of positive change. It entails tailoring a solution to address the unique health problems and resources in your community. Once users have identified preliminary steps or ideas to address a problem, Health Policy Coach's second section, Bringing Policy Change to Your Community, provides essential information about how to turn ideas into action – from increasing public awareness and developing community partnerships to understanding the legislative process and evaluating existing policies that impact your purpose.

Institute of Medicine (IOM) tobacco website
This Institute of Medicine (IOM) website provides information for community coalitions looking to implement the recommendations from the 2007 IOM report Ending the Tobacco Problem: A Blueprint for the Nation. The website further explains the recommendations that are most relevant to community coalitions and provides examples of organizations that have applied those recommendations to their unique circumstances.

Institute of Medicine Releases a Blueprint for Domestic Tobacco Control
The Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Reducing Tobacco Use recently released a report on domestic tobacco control. The report was developed to provide a blueprint to substantially minimize the effects of tobacco use in the United States. Among other suggestions, the committee proposed increasing excise taxes, implementing smoking bans in all nonresidential indoor settings, restricting tobacco marketing and granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the production and sale of tobacco products. Click here to read the press release or click here to access the report brief or to order the full report.

Health Policy Guide

ImpacTeen
ImpacTeen is a policy research partnership to reduce youth substance use by determining what works and does not work. The interdisciplinary teams of experts in economics, etiology, epidemiology, law, political science, public policy, psychology and sociology are attempting to determine the general and relative effectiveness of various approaches to discourage youth use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs. The site contains research papers and news releases on youth access-related issues.

Legacy Tobacco Documents Library
The UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management has placed on the Internet the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, a collection of more than 20 million pages of previously secret documents from tobacco industry files. The documents were obtained through the legal discovery process for the lawsuits against the major tobacco companies by the state attorneys general. The site is a single portal into the working files of the major tobacco companies.

Matrix of Local Smokefree Housing Policies: June 2008
This resource from California’s Center for Tobacco Policy and Organizing describes seventeen California cities’ existing smokefree housing policies and their enforcement. The matrix also provides commentary on the strengths and weaknesses of each policy. Many of these policies are great examples for policymakers, tobacco control coalitions, and concerned citizens interested in working toward smokefree housing laws. Click for additional information.

Minnesota Smokefree Coalition Community Assessment Checklist
An assessment to determine how your community and elected officials stand on tobacco control issues, as well as their readiness to consider smokefree policy change.

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) – Tobacco Page
The NCSL is a source for research, publications, consulting assistance, meetings and seminars for members of state legislatures. The site provides legal citations, by state, for environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) laws, youth access laws, miscellaneous tobacco-related laws and smoking restrictions in state capitols. It also lists publications, including NCSL publications on effectiveness of quitlines and on flavored cigarettes or (bidis).

Program and Funding Guidelines for Comprehensive Local Tobacco Control Programs
Developed by local public health officials, the NACCHO tobacco control guidelines refine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) "Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs" from a state level to a community approach, to address the specific needs of tobacco control at the local level.

Smoke-Free Law Lists
The American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation has updated its reports, lists and maps of local and state smoke-free laws.

SmokefreeOregon.Com Offers Resources for Tenants and Landlords
This website offers a variety of information and resources for tenants and landlords interested in smoke free policies for multi-unit housing developments. For landlords, the website includes market research results, educational articles, signs and stickers for properties, and tools such as a sample tenant survey. Tenants can access a fact sheet about secondhand smoke, information about renters’ rights, and tips for how to communicate with a landlord.

SmokeLess States
The SmokeLess States: National Tobacco Policy Initiative is a private sector effort that supports activities of statewide coalitions working to improve the tobacco policy environment with the goal of reducing tobacco use. The site provides information on the activities of SmokeLess States-funded coalitions, contacts, and accomplishment. The site also has information resources on tobacco excise taxes, secondhand smoke, cessation, and news releases and newsletters. The Initiative is a collaborative effort involving the AMA, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the statewide coalitions who receive grants.

Southern Neighbors Collaboration shares common goal to raise their tobacco excise taxes to the national average
TTAC, in collaboration with the SmokeLess States: National Tobacco Policy Initiative and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, is sponsoring the development of a set of regional strategies to raise the excise taxes in the tobacco-growing south. Seven states, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia have joined together to form the Southern Neighbors Collaboration. The common goal shared by the Southern Neighbors is to raise their tobacco excise taxes to the national average—61 cents/pack.

This month, the Southern Neighbors launched their campaigns with press conferences, briefings and other media outreach in all seven Southern States, resulting in television, radio, press news and editorial coverage throughout the region. Thanks to a grant from the SmokeLess States: National Tobacco Policy Initiative, a regional director, Trish Deaver has been hired. The Southern Neighbors also have initiated a listserve to share communications and advocacy strategies as well as weekly briefings on legislative activity and media coverage.

The Southern Neighbors share a significantly improved political climate for their tobacco tax campaigns, in large part due to their low tax levels in comparison to the rest of the country and their perilously high state budget deficits. Even in these historically pro-tobacco states, the excise tax is being viewed by policy-makers as a possible source of revenue with which to balance their budgets avoid drastic cuts, and fund needed programs. With a regional strategy to enhance their state campaigns, the Southern Neighbors will maximize the use of their limited resources, eliminate duplication of effort and build a larger, more powerful movement.

Excise tax increases in the seven Southern Neighbors states would result in significant reductions in cigarette use in a region where the smoking rates, especially among youth, are among the highest in the country. While the national average for adult smokers is 23.3%, Kentucky tops the nation at 30.5%. For youth smoking the picture is even worse. The top three youth smoking rates are in Kentucky (40%), West Virginia (39.2%) and South Carolina (36%), compared to the national average of 28%. All the Southern Neighbors states have rates well above the national average for both adults and youth. Studies show that a 10% increase in the cost of cigarettes results in a 3-5% decrease in adult consumption and up to 7% reduction among youth. According to the Centers for Disease Control, among all adults and youth, cigarette price increases work even more effectively to prevent and reduce smoking among males, Blacks, Hispanics, lower-income persons and pregnant women. It follows that the Southern Neighbors tax increases will help to narrow the disparities among tobacco users where the smoking rates are among the highest in the nation.

The cost of cigarettes in the Southern Neighbors states lags far behind the rest of the nation. Twenty-one states and Puerto Rico implemented higher excise taxes in 2002 alone. Only one of them, Tennessee, was among the Southern Neighbors and that was the year’s lowest increase at 7 cents/pack. New York City, where excise taxes are the highest in the nation, increased its local cigarette tax from 8 cents to $1.50 per pack, which, when combined with the $1.50/pack state tax, now totals $3.00/pack. In contrast, the tax in Virginia is 2.5 cents/pack followed closely by Kentucky at 3 cents/pack. The average tax per pack in the Southern Neighbors states is 9.5 cents/pack compared to the national average of 61.1 cents/pack.

The political impetus for many of the excise tax increases that took place in 2002 was to balance the state budgets before the November elections. The tax increases were politically more palatable than enormous budget deficits. The Southern Neighbors, with the exception of Tennessee, having not raised their taxes last year, are left with large budget deficits. Virginia faces a $2 billion shortfall while North Carolina’s deficit is $1.5 billion. In these states, the legislators will either severely cut programs or raise the revenues to pay for them.

Yet, even with the low taxes and high deficits, the Southern Neighbors recognize that they need each other. Legislators in all seven states use the excuse that they don’t want to be the first, or get out of synch with the other states in the region. The Southern Neighbors propose the establishment of a movement throughout all seven states to raise the taxes to at least the national average. Each state will conduct their individual campaigns, and would rely on the Southern Neighbors infrastructure to distribute resources and share strategic information among all seven states to build awareness of the regional campaign.

TTAC has supported the Southern Neighbors with start-up funds to organize the Southern Neighbors and obtain grant funds from partners—SmokeLess States: National Tobacco Policy Initative, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids—and over 30 national, state and local voluntary health agencies, medical associations and youth organizations. TTAC is also underwriting research and analysis of the economic impact of cross border sales in the seven Southern Neighbor states. TTAC is a proud Southern Neighbor partner, having stimulated proven policy interventions to reduce tobacco use in our nation’s most challenging, tobacco growing region.

Additional link: Thinking Strategically About Collaboration: Alcohol and Tobacco Control Policy SmokeLess State has produced a new report titled “Thinking Strategically About Collaboration: Alcohol and Tobacco Control Policy.

State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI)
A comprehensive guide to state tobacco control laws, published annually by the American Lung Association. The online version is updated approximately every two weeks. Users can conduct searches of the entire database, setting parameters such as restrictions on smoking in public places and worksites, tobacco tax rate, youth access and many others to tailor and print out individual reports. There is also a clickable map of the states for an instant snapshot of tobacco control laws in place anywhere in the country.

State Legislated Actions on Tobacco Issues (SLATI) Report
The American Lung Association recently released the 2007 issue of this report. Released annually, the SLATI report summarizes newly enacted state tobacco control laws. The latest SLATI report includes policy updates through January 1, 2008. The report is available as a PDF from the American Lung Association website.

State smoking restrictions for private-sector worksites, restaurants, and bars; United States, 2004 and 2007
To assess the progress on the Healthy People 2010 goal of instituting smoke-free laws in all 50 states at the District of Columbia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed the status of state policies restricting smoking in workplaces, restaurants, and bars. The CDC reports that the number and breadth of smoking bans has increased dramatically in recent years. As of December 31, 2007, only eight states had not implemented any restrictions on smoking in private sector workplaces, bars, or restaurants. The report predicts that all 50 states could be smoke-free by 2010 if the number of smoking bans continues to grow at the current rate. Click here for more information.

State of Tobacco Control Report 2006
The American Lung Association announced the release of its State of Tobacco Control 2006 report. The report grades state tobacco control policies in four key areas: tobacco prevention spending, smoke-free air laws, cigarette tax and youth access laws. The report also grades the federal government in four areas: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of tobacco products, cessation, cigarette tax and the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). To see the report, click here.

State of Tobacco Control 2007 Report
On January 10, 2008 the American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2007 report will be released. The report grades state tobacco control policy in four key areas: tobacco prevention spending, smokefree air, cigarette tax and youth access laws. The report will be available on the ALA web-site.

Stateline.org Legislative Links
Provides a daily news update for each state on issues ranging from anti-terrorism to welfare and social policy, including health. This site also links to all state legislatures and governors. To find the links, scroll down on left side to States. Click on name of state. For legislative information, click on link to legislature. Search under tobacco or cigarettes for legislation pending or enacted. For information about the proposed state budget or the governor’s priorities, click on the link to the governor.

Strategic Thinking on State Tobacco Tax Increases
This document, published in 2003, is designed to assist public health advocates in recognizing and weighing the strategic decisions that must be made before beginning a campaign to increase tobacco taxes at the state level. As every case is different, this document is intended to guide advocates through the kind of critical thinking that is needed to prepare for a successful campaign. Public health advocates who have considered these strategic decisions will be prepared to be central participants and leaders in discussions of tobacco tax increases.

Study supports health benefits of smoking ban
A recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that smoking bans have positive effects on cardiovascular health that extend to nonsmokers. Researchers found a 17% overall drop in hospital admissions for heart attacks and acute coronary events following a 2006 smoking ban, with 67% of that reduction in hospitalizations seen in nonsmokers. The ability of this study to demonstrate the effects of secondhand smoke is especially strong because researchers tested the patients’ blood and saliva for cotinine, a nicotine byproduct, as they were admitted to hospitals. The tests showed that the hospitalized nonsmokers had higher cotinine levels than the general population, which shows that smoke was affecting their health. However, their cotinine levels were lower than prior to the smoking ban, indicating that the ban had improved air quality. Click here for more information, or click here to view the abstract of the study.

Sustainability beyond dollars:  Organizations achieving long-term success in community-based tobacco control
This new report from the American Legacy Foundation is the fifth report in a series of publications highlighting sustainable tobacco control practices among Legacy’s grantees. Using case examples from five of Legacy’s past grantees, the report illustrates how many factors, other than funding, can influence a program’s sustainability. These examples demonstrate how organizations can face the challenges of building a sustainable program by taking a broad, planned approach to sustainability. Click here to read more. Click here to download the full sustainability report.

Ten Policy Changes that Could Curb Tobacco Addiction
A National Action Plan for Tobacco Cessation” includes six recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services, and four public-private partnership proposals. At least one out of 10 US smokers would quit and 3 million premature deaths would be prevented if these policy changes were implemented, researchers suggest.

The Praxis Project
The focus of the Praxis Project is to support local policy change for health justice. It serves as the National Program Office for The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Policy Advocacy on Tobacco and Health (PATH), an initiative that provides grants, technical assistance and training to support tobacco policy advocacy in diverse communities.

The Rise of Cigars and Cigar-Smoking Harms
This pamphlet from the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids includes information on cigars and other non-cigarette tobacco products.  Despite their growing popularity, cigars are widely overlooked in legislation.  Taxes on these products are generally lower than for cigarettes, and the lower prices have led consumers to switch tobacco products to cut costs.  Also, flavored cigarettes and small cigars are gaining in popularity, which is alarming because their flavorings are appealing to children.  Click here to download the pamphlet.

Tobacco Control: 5 Steps to Effective Cancer Control Planning
This site, from the Cancer Control Planet website, provides access to data and resources that can help planners, program staff, and researchers to design, implement and evaluate evidence-based cancer control programs. This portal provides access to Web-based resources that can assist in:

• Assessing the cancer and/or risk factor burden within a given state.
• Identifying potential partner organizations that may already be working with high-risk populations.
• Understanding current tobacco-related research findings and recommendations.
• Accessing and downloading evidence-based programs and products.
• Finding guidelines for planning and evaluation.

Tobacco Control eSystems Directory: Exploring National and State Level Information Systems
This directory was established as a tool for identifying and exploring national and state level information management, collaboration, and program evaluation systems and their use in tobacco control programs. The website provides resources on health information technology, and allows states to showcase their tobacco control information systems.

Tobacco Free Kids Releases 2 Model Tobacco Use Treatment Documents:
Key Elements of a Model Tobacco Use Treatment Benefit
Model Tobacco Use Treatment Benefit Language

The Tobacco Control Legal Consortium Newsletter
The Consortium is a national network of legal programs supporting tobacco control policy change across the United States.

Tobacco.rti.org
Under contract to the American Legacy Foundation, Research Triangle Institute and its partners, the Prospect Center of the American Institutes for Research and the RAND Corporation, serve as the Coordinating Center for Evaluation and Research. The Center is evaluating Legacy’s anti-smoking campaign and the state grant program. The Legacy First Look reports present the most important, useful and interesting findings from the surveys being used to evaluate the programs.

Tool-kit for Implementing Smoke-free Laws
On this Web site you'll find tips, tools and resources to help you successfully implement your state’s new smoke-free laws.

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Priority Populations

Alaska Native Adolescent Tobacco Users
This study in the November 2007 issue of Health Education and Behavior [Epubs ahead of print] employed focus group methodology to explore preferences for tobacco cessation interventions and barriers to participation. Click to view the abstract.

Arab Americans and Tobacco
The Summer 2007 Supplement 3 of Ethnicity and Disease features the proceedings of a national conference on health issues in the Arab American community, including a section on tobacco and health issues. Click to view the abstract.

Bringing Everyone Along (BEA) resource guide supplement
This document from the Tobacco Cessation Leadership Network (TCLN) supplements the Bringing Everyone Along Resource Guide with practical strategies and advice from four states for implementing tobacco policies and treatment in mental health and substance use settings. Released in July 2009, the Resource Guide Supplement also includes an updated list of resources and tools.

Community Capacity for Tobacco Control in an Urban African American Community
This paper in the December 2007 issue of American Journal of Community Psychology [Epub ahead of print] explores how members of one community identify and interpret key aspects of their community's capacity to limit the availability and use of tobacco products. Click to view the abstract.

Community Voices Initiative: Promoting systems change in community driven tobacco control
The American Legacy Foundation has recently published this guide as part of its comprehensive dissemination effort to highlight promising tobacco control strategies. This publication examines how Legacy's Community Voices grantees created systems-level changes to provide tobacco control and cessation services primarily to underserved communities.  The publication features four Community Voices grantees as case examples to demonstrate how community-based organizations can affect systems change to achieve tobacco control and cessation outcomes in low socioeconomic status communities. To order a hard copy of this publication, please email dissemination@americanlegacy.org.

Conceptual and Methodological Issues for Research on Tobacco-Related Health Disparities
The Tobacco Research Network on Disparities (TReND), which is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and the American Legacy Foundation, is pleased to announce the release of Conceptual and Methodological Issues for Research on Tobacco-Related Health Disparities, a supplemental journal issue published by Addiction. The papers represent multidisciplinary collaborations among health disparities and tobacco control researchers. Many communities and policy makers recognize that the disproportionate burden of tobacco-related disease and deaths among racial/ethnic minority and low socioeconomic group have existed much too long. Although progress has been made to reduce tobacco use overall, methods and frameworks that increase our understanding of the factors linked to tobacco use, and its consequences, and interventions to reduce disparities are lacking.  The articles highlight key conceptual and methodological issues for practitioners and policy makers to consider when seeking to reduce tobacco-related disparities in communities. These articles examine:

• The importance of developing research and capacity building frameworks that address disparities, diversity, inequities and resource inequalities.
   
• The promising potential of frameworks that inform prevention and cessation programs and address the tobacco use addiction cycle and biopsychosocial and contextual factors across the human lifespan.
   
• The need to broaden the research methods, data sets, and instruments used to assess TRHD and consider both inter- and intra-group level differences when evaluating the validity and generalizability of such approaches.
   
• The need to evaluate existing and novel intervention efforts that are culturally appropriate and address issues such as access, demand, and receipt of care. 

Click here to access the Conceptual and Methodological Issues for Research on Tobacco-Related Health Disparities.

Differences Among Black and White Young Adults on Prior Attempts and Motivation to Help a Smoker Quit
This study on Black and White quit attempts reported in the November 2007 issue of Addictive Behaviors [Epub ahead of print] suggests that tobacco control efforts could focus on optimizing the supportive behaviors as well as expressed motivation and interest in helping a smoker to quit among young adult nonsmokers. View the abstract: click here.

Does tobacco industry marketing excessively impact lesbian, gay and bisexual communities?
Studies of tobacco industry documents have found that tobacco marketing has specifically targeted lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations in the past. A recent study compared LGB and heterosexual adults’ exposure to tobacco marketing and receptivity to marketing messages, since both of these factors have been linked to tobacco use in adolescents. Data were analyzed from the Washington State Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a statewide population-based telephone survey. As expected, smoking was more common among the LGB individuals than heterosexuals. Bisexual men reported more exposures to tobacco marketing than heterosexual men, but there were no differences in receptivity to marketing messages. Compared to heterosexual women, both lesbians and bisexual women were more likely to be receptive and to be exposed to marketing. This article was published in the journal Tobacco Control.

Immigration Status and Tobacco Use among Chinese-Americans
This study in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health [Epub ahead of print] analyzed the impact of immigration status on current tobacco use among adult Chinese-Americans living in Texas. Click to view the abstract.

LGBT Cessation Services
San Francisco, California-UCSF researchers recently launched a study to further evaluate the use of the Internet as a method to provide assistance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) smokers- word doc attached also, the link is www.iquit.medschool.ucsf.edu.

National African American Tobacco Prevention Network’s Winter Newsletter featuring the tobacco industry’s targeting of African Americans
The  tobacco industry has gone to great lengths to target the African-American community over the past 30 years, according to the Campaign for Tobacco Free
Kids. Through market research and aggressive advertising, the industry has successfully penetrated this population. The industry’s “investment” in the African-American community has had a destructive impact. Click here (pdf) to learn about what is being done to counteract the tobacco industry’s agenda and other stories of leadership within the African American Community, or click here to view NAATPN’s website.

National Native Commercial Tobacco Abuse Prevention Network
The National Native Commercial Tobacco Abuse Prevention Network is committed to preserving the sacred status of traditional tobacco and its ceremonial / sacred uses. When abused, addictive commercial tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death for American Indians and Alaska Natives. The national network is a diverse community of American Indian / Alaska Natives leading commercial tobacco abuse prevention efforts. KeepItSacred.org is a one-stop connection to resources for developing commercial tobacco abuse prevention efforts.

New National Networks for Tobacco Control and Prevention website
The National Networks for Tobacco Control and Prevention launched a new website: www.tobaccopreventionnetworks.org.  The site is a one-stop shop for all priority population tobacco control information. The website features strategies and tools that can be used as a guide and adapted for any population. Among the topics are eliminating disparities and achieving parity, capacity building, implementing cessation, and protecting the public from secondhand smoke exposure.  The site also features case studies and training modules, online reference materials, and a calendar highlighting tobacco control events. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health (OSH), the National Networks are comprised of six Networks that provide leadership and expertise in the development of policy related initiatives and the utilization of proven or potentially promising practices within their identified population.

Pathways to Nicotine Dependence in African American and Puerto Rican Young Adults
The results of a study in the November 2007 issue of American Journal on Addictions showed that family conflicts, parental tobacco use, and weak ethnic identity were associated with vulnerable personality attributes, which in turn were related to nicotine dependence. Click to view the abstract.

State Tobacco Disparities Strategic Plans and Case Studies
Provides links to complete Tobacco Disparities Strategic Plans from several states and case studies built from the experience of tobacco disparities strategic planning across the country. State Tobacco Disparities Strategic Plans are developed in response to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goal 4 of the CDC’s Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs – identifying and eliminating disparities in tobacco use and impact.

The North Carolina Division of Public Health
Tobacco Prevention and Control Branch has a resource on their web site: "Sexual Orientation - Tobacco Disparities Short Report". Click here to view the report.

Tobacco Control Policies are Egalitarian: A Vulnerabilities Perspective on Clean Indoor Air Laws, Cigarette Prices, and Tobacco Use Disparities
A large national study found that tobacco control policies decrease smoking rates among people of all socioeconomic levels, races, and ethnicities. Researchers used nationally-representative data from the US Census Bureau's Tobacco Use Supplement of the Current Population Survey to model the effects of implementing smoke-free laws and increasing state taxes on the population’s smoking status and cigarette consumption. Comprehensive smoke-free laws and higher cigarette prices were independently associated with both lower smoking rates and reduced cigarette consumption. These effects were consistent among all socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic groups. The researchers note that because these policy changes benefited all groups equally, additional interventions are needed to mitigate tobacco-related health disparities. This research was published in March 2009 in the journal Social Science and Medicine.

Translation of Health Programs for American Indians
This article explores the ways American Indians and Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) have been affected psychologically, physically, and economically by their contact with European Americans. The researchers indicate the need for culturally relevant programs to address the unique needs of AI/AN adolescents, and offer recommendations on such programs.

African Americans

African Americans Less Likely to Start, Less Likely to Quit
African Americans are more likely to be lifetime nonsmokers than whites, but they're less likely to quit smoking once they've started. However, differences in rates of quitting were based on social and economic factors, not race, according to a new study in the American Journal of Public Health.

College curriculum developed at historically black college and university (HBCU) – includes assessment tools
 - Syllabus for one tobacco advocacy course
 - Hands-on assessment of smoking on campus
 - Survey developed for administrators and students on smoking on campus
 - Key informant guide, 2 observation guides for smoking on campus
   and in nearby community outlets that sale tobacco products
 - Final report and executive summary
 
   David Jolly, MD
   North Carolina Central University
   909-530-7130
   djolly@wpo.nccu.edu

Impact of Secondhand Smoke on African American Children
An article in the March 2007 issue of CHEST shows African American children with asthma who are exposed to SHS have significantly higher toxin levels when compared to their Caucasian counterparts. To view the abstract, please click here.

“Pathways to Freedom”
This updated guide is designed to help African Americans address their unique issues surrounding tobacco use. The guide is to be used as a cessation tool for individuals, their families, friends and community leaders to decrease tobacco use in the African American population.

Tobacco Prevention in the African American Church
    National African American Tobacco Education network (NAATEN)
    3940 Industrial Boulevard, Suite 600
    West Sacramento, CA 95691
    888-442-2836
    www.naaten.org

Asian/Pacific Islander

• Conducting Needs Assessments for Tobacco Control in Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
   
• A Global APPEAL-Newsletter
   
• Making Tobacco Relevant for Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities
   
• A Policy Framework for Preventing and Reducing Tobacco Use in the Asian American And Pacific Islander Community
   
• Enhancing Cultural and Community Competence for Tobacco Control for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
   
• Duong-Chi Di, Program Coordinator
     APPEAL
     439 23rd Street
     Oakland, CA 94612
     510-272-9536
     appeal@aapcho.org
   
• Rise up and be strong: Leadership for a Tobacco-free Community
   
• Tobacco Control-Minority Communities-Activities funded by the MinorityTobacco Control Task Force Mini-Grant Program 2000
   
• Florida A&M University Minority Resource Development center;
  Josephine Mandoza Kershaw;
  Josephine.kersaw@famu.edu

Tobacco-Prevention Program Targeting Chinese American Youth
An article in the February 2007 issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research presents evaluation results for a culturally appropriate tobacco prevention curriculum developed for Chinese American 7th and 8th graders, given in both Mandarin and English. To view the abstract, please click here.

Tobacco Use in Asian Americans
An article in the February 2007 issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research reports on an integrative review of literature on Asian American tobacco use and dependence. To view the abstract, please click here.

Hispanic/Latino

Campaign against tobacco industry’s targeting of Latino community
The National Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco Prevention (LCAT) is undertaking a civil rights campaign to redress aggressive, discriminatory alcohol and tobacco advertising targeting the Latino community. Alcohol and tobacco abuse cause serious health damage in the community, resulting in millions of cases of preventable disease and social conflict. Alcohol and tobacco companies have been enjoined from using ads directed at youth. Despite this, these companies are targeting Latino youth and exploiting the community with tactics that are legally prohibited and generally not used in “mainstream” advertising. Complete information on the campaign available in Spanish and in English.

Information and resources for secondhand smoke and industry targeting issues
Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights has a web page specifically addressing secondhand smoke within, and tobacco industry targeting of the African American community. This site offers information and facts about the tobacco industry’s targeting of the African Americans, effective advocacy campaigns to combat this targeting, and links to national African American tobacco prevention and cessation resources.

Parental Socialization of Smoking Initiation in Latino Youth
An article in the November 2006 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health explores the relationship between parental socialization strategies and child smoking behavior.

To view the abstract, please click here.

Sabemos – Aqui No Se Fuma
The Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created an English-Spanish-language communications kit designed to promote awareness of current positive social norms about protecting indoor spaces from secondhand smoke among Hispanics/Latinos. The bilingual kit includes a cultural overview of the Hispanic/Latino population, tips for expanding the reach of anti-tobacco messages, steps to create smokefree environments, and other materials to assist in the development of media campaigns. To access the kit, click here.

Tobacco 101: Smoking Is a Family Matter
This DVD is an educational tool to help inform the Latino community about the health consequences of using tobacco and the benefits of quitting.

LGBT

A Quit Site for LGBT smokers
Additional information.

LGBT Anti-Tobacco Money Pledge for Legislators
The LGBT Tobacco Research Project at the University of California, San Francisco has created a website that includes the details and tools necessary to encourage state representatives to sign an anti-tobacco pledge. The website features a list of LGBT elected officials from California who have already agreed not to take money from tobacco companies, a sample pledge letter, and a Power Point presentation that explains the methods and approaches organizers can utilize to secure this commitment from state officials. Click here to access the website.

National Coalition for LGBT Health
The coalition’s work is organized around five areas: research, policy, programs and services, professional and cultural competency, and the diversity of the national LGBT community.
 
The site provides resources and research on numerous health issues, including a section specifically dedicated to tobacco and The National LGBT Communities Tobacco Action Plan.

National LGBT Communities Tobacco Action Plan
The Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium is pleased to announce the release of the National LGBT Communities Tobacco Action Plan. Over 60 LGBT health and tobacco control advocates participated in the planning process, which yielded five key action steps for reducing smoking among the LGBT community.
  
The action plan details the planning process, a history of the LGBT Tobacco Control efforts and the status of existing efforts. It also presents actions items and suggested strategies for implementation.
 
TTAC is proud to support the LGBT Action Plan. We are grateful to all of you who contributed countless hours to this project, through serving on the Steering Committee, participating in the Working Meeting, and/or providing feedback on the Action Plan drafts. This project would not have been possible without your dedication and hard work.

Study shows LGBT orientation increases risk for cigarette smoking and heavy drinking
A new study, which analyzed data from health surveys of adults in northern California, provides evidence that lesbians and gay men are at elevated risk for smoking tobacco and alcohol misuse.

Native American Indian

National Tribal Tobacco Prevention Network
The National Tribal Tobacco Prevention Network (NTTPN) is an alliance of tobacco prevention and education advocates with the goal of improving the wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native people by working to reduce commercial tobacco use. NTTPN offers technical assistance, trainings, and networking opportunities. Their website includes updated fact sheets, prevention tips, resource links, and news items. Click here to access the site.

Persistent Smoking Among Northern Plains Indians
An article in the Winter 2006 issue of the Journal of Cultural Diversity investigates smoking knowledge, initiation, attitudes and behaviors, and perceptions of harm among focus groups with members of three Ojibwe reservations, three Sioux reservations, and one Winnebago reservation. To view the abstract, please click here.

• Smart Chart for Communications – A tool to help nonprofits make smart communications choices
     Spitfire Strategies
     1500 21st Street, NW
     Washington, DC 20036
     202-29306200
     Info@spitfirestrategies.com
   
• Community Advocates, Mobilizing Communities for Health – An action guide for American-Indian community advocacy to address the abuse of commercial tobacco and its health effects
     Four Winds of Indian Education
     Kathleen Jack – Coordinator, MINTE Tobacco Project
     2345 Fair Street
     Chico, CA 95928
     530-895-4212
     kack@csuchico.edu
   
• The American Indian Tobacco Education Network (AITEN) Campaign Reports addressing the areas of cessation, countering pro-tobacco influences, social source access to commercial tobacco, and environmental
  and
   
• Coalition Building for Tobacco Control: California’s joint ethnic tobacco education networks
     Mark LeBeau, Project Manager
     AITEN
     California Rural Indian Health Board, Inc.
     4400 Auburn Blvd., 2nd floor
     Sacramento, CA 95841
     916-0929-9761
     mark.LeBeau@mail.his.gov
   
• Second Wind: A Stop Smoking Curriculum for American Indians and Alaska Natives
     Cynthia Coachman
     Muscogee (Creek) National Tobacco Prevention and Control Program
     cynthia.coachman@mail.his.gov
   
• The Use of Native American Imagery for Tobacco Sales
     LaDonna Blue Eye
     Ladonna-BlueEye@ouhsc.edu
   
• Traditional Tobacco Pamphlet
  From the Urban American Indian Tobacco Prevention & Education Network

The National Native Tobacco Prevention Speakers Pool
The purpose of the National Native Tobacco Prevention Speakers Pool is to enhance tribal, village, state, and community advocacy by increasing access to Native-specific tobacco abuse prevention expertise.  Speakers are listed with brief biographies and areas of expertise.

Women

Women, Tobacco, And Cancer: An Agenda for the 21st Century
The report was presented by the Co-chairs of the Women, Tobacco, and Cancer Working Group to the Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and summarizes the recommendations of the breakout group at the February 2003 working group meeting. The recommendations are organized under five cross-cutting goals in the following areas: Discovery, Development, Delivery, Partnerships, and Evaluation and Surveillance.

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Public Health and Health Promotion

American Lung Association State of Lung Disease in Diverse Communities: 2007
The American Lung Association (ALA) recently released the “State of Lung Disease in Diverse Communities: 2007.” This report provides statistics, background information, and current research regarding lung health issues as they relate to a variety of diverse communities, and is intended to assist in the identification of risk factors and lung disease trends. Click here to access the report.

American Public Health Association – Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Section
Links to section newsletters, section program for APHA annual meeting (upcoming and past) abstracts for annual meeting sessions.

Collaborative, Participatory, and Empowerment Evaluation
Empowerment evaluation is the use of evaluation concepts, techniques, and findings to foster improvement and self-determination. It employs both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. This site provides an overview of empowerment evaluation and a list of Internet resources, software, handbooks and guides, and related associations.

Community and Population Health (8th edition)
This Web site, contains the entire text for Community and Population Health, a textbook by Larry Green and Judith Ottoson. The book contains a tremendous set of resources for those working in community health.

Community Tool Box
The tool box has how-to sections to explain how to do the different tasks necessary for community health and development. For example, there are sections on leadership, strategic planning, community assessment, advocacy, grant writing, and evaluation. Each section includes a description of the task, advantages of doing it, step-by-step guidelines, examples, checklists of points to review, and training materials.

Exposure to Secondhand Smoke among Students Aged 13–15 Years — Worldwide, 2000–2007
Findings from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 137 countries during 2000 to 2007 reveal that half of students aged 13-15 years who have never smoked reported being exposed to secondhand smoke at home (47 percent) or in places other than the home (48 percent). The analysis also found that students who were exposed to secondhand smoke were more likely to begin smoking. Click here to read more.

Evaluating Collaboratives: Reaching the Potential
A manual developed by individuals at the University of Wisconsin – Cooperative Extension as a result of colleagues asking how to best evaluate the work of coalitions and collaboratives.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Releases Reports on Tobacco Marketing Expenditures from 2002-2005
The Federal Trade Commission has released two reports detailing the sales, advertising and promotion expenditures by tobacco companies for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco from 2002 to 2005. The report on cigarettes highlights total cigarette sales and advertising expenditures and a breakdown of marketing and advertising expenditures by category. The report on smokeless tobacco also includes a section on total smokeless tobacco sales and advertising expenditures, a breakdown by category, and a breakdown by tobacco type.  To view the cigarette report, click here, and to view the smokeless tobacco report, click here. To access the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids summary of the data, click here.

Institute of Medicine Releases a Blueprint for Domestic Tobacco Control
The Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Reducing Tobacco Use recently released a report on domestic tobacco control. The report was developed to provide a blueprint to substantially minimize the effects of tobacco use in the United States. Among other suggestions, the committee proposed increasing excise taxes, implementing smoking bans in all nonresidential indoor settings, restricting tobacco marketing and granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the production and sale of tobacco products. Click here to read the press release or click here to access the report brief or to order the full report.

Making Health Communication Programs Work: A Planner’s Guide
The purpose of this guide, developed at the National Cancer Institute, is to learn from and share experiences with those who plan health communication programs. The guide discusses key principles relative to specific steps in program development and includes examples of their use. Sources of additional information on each subject are included at the end of the chapters. A glossary, a bibliography, and other resources can be found in the appendices.

Midwest Academy
The Midwest Academy offers five day training sessions for leaders and staff of citizen and community groups. The Academy is one of the nation's oldest and best known schools for community organizations, citizen organizations and individuals committed to progressive social change.

Secondhand Smoke in the Home Flyer
This bilingual (English/Spanish) flyer from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains the dangers of secondhand smoke in the home. View the flyer.

State-Specific Prevalence of Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults and Secondhand Smoke Rules and Policies in Homes and Workplaces United States, 2005
The CDC Office on Smoking and Health recently analyzed data from the 2005 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to assess, by state, the prevalence of adult smoking, and the proportion of adults who report having smoke-free home rules and smoke-free policies at work. They conclude that current adult smoking prevalence varies widely by state, and that, given present smoking trends, most states will not achieve the Healthy People 2010 prevalence goal of 12%. The CDC also reports that the prevalence of homes with smoke-free rules and worksites with smoke-free policies also varies dramatically by state, and they identify the states with the highest and lowest percentages of each category.

State-Specific Prevalence of Smoke-Free Home Rules — United States, 1992–2003
According to data from the Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey (TUS-CPS), nearly three out of four U.S. households do not allow smoking anywhere at any time in the home. The proportion of U.S. households with smoke-free home rules increased from 43 percent in 1992-1993 to 72 percent in 2003. Although the proportion of households with smoke-free home rules varied among the states, this proportion increased significantly in every state over this period. Kentucky had the lowest and Utah had the highest proportion of households reporting smoke-free home rules for both reported periods. The proportion of smoke-free homes increased from 25.7 percent to 53.4 percent in Kentucky and from 69.6 percent to 88.8 percent in Utah. To access the full article, which can be found in the May 25th issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, click here.

Sustainability Toolkit: 10 Steps to Maintaining Your Community Improvements

The American Journal of Public Health (American Public Health Association)
The American Journal of Public Health is available in full on the Internet. APHA members and Journal subscribers will have complete access. All others will be charged to download articles.

The Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute
The Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute, a project of the Institute for Policy Research at Northwestern University, was established in 1995 to proliferate the findings of John Kretzmann and John McKnight's two decades of research on capacity-building community development. This Web site provides resources for community building.

The Communication Initiative
This site provides summaries of frameworks and models that can guide and inform communication planning.

Tobacco Use Among Adults – United States, 2005
The CDC Office on Smoking and Health recently analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey to assess progress towards four of the Healthy People 2010 objectives regarding tobacco use. They report a stall in the eight-year decline of adult tobacco use, as well as provide smoking prevalence rates by racial and ethnic group, income and educational level, and age.

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Schools/Youth

American Legacy Foundation-Youth Empowerment: The Future of Tobacco Control in Action
This publication, the latest in an ongoing series of publications, tells the history of Legacy’s Youth Empowerment Program.  In that program, 18 state departments of health, working with Legacy grants, developed initiatives based on the concept that encouraging young people to take leadership in tobacco control activities would give a powerful boost to youth outreach.

Big Tobacco's grip on colleges and students loosens, but still holding strong: New report examines trends on campuses
A report from the American Lung Association indicates that college smoking rates are at an all-time low, but 19.2% of college students are still smokers. Tobacco industry marketing still has a strong influence on smoking. In 2005, tobacco companies spent over $1 million a day on promotions and sponsorships targeting college students. Because college students often make a fluid transition from occasional smoking to becoming regular smokers, and because many students perceive smoking as common among their peers, the report calls upon university administrators to implement policies to protect students from the reach of the tobacco industry. The report challenges universities to join the Smokefree Air 2010 Challenge to eliminate secondhand smoke exposure in public places by 2010. This resource also includes case studies on model smoke-free schools and recommendations on campus tobacco prevention measures. For more information, click here. To download a PDF of the full American Lung Association report, entitled Big Tobacco on Campus:  Ending the Addiction, click here.

California Youth Adovocacy Network (CYAN) College Resources
CYAN offers two toolkits designed for college administrators and public health professionals working with college students.  The first toolkit, “Taking Tobacco Out of Higher Education: A Tobacco-Free Policy Toolkit,” is useful for campuses working to strengthen their anti-smoking policies. The second toolkit, “Tobacco Cessation Toolkit for Those Working with College Students on Tobacco Cessation,” is geared toward providers of cessation services.

The CYAN resources section also includes the “Tobacco and Hollywood Community Action Guide,” which is a great starter kit for anyone interested in advocacy efforts to change smoking norms in Hollywood.

Childhood Experimentation High Risk for Smoking
Seemingly insubstantial increases in the number of cigarettes kids smoke translate into big increases in the probability of habitual smoking by late adolescence, according to a report today in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Cigarette use among high school students - United States, 1991–2007
Tobacco surveillance data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the decline in current tobacco use among youths seen between 1997 and 2003 has stagnated. “Current tobacco use” was defined as having smoked on at least one day during the month before the survey. After an increase in the prevalence of tobacco use from 1991-1997, tobacco use decreased from 36.4% in 1997 to 21.9% in 2003. Since 2003, tobacco use has remained steady. In order to achieve the 2010 national health objective of reducing current smoking among youths to 16% or less, the annual decline in smoking seen between 1997 and 2003 must resume. For this to happen, the CDC suggests full implementation of comprehensive prevention efforts, including countermarketing, excise tax increases, and school- and community-based policies and programs.

Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: A School Health Policy Guide – National Association of State Boards of Education
Part 1 of the Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: A School Health Policy Guide is entitled “Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, and Tobacco-Use Prevention.” The policy guide complements CDC's school health guidelines on physical inactivity, poor dietary patterns and tobacco use, which provide state-of-the-art, scientifically reliable information on what constitutes effective school health programs. The sample policies are written as statements of best practice that all states, school districts, public schools, and private schools should endeavor to adopt.

“Girls Smoking Almost As Much As Boys”
The Global Youth Tobacco Study surveyed over 1 million adolescents in over 150 countries and found no gender difference in people aged 13-15 in 50% of the 120 sites surveyed. Experts report that the findings could have major implications for projections of tobacco related deaths and global tobacco control. Recommendations include the development of gender specific education and awareness programs and broader scoped tobacco control programs.

Additional link:  “Smoking by Girls Increasing Worldwide”

Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction
These guidelines identify strategies most likely to be effective in preventing tobacco use and addiction among young people. The guidelines were developed by CDC staff in collaboration with experts from other federal agencies, state agencies, universities, voluntary organizations, and professional associations.

Harm Perception of Nicotine Products in College Freshman
A recent study investigated the association between sociodemographic characteristics and smoking behaviors with nicotine product harm perception among college freshman. In the 2004 online survey, students were asked to compare the relative harm of 11 products containing nicotine with that of a regular cigarette. Researchers uncovered significant associations between the perception of nicotine product harm and sex, race, income, citizenship, and smoking behavior. Moreover, a relatively high percentage of students incorrectly reported the level of danger of various nicotine replacement therapies, other smoked tobacco products, and some smokeless tobacco products in comparison to smoking a regular cigarette. To read more about the research, click here to view the study abstract, which is found in the September issues of Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

Helping Young Smokers Quit Identifying Best Practices for Tobacco Cessation – A National Program Evaluation
Youth smoking cessation programs are invited to apply for participation in a ground-breaking national study! Participating programs receive study findings, tools for future self-assessment, and monetary compensation for their involvement. For a complete description of the evaluation and description of application procedures, click here: www.helpingyoungsmokersquit.org.

High Rate of Tobacco Use among Girls Worldwide
The Lancet recently published an article featuring the results of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, which asks 750, 000 students aged 13–15 years from 131 countries about their about tobacco use.
 
Highlights of their findings include:

• The difference in current smoking between boys and girls is narrower than expected in many regions of the world;
• Use of tobacco products other than cigarettes by students is as high as cigarette smoking in many regions;
• Almost one in five never-smokers reported that they were susceptible to smoking in the next year;
• More than four in ten students had high exposure to secondhand smoke at home; and
• Five in ten students had high exposure in public places.

Click to view article in PDF format or it can be accessed at The Lancet.

IGNITE - Igniting A Generation Through Action
Ignite is the voice of youth standing up for our generation and empowering the youth of America in a unified movement against the tobacco industry. We are working through policy change and action to save lives, eliminate the tobacco industry’s manipulation of youth, and hold the tobacco industry accountable at every level.

ImpacTeen Research Paper Series
ImpacTeen is a policy research partnership to reduce youth substance use by determining what works and does not work. The interdisciplinary teams of experts in economics, etiology, epidemiology, law, political science, public policy, psychology and sociology are attempting to determine the general and relative effectiveness of various approaches to discourage youth use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs. Research papers are published regularly. The most recent titles related to tobacco include: Exploring the Relationship Between Cigarette Smoking Among Adolescents and Adults in the United States (April, 2003); Parental Influences, Public Policy, and Youth Smoking Behavior (April, 2003); and Peer Effects, Tobacco Control Policies, and Youth Smoking Behavior (February, 2003).

Additional link: ImpacTeen-Bridging the Gap announces the availability of ImpacTeen Research Paper No. 30: New Evidence on Youth Smoking Behavior Based on Experimental Price Increases by Ross H, Powell LM, Tauras JA, Chaloupka FJ.

Kick Butts Day
Organized by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Kick Butts Day is an annual day of activism that empowers youth to take action against tobacco use at more than 2,000 events from coast to coast. in The Kick Butts Day website offers information about events, promotional materials, resources, and other tools to get involved. Register your KBD event on the website so that the KBD team can help your event earn media attention.

Kick Butts Day 2008 Activity Guide
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids led a successful Kick Butts Day (KBD) on April 2, which inspired youths across the country to hold anti-smoking events.  Although KBD has already passed, the Activity Guide contains tips and ideas for holding tobacco awareness events that will engage young people of all age groups in the fight against Big Tobacco. Click to download the guide.

New OSH Product Available: "I Can't Breathe"
"I Can't Breathe" is a story of Pam Laffin, a 31-year-old mother who died from emphysema. In the program, Pam tells why she started smoking and what it was like to learn she had emphysema, a smoking-related disease for which there is no cure. Pam, a mother of two young girls, tells with poignant detail, as she struggles to breathe, how the diesease has devastated her life. Despite her debilitating illness, Pam was committed to sharing her story so others might learn from her. It is Pam's greatest wish that others, after hearing her words, will make different choices about smoking, act on those choices and stay healthy.

The 20-minute video, coupled with a Moderator's Guide, is designed to help lead classroom discussions with students about the consequences of cigarette smoking. The program has been created specifically for young people 11 to 14 years old.

In the video, Dr. Locicero, the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, explains the medical consequences of smoking, lung disease, the diagnosis of emphysema and the medical complications that follow. Dr. Locicero also provides an explanation of a healthy human lung, which he compares to the lungs of a smoker.

This publication is a joint effort between the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and OSH. To obtain a copy, email tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov or call (770) 488-5705 and press 3 to speak with a publications/information specialist.

Not-On-Tobacco website
A dissemination and technical assistance website is now available for the Not-On-Tobacco (N-O-T) program, an American Lung Association program developed specifically to help teens quit smoking. The website provides information about the program to help users determine whether N-O-T is right for their school or community, and provides information on becoming an N-O-T facilitator. N-O-T was developed with over ten years of research and evaluation, and has been very successful; the program’s 21% quit rate is higher than any other teen smoking cessation program. The interactive program helps teens learn why they smoke, and provides teens with the skills needed to make quitting a lasting lifestyle change.

Prevention Efforts That Focus on the Tobacco Industry
An article in the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior examines how adolescents' expectations about the trustworthiness of companies, in general, influence the pathway through which anti-tobacco industry campaigns prevent smoking. To view the abstract, please click here.

Risky Media Use and Teen Smoking Initiation
An article in the March 2007 issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine shows indicators of risky media use were associated with a greater likelihood of smoking for white but not for black teens. This finding is diverges from previous research, which suggests that, regardless of race, smoking initiation increases as exposure to movie smoking increases. To view the abstract, please click here.

Second Public Data Release of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)
On December 17, 2004 The CDC Office on Smoking and Health's Global Tobacco Control Program announced the second public data release of the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS). The GYTS is a school-based survey of students aged 13-15 that collects and disseminates information on tobacco use prevalence and consumption, media and advertising exposure, second hand smoke exposure, access and availability of tobacco products, cessation, school curriculum involving issues around tobacco use.

"Scene Smoking: Cigarettes, Cinema & the Myth of Cool"
A documentary, is now available through Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),Office on Smoking and Health.

In Scene Smoking, professionals from the entertainment and health fields discuss real-life choices they've made and what they think about the depiction of tobacco on-screen. This balanced documentary brings together some of Hollywood's most powerful voices - including Ted Danson, Christy Turlington, Sean Penn, and Rob Reiner - in a frank discussion of artists' rights, social responsibility, and the First Amendment.

From fashion styles to music trends, young people often emulate celebrity behavior that they see on-screen, including the use of tobacco. Recent studies have found that films depicting tobacco use are increasing and are reinforcing misleading perceptions that smoking is a widespread, socially desirable, and normal behavior. Moreover, these films do not convey the long-term consequences of tobacco use.

This hour-long video can be used with high school and college students in a number of different subject areas including film studies, directing, screen writing, acting, communications, journalism, public relations, political science, law, public health, and health education. The accompanying guides for facilitators suggest activities to promote critical thinking and discussion.

To order copies, call 770/488-5705 and press 3 to speak with a publication specialist, or send an e-mail to tobaccoinfo@cdc.gov.

To order bulk quantities directly from the printer, please complete the following shipping information and send your request to SSnoeberger@cdc.gov and PMcCarty@cdc.gov by Wednesday, February 5th. There are 6 kits in a carton, 20" x 12" x 8 1/2", and weighs 20 lbs. Requests will be filled based on total number of requests and the quantities available at this time.

Smoke Free Movies
Despite Big Tobacco's 1989 "voluntary" ban on tobacco product placements and pay-offs in movies, Hollywood is still a powerful channel for promoting the lethal addiction that kills 5 million people worldwide each year - smokers and non-smokers alike.

And, while smoking in the movies doesn't sell tickets, it does sell cigarettes. Smoking in the movies is responsible for 52% of teens who start smoking, a more powerful effect than cigarette advertising. Thanks to smoking in the movies, 1070 kids start smoking every day -- and 340 of them will die early as a result. The only winner? Big Tobacco.

It's time for all of us who buy the tickets and rent videos and DVDs to demand that Hollywood stop doing Big Tobacco's dirty work. The tobacco industry is incredibly powerful. But the truth is even more powerful. Get the facts. Learn who's responsible for the problem. Then take action!

Social Smoking in College Students
A new study in Pediatrics finds that college students who light up more often in social situations than when alone are less likely to try to quit smoking. The authors conclude that social smoking is a pattern of tobacco use common among college students and may represent a stage in the uptake of smoking.

Special Issue on Youth Tobacco Cessation
A special supplement to the September/October issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior presents state of the art on adolescent smoking cessation. Topics include: Youth Tobacco Cessation: Filling the Gap Between What We Do and What We Know; The Youth Tobacco Cessation Collaborative and National Blueprint for Action; A Comparison of Review Methods in Tobacco Prevention and Control Guidelines; Application of a Better Practices Framework to Review Youth Tobacco Use Cessation; Better Practices for Youth Tobacco Cessation: Evidence of Review Panel; Recommendations and Guidance for Practice in Youth Tobacco Cessation; and Improving the Future of Youth Smoking Cessation.

Teenquit
Teenquit provides help to teens who want to quit smoking. Its components include online support for teens in their efforts to quit smoking while they participate in the Adolescent Smoking Cessation Escaping Nicotine and Tobacco program (ASCENT), a multifaceted school-based intervention.

Teens and Social Media Study According to a new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, content creation by teenagers continues to grow. Moreover, teens have a variety of social-communication means, and are using them more - so much so, that a new segment of super-communicators has begun to emerge. Click to view the report.

Three new studies explore various aspects of youth and young adult smoking.
To view abstracts of the following articles, please click on the title.

• Beliefs Regarding Cigarette Use among Minority Adolescent Smokers
• Status, Stress, and Adolescent Smoking
• Smoking Expectancies for Flavored Cigarettes among College Students

Tobacco World: Interactive Tobacco Prevention Program for Middle School Students
The Tobacco World program is designed to be an adjunct to traditional classroom-based tobacco and substance abuse prevention curricula. It is based on CDC's guidelines for school health prevention programs and the National Health Education Standards for grades 6-8. The program is designed to increase student understanding of the addiction process, and their knowledge of the physical health consequences of tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure, negative images of tobacco users, and refusal skills. The program engages students through nine interactive computer-based game-like activities. The teacher's guide includes lesson plans for each of the nice activities, vocabulary lists, quizzes, a chart which indicates the National Health Education standard and CDC instructional concepts that correspond to each activity, and a list of online resources for both the teacher and the student. Click for additional program information including evaluation.

Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids fact sheets
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids has announced that many of its fact sheets have been updated to reflect newly available data from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The following fact sheets have changed:

• Tobacco's Toll in the USA
• State “Tobacco’s Toll” sheets(access via pull-down menu on website; includes a subset of the state-specific data available)
• Long-form state “Tobacco's Toll” sheets (available upon request, see below)
• Various state-specific factsheets
• Key State Tobacco-Related Data & Rankings

To request a copy of any of the state-specific factsheets listed above, please contact Jessica Kuehne at TFK by email at jkuehne@tobaccofreekids.org.  Requests for updated state-specific factsheets should clearly identify:  a) which specific factsheet(s) are needed; b) for which state; and c) when factsheet is needed. Browse the CTFK website to obtain updated versions of non-state-specific factsheets, or follow the links listed above. Fact sheets are continually updated as new data and formulas become available, so be sure to check the website regularly for the most up-to-date fact sheets.

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Scientific and Clinical

Accentuating Positive Helps Smokers Quit
A study in the December 2007 issue of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors showed that playing up the benefits of quitting smoking is more effective in getting people to quit than emphasizing the problems associated with continuing to smoke. Click to view a press release about the study.

Addressing Tobacco in Managed Care: Results of the 2000 Survey
In 1997, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation set up a collaborative “Addressing Tobacco in Managed Care” initiative. A first activity of the collaborative was to survey the industry to assess the state of tobacco control practices and policies in managed care plans. This report, authored by the American Association of Health Plans, is the summary of the results of that survey.

Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs
Best Practices identifies and describes the key elements for effective state tobacco control programs, including programs designed for communities, schools, and the entire state. Best Practices addresses the significance of cessation programs, counter-marketing, enforcement, surveillance and evaluation, and chronic disease programs to reduce the burden of tobacco-related diseases. Tobacco control program funding models for all 50 states and the District of Columbia are included.

Bibliography of Tobacco-Related Literature on Hispanics/Latinos 1990-2001
Provides a comprehensive list of tobacco-related scientific literature pertaining to the Hispanic/Latino population.

Calculated Cancer Risks for PREP Cigarettes
An article in the March 2007 issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention shows that the predicted risks of lung cancer from “potentially reduced exposure product” cigarettes is not meaningfully lower than for the conventional cigarettes that most smokers use. To view the abstract, please click here.

Characteristics of U.S. Waterpipe Users
A study in the December 2007 issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research showed that waterpipe users in two US convenience samples were young and educated, tended to experiment with multiple forms of tobacco, were unaware of the potentially harmful and addictive properties of waterpipe use, and planned to continue use in the future. View the abstract: click here.

Clearing the Smoke: Assessing the Science Base for Tobacco Harm Reduction
Although it is well known that smoking is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, one in four adult Americans – 47 million people – still smokes cigarettes. A variety of products are under development that claim to reduce some of the risks of smoking while still allowing the use of tobacco or nicotine, such as tobacco that has been modified to help reduce the amount of toxins ingested, cigarette-like products that deliver smaller amounts of toxins with each puff, and nicotine replacement therapies such as gum, patches, and inhalers. Clearing the Smoke: Assessing the Science Base for Tobacco Harm Reduction, a new report by the Institute of Medicine, states that these products cannot yet be proved to reduce tobacco-related disease. Tried-and-true public health tools - research, surveillance, communication, and regulation - should be used to assure that the availability of these products confers less risk to the individual and to the population as a whole compared with conventional tobacco products.

Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Cotinine Levels — Fact Sheet
Office of Smoking and Health (CDC) fact sheet on environmental tobacco smoke.

FedStats
The gateway to statistics from over 100 U.S. Federal agencies. Links are provided to both statistics and to statistical agencies.

Growing Up Tobacco Free
Tobacco use kills more people than any other addiction and we know that addiction starts in childhood and youth. We all agree that youths should not smoke, but how can this be accomplished? What prevention messages will they find compelling? What effect does tobacco advertising – more than $10 million worth every day - have on youths? Can we responsibly and effectively restrict their access to tobacco products? These questions and more are addressed in Growing Up Tobacco Free, prepared by the Institute of Medicine to help everyone understand the troubling issues surrounding youths and tobacco use.

Growing Up Tobacco Free provides a readable explanation of nicotine's effects and the process of addiction, and documents that search for an effective approach to preventing the use of cigarettes, chewing and spitting tobacco, and snuff by children and youths. It covers the results of recent initiatives to limit young people's access to tobacco and discusses approaches to controls or bans on tobacco sales, price sensitivity among adolescents, and arguments for and against taxation as a prevention strategy for tobacco use. The controversial area of tobacco advertising is thoroughly examined. With clear guidelines for public action, everyone can benefit by reading and acting on the messages in this comprehensive and compelling book.

Guide to Community Preventive Services
The Guide to Community Preventive Services was developed by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. The Task Force is an independent, non-federal panel, consisting of 15 members appointed by the director of CDC. The chapter on tobacco control addresses the effectiveness of community-based interventions for three strategies to promote tobacco use prevention and control: 1) prevent tobacco product use initiation, 2) increase cessation and 3) reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The findings in this Guide are intended to strengthen and complement the earlier guidelines in CDC’s Best Practices, PHS’ Clinical Practice Guidelines, and the Surgeon General’s Report on Reducing Tobacco Use.

Harvard Study Confirms Tobacco Companies Increased Nicotine Levels In Cigarettes
A new study released today by the Harvard School of Public Health shows the critical need for Congress to enact legislation granting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over tobacco products.   The Harvard study expands on and confirms an August 2006 study released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health that found that tobacco companies have deliberately increased the levels of nicotine in cigarette smoke since 1998.

Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph Number 10)
The California Environmental Protection Agency conducted a broad review of ETS covering the major health endpoints potentially associated with ETS exposure, incorporating the expanded evidence on ETS-related effects published since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its own risk assessment of the health effects of ETS with respect to lung cancer and respiratory function in 1992, and earlier reports by the Surgeon General and the National Research Council. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), published the report as part of their Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph series.

Health Officials Announce Web Site on Secondhand Smoke
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has established a Web site to offer resources to employers, workers, policy makers and the general public on the subject of secondhand tobacco smoke.

The site at www.breatheeasyok.com (http://www.breatheeasyok.com) addresses the need for up-to-date and accurate information on related topics including:

• research findings on the health effects of secondhand tobacco smoke;
• quotes from internal tobacco company documents on smoking restrictions;
• how the tobacco industry has worked to mislead the hospitality industry; and
• current Oklahoma laws on smoking in public places and workplaces.

An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Oklahomans who work indoors are currently not protected by smoke-free policies on the job. Studies of workers in different settings have shown that workers in restaurants experienced the greatest risk, with secondhand smoke exposure in restaurants being twice as high as in the offices studied. Analyses of death rates by occupation have shown food service workers to have an elevated risk for lung cancer, with the risk almost doubled for waitresses.

“How do you measure up?”
The American Cancer Society’s progress report on state legislative activity to reduce cancer incidence and mortality.

International Consultation on Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and Child Health: Consultation Report
Responding to the 1997 Declaration on Children’s Environmental Health of the Environment Leaders of the Eight, the World Health Organization convened an International Consultation on Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and Child Health in Geneva, Switzerland from 11 to 14 January 1999. The Consultation brought together experts from developed and developing countries to examine the effects of ETS on child health and to recommend interventions to reduce these harmful effects and eliminate children’s exposure. This is the group’s report.

Ireland study finds fewer smokers means less heart disease
Deaths from heart disease in Ireland have fallen by nearly 50 percent in 15 years thanks to lifestyle changes and improved treatments, researchers announced recently. About half of the decrease is due to a sharp drop in the number of smokers and better diet. In 2004, Ireland became the first country in the world to impose a nationwide ban on smoking in all workplaces, including pubs and restaurants. "These results have major public health implications, particularly in relation to supporting the recent workplace smoking ban introduced in Ireland," Dr. Bennett added in the study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2006;60:322-327.

Monitoring the Future
Monitoring the Future is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults. Each year, a total of some 50,000 8th, 10th and 12th grade students are surveyed (12th graders since 1975, and 8th and 10th graders since 1991.) In addition, annual follow-up questionnaires are mailed to a sample of each graduating class for a number of years after their initial participation. Tobacco use is one of the topics in the study and tables showing trends in tobacco use and attitudes year by year are available.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports – Tobacco-related articles
List of tobacco-related MMWR articles1993 to present

Nicotine and Tobacco Research: Light and Intermittent Smokers Overlooked in Traditional Tobacco Research
Light or intermittent smokers smoke less than 10-15 cigarettes per day, and comprise one fifth of smokers in the United States. Because the majority of tobacco research focuses on moderate to heavy smokers, the February 2009 issue of the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research remedies this gap in research by focusing on light and intermittent smoking. Research is featured on a variety of target populations that are more likely to be light smokers, including young adults and racial and ethnic minorities. Studies also examine smoking patterns and the role of addiction in light smokers’ behavior. Click here to view the full listing of articles in the journal’s table of contents.

NIH Statement: State-of-the-Science Conference Tobacco Use: Prevention, Cessation, and Control
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Program (CDP) organizes major conferences focused on important, controversial issues in health and medicine and develops consensus statements for use in the health field. The final statement for the NIH State-of-the-Science Conference Tobacco Use: Prevention, Cessation, and Control is now available. The NIH conference Tobacco Use: Prevention, Cessation, and Control brought together leading researchers, health educators, administrators, and members of the medical community to assess current research and determine directions for research on tobacco use and control. Input from these attendees was used to develop a Consensus Statement to be used for advancing understanding of the issue, informing health professionals and public decision-making, and guiding future research. Program materials and a Web cast of the conference can be accessed by clicking here.

Ninth Report on Carcinogens
A report from the National Toxicology Program, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

PET Scans Show Cigarette Smoke Affects Peripheral Organs
Recent research, supported by the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, shows that cigarette smoke decreases levels of a critical enzyme called monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) in the kidneys, heart, lungs, and spleen. Too much or too little of this crucial enzyme can have an effect on a person's mental or physical health.

Program and Funding Guidelines for Comprehensive Local Tobacco Control Programs
Developed by local public health officials, the NACCHO tobacco control guidelines refine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs from a state level to a community approach, to address the specific needs of tobacco control at the local level.

Reducing Tobacco Use: A Report of the Surgeon General
This report of the Surgeon General on smoking and health provides a comprehensive review of the various methods used to reduce and prevent tobacco use. The report evaluates each of five major approaches to reducing tobacco use: educational, clinical, regulatory, economic, and comprehensive. Although the major conclusions of this report are not formal policy recommendations, they offer a summary of the scientific literature about what works.

Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders
A report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Smokeless Tobacco Use Is a Risk Factor for Smoking
The December 2007 issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research reported that the use of smokeless tobacco in the 7th and 9th grades is a significant risk factor for subsequent smoking even when controlling for other factors. Click to view the abstract.

Smoking and Tobacco Control Monographs
This series of monographs, established in 1991, provides information about emerging public health issues in smoking and tobacco use control. To date, fourteen monographs have been published. Some are available online and some can be ordered from the National Cancer Institute. Monograph 1: Strategies to Control Tobacco Use in the United States: A Blueprint for Public Health Action in the 1990’s was published to coincide with the launch of Project ASSIST. It is not available online.

The following monographs are also available online:

• Monograph 2: Smokeless Tobacco or Health: An International Perspective (September 1992)
• Monograph 5: Tobacco and the Clinician: Interventions for Medical and Dental Practice (January 1994)
• Monograph 6: Community Based Interventions for Smokers: The COMMIT Field Experience (August 1995)
• Monograph 8: Changes in Cigarette-related Disease Risks and Their Implications for Prevention and Control (February 1997)
• Monograph 9: Cigars: Health Effects and Trends (February 1998)
• Monograph 10: Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (August 1999)
• Monograph 13: Risks Associated with Smoking Cigarettes with Low Machine-measured Yields of Tar and Nicotine (October 2001)
• Monograph 14: Changing Adolescent Smoking Prevalence (November 2001)

Smoking exacts a heavier toll than previously expected
Although the link between smoking and lung cancer is well-established, a recent epidemiologic study found that smoking is linked to a larger burden of other types of cancer than was previously realized. Researchers used lung cancer death rates as an indicator for smoke exposure, and assessed the link between smoke exposure and non-lung cancer deaths. Based on the estimate from this unique methodology, over 70% of the cancer incidence among men in Massachusetts in 2003 was linked to smoking. A 2001 estimate of the burden of smoking-related cancers was significantly lower at only 34%. While cancer death rates have steadily decreased since 1992, lung cancer and non-lung cancer deaths were closely associated over time. Although the findings may not be generalizable to a larger population or to females, the data suggests that tobacco control may prevent more premature deaths than was previously realized. Click here for more details, or click here to read the full research article, which is published online in BMC Cancer.

State-specific smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost---United States, 2000-2004
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released a report that presents state-specific average annual smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost due to smoking for adults over 35 during 2000 to 2004. The CDC reported that smoking and second-hand smoke exposure resulted in an estimated 443,000 deaths and 5.1 million years of potential life lost yearly in the US between 2000 and 2004. The report also compares the current results to those of the previous report that was for 1996-1999. When the current report was compared to the previous one, there were declines in smoking-attributable mortality rates in 49 states for men and 32 states for women. Utah, Hawaii, and Minnesota had the lowest overall average smoking-attributable mortality rate and the highest rates were in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Nevada. While Nevada had one of the highest rates, they also had one of the greatest declines in their smoking-attributable mortality rate when compared to the 1996-1999 report. California’s and Virginia’s rates also significantly declined. Oklahoma was the only state to show an increase in their smoking-attributable mortality rate from the prior report. Click here to read a brief summary of the CDC’s findings, or click here to read the full report.

The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General
U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona has issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. The finding is of major public health concern due to the fact that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.
 
The report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, finds that even brief secondhand smoke exposure can cause immediate harm. The report says the only way to protect nonsmokers from the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking indoors.

The Impact of a Smoking Ban on Hospital Admissions for Coronary Heart Disease
A recent study assessed the impact of a 2002 clean indoor air ordinance in Bowling Green, Ohio and the number of hospital admissions for smoking-related conditions. Researchers used a quasi-experimental interrupted time series design and a matched control city with no clean indoor air ordinance. They examined hospital admission records in both cities from 1999 to 2005 and observed lower admission rates in Bowling Green compared to the control city. The greatest reduction was for coronary heart disease admissions, dropping 39% one year after implementation of the ban and 47% three years after implementation. To read the study abstract published in Preventive Medicine, click here.

The Tobacco Epidemic in the US
A Supplement to the December 2007 issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine discussed the implementation of effective tobacco-control strategies and useful scientific advances that could help to ensure that per capita consumption decreases to the lowest level possible. View the abstract: click here.

Tobacco Use Among U.S. Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups: A Report of the Surgeon General (updated July 2000)
This Surgeon General’s Report surveys tobacco use and its health consequences among all four major U.S. racial and ethnic minority groups: African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic.

Women and Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General
Women and Smoking: a Report of the Surgeon General summarizes what is now known about smoking among women, including patterns and trends in smoking habits, factors associated with starting to smoke and continuing to smoke, the consequences of smoking on women’s health and interventions for cessation and prevention.

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Secondhand Smoke

Assist your healthcare facility in implementing a smoke-free environment
The Michigan’s Smoke-free Hospitals program is intended to assist healthcare facilities in implementing smoke-free environments and nicotine addiction treatment programs. Interested healthcare facilities can receive a free CD-ROM that provides examples of existing policies, enforcement suggestions, signage, FAQs, examples of media, and much more. Also included on the CD is a PowerPoint presentation that serves a basic presentation to senior administrative and clinical management. The materials serve as a model for any healthcare facility looking to create a smoke-free campus.
 
For more information, contact: Linda A Thomas, University of Michigan Health System, 734-936-5988 or lathomas@umich.edu

A Toolkit for Implementing and Defending Smoke-Free Ordinances
This toolkit, designed for communities that have passed smoke-free policies, provides standardized surveillance measures and methods to use to assess and monitor the impact of local smoke-free ordinances. The toolkit's resources are divided into six categories: 1) compliance and enforcement, 2) public opinion, 3) economic impact, 4) indoor air quality, 5) health effects, and 6) smoking cessation. For each of these six areas, the toolkit includes a summary of research findings with references, steps or procedures for carrying out an evaluation, and sample tools (surveys, public opinion polls, data collection forms, checklists, letters, logs, etc.). Although created for Minnesota communities, the process and tools can be adapted in used in any local community.

California Lessons in Clean Indoor Air
A compilation of campaign stories, implementation tools and compliance strategies.

Casino Fact Sheets

• Secondhand Smoke and Casinos
• Casino Support for Smokefree Gambling

ANR has produced two new fact sheets - Secondhand Smoke and Casinos and Casino Support For Smokefree Gambling. These fact sheets address secondhand smoke levels in gambling establishments, economic impact, and public support for smokefree gambling, in addition to quotes from casino employees and officials.

Developing Smokefree Implementation RegulationsWebsite
Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations (DSIR) is a web-based toolkit developed by the Tobacco Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC), and funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Rapid Response Grant administered by the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation. DSIR was developed to help health departments and others in the public health community draft and adopt regulations to implement smokefree laws. The Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations includes examples of effective state and local implementation language, model implementation and enforcement rules, an introduction to public health rulemaking, and an overview of smokefree policy for lawyers.

• Developing Smokefree Implementation Regulations (DSIR) companion guide
  This companion guide to the DSIR website includes information and resources to help health departments, advocacy organizations, and others in the public health community draft and adopt effective smokefree implementation regulations. It also supplements the: Smokefree Implementation Toolkit, a comprehensive, web-based resource for the public health community.

Economic Impact of Smokefree Policies
The American Lung Association (ALA) has released a new report, Fuzzy Math: How the Tobacco Industry Distorts the Truth about the Economic Effects of Smokefree Restaurants and Bars. This publication describes how the tobacco industry uses misleading studies and evidence to convince decision makers that smokefree restaurant and bar laws will have a negative effect on business.

Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke and Cotinine Levels — Fact Sheet
Office of Smoking and Health (CDC) fact sheet on environmental tobacco smoke.

Fewer nonsmokers breathe cigarette fumes, CDC says
American adults’ secondhand smoke exposure has decreased significantly since the 1990s, based on data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1988 and 2004. However, half of adult nonsmokers are still exposed to secondhand smoke. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, 84% of adults surveyed by the CDC had detectable levels of cotinine, a byproduct of nicotine, in their blood. Between 1999 and 2004, only 46% of nonsmokers tested positive. Researchers found disparate rates of secondhand smoke exposure based on race; Blacks were considerably more likely to be exposed to secondhand smoke than whites or Mexican Americans. Also, little progress has been made in reducing children’s secondhand smoke exposure. Click here to read the full report in the CDC publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Fundamentals of Clean Indoor Air Policy
This is a report developed jointly by ANR, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, and SmokeLess States. The report provides recommended guiding principles for developing and implementing effective clean indoor air campaigns. The guidelines are based on the experiences of tobacco control advocates throughout the U.S. over many years.

Fundamentals of smoke-free workplace laws
This recently updated resource includes strategies for developing, enacting, and implementing effective smokefree air laws. The guide was produced in a partnership of over a dozen public health organizations. In addition to recommendations on clauses to include in smokefree legislation, there are also guidelines on exemptions to avoid and “deal breakers,” or provisions that policymakers should avoid at all costs. To support tobacco control advocates on the long, arduous road toward policy change, this guide provides an organized approach based on lessons learned through decades of tobacco control work.

Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke (Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph Number 10)
The California Environmental Protection Agency conducted a broad review of ETS covering the major health endpoints potentially associated with ETS exposure, incorporating the expanded evidence on ETS-related effects published since the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its own risk assessment of the health effects of ETS with respect to lung cancer and respiratory function in 1992, and earlier reports by the Surgeon General and the National Research Council. The National Cancer Institute (NCI), published the report as part of their Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph series.

Health Officials Announce Web Site on Secondhand Smoke
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has established a Web site to offer resources to employers, workers, policy makers and the general public on the subject of secondhand tobacco smoke.

The site at www.breatheeasyok.com addresses the need for up-to-date and accurate information on related topics including:

• research findings on the health effects of secondhand tobacco smoke;
• quotes from internal tobacco company documents on smoking restrictions;
• how the tobacco industry has worked to mislead the hospitality industry; and
• current Oklahoma laws on smoking in public places and workplaces.

An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 Oklahomans who work indoors are currently not protected by smoke-free policies on the job. Studies of workers in different settings have shown that workers in restaurants experienced the greatest risk, with secondhand smoke exposure in restaurants being twice as high as in the offices studied. Analyses of death rates by occupation have shown food service workers to have an elevated risk for lung cancer, with the risk almost doubled for waitresses.

Heart Attacks Decrease after Smokefree Laws are Implemented
A new study released by Indiana University researchers shows that heart attacks decreased by a net 59% in Monroe County, Indiana following implementation of a comprehensive smokefree workplace law. This study is particularly relevant because it measures the acute myocardial infarction [AMI also known as a heart attack] admissions for nonsmokers, not overall AMI admissions, and I believe it is the first to do so.  Also, the study looked only at nonsmokers who had no prior evidence of heart disease or previous cardiac incidents—these are otherwise heart healthy nonsmokers.  In this study group, there was a net reduction in heart attacks of 59% following the implementation of Monroe County’s comprehensive smokefree workplace law [covering all workplaces, including bars and restaurants] versus the control county of similar size and demographics where no law was implemented during the study period. To access the full article, click here.

How to make a condo complex smokefree
The Technical Assistance Legal Center (TALC) has just released a new fact sheet showing how California condo owners can make part or all of their complex smokefree. Many people who live in multi-unit housing are exposed to unwanted secondhand smoke in their homes. In condos, where each unit is owned separately, addressing this problem can be especially challenging. This fact sheet outlines three approaches to restricting smoking in a condo complex and compares the pros and cons of each.

Impact of Secondhand Smoke on African American Children
An article in the March 2007 issue of CHEST shows African American children with asthma who are exposed to SHS have significantly higher toxin levels when compared to their Caucasian counterparts. To view the abstract, please click here.

Institute of Medicine Report: Secondhand Smoke and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence
After an extensive review of scientific studies,  this 2009 Institute of Medicine report  documents the effects of secondhand smoke, including  the following:

• Secondhand smoke can cause a heart attack.
• It is possible that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke could trigger a heart attack.
• Smoke-free air laws result in fewer heart attacks.

International Consultation on Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and Child Health: Consultation Report
Responding to the 1997 Declaration on Children’s Environmental Health of the Environment Leaders of the Eight, the World Health Organization convened an International Consultation on Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and Child Health in Geneva, Switzerland from 11 to 14 January 1999. The Consultation brought together experts from developed and developing countries to examine the effects of ETS on child health and to recommend interventions to reduce these harmful effects and eliminate children’s exposure. This is the group’s report.

Making the Case for Workplace Smokefree Laws
To help make the case for business support of smoke-free workplace laws, Kids Involuntarily Inhaling Secondhand Smoke (KIISS) has produced an updated series of short videos in conjunction with Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.  The videos were produced with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
 
There are three separate videos - one on restaurants and bars, the second on bars and the third on hotels. These videos are the follow-up to the highly successful "Straight Talk" video from a couple years ago.  All three videos make the case that smoke-free laws are easily implemented, have broad public support and do not hurt business.  You can view or download the videos on the following websites:

• smoke-free restaraunts
• smoke-free bars
• smoke-free hotels

Making Your Workplace Smokefree – A Decisionmaker’s Guide
Provides background information on costs and other consequences of tobacco and provides benefits of a smokefree workplace for legal, scientific, human resources, facility, image and economic reasons.

Map of States with Preemption of Local Smokefree Air Laws
The ANR Foundation announces an updated map that illustrates which states have complete preemption and partial preemption, and which states are (thus far) not preemptied.

MISmoke-Free Apartment
Where there's smoke, there can also be a smoke-free apartment. You can make it happen. This site has information for landlords on myths, landlord rights, risks, ways to save money and the building, and helpful tools. It also contains information for the tenant that include tenants' rights, resources, and facts on smoke-free environments.

Additional link: Public Opinion Surveys on Smoke-Free Apartments This section includes links to a number of polls/surveys which have been done in the past few years to determine public support for various types of smoke-free apartment policies.

Mobilizing Medical Professionals for Smokefree Indoor Air
The American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation published a tip sheet that details creative and practical ways to approach, engage, and incorporate doctors, dentists, nurses, and medical students into your smokefree coalition. The document also explores various roles medical professionals can play to help make your community smokefree.

New CDC outreach tool for business community
The CDC Office on Smoking and Health recently released a new outreach booklet for employers and the business community called, "Save Lives, Save Money. Make Your Business Smokefree." The tool is designed for use by advocates to assist in outreach to the broader business community and business chambers. It highlights the bottom-line benefits of smokefree workplaces and a healthier workforce - without being centered on local or state ordinances.

New studies show link between smokefree policies and reduced MI
Two recently published studies demonstrate a link between enacting smoke-free policies and reduced hospital admissions for heart attacks (acute myocardial infarction). These studies corroborate findings from the original study in Helena, Montana, using larger samples.

For the Helena, Montana study abstract, click here.
For the Pueblo, Colorado study abstract, click here.
For the Piedmont region (northern Italy) study, click here.

Ninth Report on Carcinogens
A report from the National Toxicology Program, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Parents' Perceptions of Children's Tolerance of Tobacco Smoke
A study in the December 2007 issue of Health Education Research [Epub ahead of print] reported that changes made to smoking during the first weeks of a baby's life are unlikely to be sustained, and key messages about the risks of ETS exposure need to be delivered repeatedly over the first 2 years of life and re-enforced as the child gets older. View the abstract: click here.

Partnership for Prevention® has developed a new tool, Smoke-Free Policies: Establishing a Smoke-Free Ordinance to Reduce Exposure to Secondhand Smoke in Indoor Worksites and Public Places—An Action Guide, to help public health professionals maximize the beneficial impact of smoke-free laws. Rooted in The Guide to Community Preventive Services: What Works to Improve Health? (Community Guide), this tool translates an evidence-based recommendation into practical implementation guidance. Web links to additional resources and tools are provided to assist with planning and implementing a smoke-free ordinance. Visit www.prevent.org/actionguides to order a hard copy or download for free

Preemptive State Smoke-Free Indoor Air Laws — United States, 1999–2004

Report of the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health
In 1994, the Department of Health (DH) in England established the Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health (SCOTH). SCOTH, assisted by the Technical Advisory Group (TAG), embarked on a programme of scientific review and appraisal of a range of important issues related to tobacco and health. This Report to the Chief Medical Officer describes the matters considered by the Committee.

Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Disorders
A report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Restaurant and Bar Implementation Handbook
A Restaurant and Bar Implementation Handbook is now available free for download from the Kids Involuntarily Inhaling Secondhand Smoke (KIISS) website. The handbook was created to assist restaurant and bar owners in implementing smoke-free policies. The handbook includes chapters on working with customers, training employees on enforcement, the economics of smokefree policies, and adversity and misinformation, among others. All documents are in PDF format at http://kiiss.org/handbook.htm.

Review of the Quality of Studies on the Economic Effects of Smoke-Free Policies on the Hospitality Industry
This review article published in Tobacco Control (2003; 12:13-20) compares the quality and funding source of studies that conclude negative economic impact of smoke-free policies in the hospitality industry to studies that conclude no such negative impact. The researchers conclude that all of the best designed studies report no impact or a positive impact of smoke-free restaurant and bar laws on sales or employment while 94% of the tobacco industry supported studies concluded a negative economic impact compared to none of the non-industry supported studies.

Sabemos – Aqui No Se Fuma
The Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has created an English-Spanish-language communications kit designed to promote awareness of current positive social norms about protecting indoor spaces from secondhand smoke among Hispanics/Latinos. The bilingual kit includes a cultural overview of the Hispanic/Latino population, tips for expanding the reach of anti-tobacco messages, steps to create smokefree environments, and other materials to assist in the development of media campaigns. To access the kit, click here.

Secondhand Tobacco Smoke and Children's Health
The California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment developed pamphlets to summarize the findings of the scientific review of hundreds of studies about the effects of secondhand smoke. The pamphlets, focused on how secondhand smoke affects children's health, are available in English and in Spanish.

Smoke-Free Cars: A Guide for Parents and Other Drivers

Smoke-Free Laws Implementation Resources List
On October 2, 2003 the SmokeLess States National Tobacco Policy Initiative and the Office on Smoking and Health held a joint conference call "Smoke-Free Laws: Implementation, Enforcement and Compliance". This Resource List is a product of that call, and includes minutes from the call along with resources to help draft strong enforcement provisions, develop an evaluation plan, establish enforcement protocols, and conduct an information and education campaign. It also includes sample implementation materials from California, Delaware and New York.

SmokefreeOregon.Com Offers Resources for Tenants and Landlords
This website offers a variety of information and resources for tenants and landlords interested in smoke free policies for multi-unit housing developments. For landlords, the website includes market research results, educational articles, signs and stickers for properties, and tools such as a sample tenant survey. Tenants can access a fact sheet about secondhand smoke, information about renters’ rights, and tips for how to communicate with a landlord.

Straight Talk About Smoke-Free Laws
Tobacco Free Kids, ANR and KIISS (Kids Involuntarily Inhaling Second Hand Smoke) have developed a CD ROM entitled "Straight Talk About Smoke-Free Laws." This resource is especially useful to any community working towards a smoke-free ordinance. For a copy of the CD, e-mail Jennifer Friedman at: jfriedman@tobaccofreekids.org

The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General
U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona has issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. The finding is of major public health concern due to the fact that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.
 
The report, The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, finds that even brief secondhand smoke exposure can cause immediate harm. The report says the only way to protect nonsmokers from the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking indoors.

TobaccoFreeAir.org
This website provides information, research, and resources for a smoke-free world. The site also includes an online training course on air monitoring.

Tobacco Smoke and Involuntary Smoking IARC Monographs
A working group of scientific experts from 12 countries convened by the Monographs Programme of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization, Lyon, France, has reviewed all significant published evidence related to tobacco smoking and cancer, both active and involuntary. The working group confirmed the cancer-causing effects of active smoking, which an earlier working group had considered back in 1986. It also concluded that secondhand smoke should be classified as carcinogenic to humans.

Because of the public health importance of these evaluations, the summaries are being posted before the Monographs volume is ready for printing. Additional details may be incorporated into the summaries during the editing process.

Smokeless Tobacco

CDC Smokeless Tobacco Fact Sheet
The Smokeless Tobacco fact sheet includes data and details on the health effects of smokeless tobacco use. It estimates smokeless tobacco use in specific populations, identifying those at high-risk.

CTFK Factsheets on Smokeless Tobacco
The Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids has updated their Factsheets with new data about health risks of smokeless tobacco. The Factsheets also focus on the tobacco industry’s role in increasing the number of young smokeless users through marketing and their case to market smokeless tobacco as a reduced harm alternative to smoking.

NCI Fact Sheet on Smokeless Tobacco
The National Cancer Institute provides details on smokeless tobacco and the risks and harm associated with its use. The sheet answers questions about substituting smokeless tobacco for cigarettes including its use for quitting smoking. The site offers resources for quitting smokeless tobacco and for more information.

Smokeless Tobacco in the United States
The Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids has created a document that gives a summary of important information on the health risks associated with smokeless tobacco. The document also provides details on the tobacco industry’s marketing of smokeless tobacco to children and as a reduced harm product. The document offers arguments supporting FDA regulation of all tobacco products.

Smokeless tobacco ups oral cancer risk 80 percent: WHO
To help resolve differences of scientific opinion on the relative risks of smokeless tobacco products compared to cigarettes, the World Health Organization conducted a review of recent research on health risks for smokeless tobacco users. The researchers looked at 11 studies from around the world, and found that smokeless tobacco users face an 80% higher risk of oral cancer than nonsmokers. Smokeless tobacco use also raises the risk of developing esophageal and pancreatic cancer by 60%. Findings on lung cancer risk were inconclusive. The report concludes that a smokeless tobacco user’s overall cancer risk is lower than a smoker’s, but higher than that of a tobacco-free individual. The study was published in the July issue of Lancet Oncology. Click here to access the full article. Click here for a brief summary of the findings.

Smokeless Tobacco Use, Initiation, and Relationship to Cigarette Smoking: 2002 to 2007
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released a report on national trends, prevalence, and patterns of smokeless tobacco use from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The data show that smokeless tobacco use is on the rise, and that smokeless tobacco use does not promote smoking cessation. Ninety percent of smokers who started using chewing tobacco as a smoking cessation aid still smoked on a daily basis six months later. From 2002 to 2007, the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among boys aged 12-17 increased 30%. Over half of adolescent smokeless tobacco users, and two-thirds of 18-25 year old users, were also current cigarette smokers. Additionally, certain populations were more likely to use smokeless tobacco including American Indians, Alaska Natives, those living in rural areas, and those living in the South and the Midwest. Click here to read more. Click here to access the full smokeless tobacco report.

Surgeon General Carmona's Testimony on Harm Reduction
This site shows the testimony of the Surgeon General in reference to the myth that smokeless tobacco is a good alternative to smoking. His testimony refutes this myth with scientific evidence. The statements also include smokeless tobacco use data and problems that could result from the myth that smokeless tobacco is a healthy alternative to smoking.

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Tobacco Industry

Accepting Funds from the Tobacco Industry: CDC Guidance For Collaboration with the Private Sector
Recently, the tobacco industry has approached state and local agencies with proposals to financially support the implementation of youth tobacco prevention programs. Decisions about whether to accept money directly from the tobacco industry to implement youth tobacco prevention programs have sparked controversy and divisiveness among those committed to preventing tobacco use. Several constituents have contacted CDC to request its opinions as they consider these proposals. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shares their criteria and guidance for collaboration with private sector the in order to assist national, state and local agencies.  Click here to access the guiding document.

American Legacy Foundation
Established as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement with the tobacco industry, the American Legacy Foundation's purposes are to conduct a comprehensive, coordinated program of public education and study, and to fund "cutting edge research and marketing programs that tell the truth about tobacco use." The site contains an overview of the Foundation, an information center, links to research, education and programs, and ways to speak out against tobacco.

Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights
Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights is a national lobbying organization dedicated to nonsmokers' rights, confronting the tobacco industry at all levels of government to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke and youth from tobacco addiction. ANR pursues an action-oriented program of policy and legislation.

The Web site includes a wide variety of materials, including how to protect yourself from secondhand smoke, health hazards of secondhand smoke, information about local clean indoor air ordinances (including how to pass an ordinance, and the economic impact of ordinances), ventilation issues, preemption, smokefree airports campaign, tobacco industry strategies and tactics, education programs for youth and action alerts.

Annual tobacco settlement report
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and American Lung Association just issued their annual report assessing whether the states are keeping their promise to use a significant portion of their tobacco settlement proceeds to fund programs to reduce tobacco use. This year's report finds that most states are still failing to keep this promise even as they collect record amounts of tobacco-generated revenue from the tobacco settlement and tobacco taxes and even as the tobacco companies spend record amounts to market their deadly and addictive products. Click to view a chart ranking the states on their funding of tobacco prevention.

British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco is the world’s most international tobacco group, with brands sold in 180 markets around the world.

Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation markets tobacco products both domestically and internationally. Tracing its roots to 1894, Brown & Williamson is a U.S. subsidiary of London-based British American Tobacco p.l.c. Brown & Williamson is the third largest cigarette manufacturer and marketer in the U.S. Leading domestic brands include: Kool, Pall Mall, Lucky Strike, and Misty.

Business Tobacco Alliance
R.J. Reynolds (RJR) is building a new group called the Business Tobacco Alliance. Their website recruits business owners to fight tobacco taxes and smoke-free laws.

Legacy Tobacco Documents Library
The UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management has placed on the Internet the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, a collection of more than 20 million pages of previously secret documents from tobacco industry files. The documents were obtained through the legal discovery process for the lawsuits against the major tobacco companies by the state attorneys general. The site is a single portal into the working files of the major tobacco companies.

Additional link: The Multimedia Collection of the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (LTDL) Visitors to the LTDL website can access descriptive information on more than 5,000 tobacco industry video and audio tapes through the new Multimedia Collection.   The tapes can be viewed at the Internet Archive either through a search within LTDL or directly through the Internet Archive site. For more information on the Multimedia Collection, new descriptive fields, or how to access the audio/video materials, please go to LTDL’s Multimedia Collection information page.

Lorillard Tobacco Company
Lorillard is an indirect subsidiary of the Loews Corporation. Lorillard is the fourth largest, and oldest, tobacco company in the United States. Brands include: Newport, Kent, Old Gold, and Maverick.

National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG)
NAAG fosters interstate cooperation on legal and law enforcement issues; conducts policy research and analysis of issues; and facilitates communication between the states’ chief legal officers and all levels of government.

The Tobacco Project serves as the liaison to the NAAG Tobacco Committee and settling states on the implementation and enforcement of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). The Project assists the states with the coordination of enforcement strategies and dealing with other issues that arise in the area of tobacco. Resources are provided for MSA documents and current legislation related to tobacco.

Additional link: Tobacco Settlement Documents The National Association of Attorneys General Web site has a section devoted to documents and resources related to the Master Settlement Agreement.

National Conferences of State Legislators (NCSL)
NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the lawmakers and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. NCSL is a source for research, publications, consulting assistance, meetings and seminars. It provides an open, bipartisan, national forum for lawmakers to communicate with one another and share ideas. NCSL represents the states’ interests before Congress, the administration and federal agencies.

Oregon Public Health Services – Tobacco Industry: “The Secrets”
Trial judges in the Attorneys General lawsuits against the tobacco industry forced the release to the public of many thousands of documents that previously were held closely by the tobacco industry. Many of these documents are posted on the Oregon Public Health Services Web site. The documents are organized in the following categories: Knowledge of Health Effects, Marketing Tactics, Strategy to Confuse the Science, Manipulating Tobacco's Addictive Properties, Fighting Against Clean Indoor Air Standards, Political Involvement in Opposing Prevention Efforts, and Quitting Tobacco.

Philip Morris Companies, Inc.
Philip Morris, U.S.A., is the nation’s leading cigarette manufacturer. Philip Morris U.S.A. brands and products include: Marlboro, Virginia Slims, and Benson & Hedges. Outside the U.S., Philip Morris International Inc. manages the world's leading international cigarette business. Their affiliates manufacture, market, sell and distribute cigarettes in over 180 countries and territories around the world.

Review of the Quality of Studies on the Economic Effects of Smoke-Free Policies on the Hospitality Industry
This review article published in Tobacco Control (2003; 12:13-20) compares the quality and funding source of studies that conclude negative economic impact of smoke-free policies in the hospitality industry to studies that conclude no such negative impact. The researchers conclude that all of the best designed studies report no impact or a positive impact of smoke-free restaurant and bar laws on sales or employment while 94% of the tobacco industry supported studies concluded a negative economic impact compared to none of the non-industry supported studies.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is the second largest tobacco company in the United States, manufacturing about one of every four cigarettes sold in the United States. Reynolds Tobacco's product line includes four of the nation's 10 best-selling brands: Camel, Winston, Salem, and Doral.

“The Cigarette Papers”
A website, designed by the American Legacy Foundation and University of California-San Francisco, that chronicles the shocking disparity of the tobacco industry’s’ private knowledge and public statements over the past 50 years. The library contains over 6 million documents related to advertising, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and scientific research of tobacco products.

Tobacco Control Archives
Sponsored by University of California, San Francisco Library and Center for Knowledge Management, the Tobacco Control Archives is a central, organized source of information. TCA's purpose is to collect, preserve, and provide access to papers, unpublished documents and electronic resources relevant to tobacco control issues primarily in California. Included at this site are online documents, many of which are also available at the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu).

Tobacco Documents Online
Tobacco Documents Online allows an easy way to search tobacco industry documents. Documents can be searched by collections, including industry and research, as well as by key words.

Tobacco Industry Interference with Tobacco Control
A new publication from the World Health Organization (WHO) describes tactics that the tobacco industry has used to discredit scientific research about tobacco use, to influence governments to create weak tobacco control policies, and to undermine WHO tobacco control initiatives. This report is the result of a meeting of tobacco industry monitoring experts convened by the WHO in 2007. The report can be used to assist with implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a commitment signed by 160 nations to counter tobacco industry involvement in tobacco control.

Tobacco Industry Tracking Database
The ANR Foundation’s Tobacco Industry Tracking Database is a collection of information on the activities of the tobacco industry and its allies. A variety of documents are included in the Tobacco Industry Tracking Database including: reports, surveys, research studies, correspondence, mainstream newspaper articles, journal and trade magazine articles, political advertising, press releases, tobacco industry direct mail and promotional packets, and internal tobacco industry documents obtained through lawsuits such as the Minnesota Attorney General’s suit.

Tobacco Scam
TobaccoScam, a Web site launched by Stanton A. Glantz, PhD, a University of California, San Francisco tobacco researcher, targets what it calls a 20-year, multi-million dollar effort by the tobacco industry to manipulate the restaurant industry as a political front to defeat local and state smokefree measures and to protect tobacco sales worldwide. TobaccoScam aims to sharply curtail Big Tobacco’s use and abuse of the U.S. hospitality industry to protect its profits at your expense.

Tobacco’s Dirty Tricks
A part of the American’s for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR) Web site, this site is devoted to big tobacco’s dirty tricks. The resources at this site are categorized into the following sections: Industry Front Groups, Partners & Allies; Industry Tactics & Strategies; In Big Tobacco’s Own Words; and Other Informational Resources.

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Miscellaneous

New Smoking Profile Tool Available Online
The National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences has made a new interactive online tool that gives individualized smoking risk information available. A current smoker, past smoker, or friend of a smoker enters a specific smoking profile. A graph is then created that shows the future risk of either lung cancer mortality of all-cause mortality.

Smokescreen Lists
Smokescreen provides access to a wide array of listservs allowing individuals, local and national groups to communicate quickly, effectively, and very inexpensively.

Tobacco BBS
News and resources on tobacco, smoking, and cigarettes. Daily news summary covers many topics and provides links to complete articles. Some items listed under Resources need updating.

Tobacco Control Online
Tobacco Control is a quarterly scientific journal launched in 1992 to consider all aspects of tobacco prevention and control. Abstracts and selected articles are available online for non-subscribers

Tobacco FactFile
Tobacco FactFile presents key facts and data about tobacco and is designed especially for health professionals, policy makers, educators, and the media. All content is selected and peer-reviewed by experts in the field. Browse or search the online database for information on health, economics, tobacco industry, and policy. Find data and statistics on your country, or across a region. Register to receive facts by e-mail, or download facts and sources to a citation database. FactFile differs from other databases currently available online. Rather than being a traditional bibliographic database, it focuses on providing ready access to key pieces of information, with the assurance that these have been selected by experts in the field.

Tobacco.org: Tobacco News and Information
Tobacco.org is a source for the latest tobacco news and information. The Info Pages section of the Web site provides access to a wide variety of tobacco documents and resources.

Trinkets and Trash Services
Trinkets and Trash Services was formed by John Slade, M.D. to supply tobacco industry promotional items and related materials on loan to public health workers and members of the media for educational purposes. Materials include caps, t-shirts, catalogs, and a wide variety of other items that were designed by tobacco companies to sell cigarettes, moist snuff and cigars.

The Web site features downloadable images of the newest stuff, along with images of older, more familiar items, and some rare antiques. These images can be used to enhance presentations and make the point about the long history both industries have in inventive and seductive marketing and promotion.

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