End of Year Reflections: Progress Marches On
The year 2021 was a year of ups and downs as the world began to emerge from what we hoped was the worst of the disruption and loss caused by COVID-19. Sadly, while many people are experiencing some relief, too many others continue to suffer from financial instability, illness, isolation and the loss of loved ones. But even in the midst of what is arguably the biggest public health crisis of our lifetimes, we can pause and find reasons to celebrate because the year 2021 has also delivered some significant public health gains in tobacco control, gains that will improve the health of all Capital District residents. The top ten 2021...
Seen Enough Tobacco Day 2021
Seen Enough Tobacco Day is observed annually on October 13, to highlight the fact that the average age of a new daily smoker in New York State is 13 years old. This event highlights the need for communities to protect children from the billions of dollars of tobacco marketing in places where kids can see it. Visit www.SeenEnoughTobacco.org to pledge your support for reducing the impact of tobacco in our communities and help make New York a healthier place for everyone. Watch the video below to learn more.
Back to School and E-Cigarette Exposure
As young people head back into the classroom after much of a year of virtual learning, school districts and parents are working together to maximize the safety of the entire school community by instituting effective safety protocols related to COVID-19. Another safety issue that shouldn't be overlooked is the risk posed by peer exposure to tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Pre-COVID, youth rates of e-cigarette use were at an epidemic high in NYS; preliminary data suggests that those rates fell during 2020 and we want to keep them headed in that direction. It is as important as ever for school communities to respond to youth...
Marijuana smoke is still smoke
The NY Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) which became law on March 31, 2021, included an expansion of NY's Clean Indoor Air Act (CIAA) to prohibit smoking or vaping cannabis in all locations in which smoking and vaping tobacco products is currently prohibited by NYS Public Health Law Article 13-E. Those locations include all playgrounds between sunrise and sunset when one or more children under age 12 are present. The CIAA does not prohibit smoking/vaping of tobacco and cannabis in other local municipal recreation areas, including parks and beaches, or on any other municipal property. However, local municipalities have used...
How Big Tobacco Is Exploiting the LGBTQ+ Community
Pride Month is celebrated every June to promote the dignity, equality and increased visibility of the LGBTQ+ community. The tobacco industry has turned it into an opportunity to exploit LGBTQ+ lives for profit. Over the past 30 years, major tobacco companies have tried to present themselves as allies to LGBTQ+ communities through representation in tobacco ads, sponsorship of Pride events, and financial support to HIV/AIDS organizations. The driving goal of those efforts was to make smoking an accepted part of queer culture - to boost sales by addicting these marginalized communities to a product that kills half the people who...
To the left is a typical tobacco product display. If you don’t use tobacco, you may not even notice, but kids do. Kids see. Kids notice. Kids remember. In fact, kids are more than twice as likely as adults to notice and remember retail tobacco marketing.
