Rick Bender, a former spit tobacco user and oral cancer survivor, will tell his story at a one-hour presentation on from 7 to 8 p.m. Feb. 9 at the MSU Billings Petro Theatre. The presentation is free and open to the public. This program is designed for anyone, but is especially targeted for young adults and teenagers who think that tobacco only causes cancer in older adults. The event is part of “Through with Chew Week” promoted by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Bender’s appearance at MSU Billings is sponsored by the university’s Student Health Services and ... Jump to full article >>

When parliament voted for a ban on the display of tobacco products late last year, it seemed that convenience retailers would be burdened with the cost and operational difficulties of complying with the law. In fact, there’s still plenty to fight for and, with a change of government on the cards, still plenty of detail to be thrashed out before the 2013 deadline. The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) is leading the fightback by pointing out to the government that the legislation as it stands goes against the stated intention to keep the burden of compliance as light as possible for ... Jump to full article >>

One of the world’s largest tobacco companies pushed EU policy to emphasize business interests ahead of public health, a study indicates. Researchers at the universities of Bath and Edinburgh in Britain say they found evidence the cigarette giant British American Tobacco created a front group in the mid-1990s to shape EU policy in its favor, the EUobserver reported Wednesday. The academics say they came to that conclusion after examining some 700 internal documents from the tobacco manufacturer. The study was funded by the Smoke-Free Partnership and Cancer Research UK. They say BAT led a ... Jump to full article >>

In 2006 Massachusetts Department of Public Health adopted a pivotal measure in conformity with which Medicaid coverage for poor residents has been expanded to include smoking cessation program, to help them get rid of smoking habit. The regulation authors suggested that some day the program would pay off and contribute to decline in statewide smoking rates. Nevertheless, they didn’t even hope the program would bring such significant health benefits so soon. The newest data shows considerable drop in the statewide smoking rates among low-income residents across Massachusetts. Before the intro ... Jump to full article >>

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Senator Edward M. Kennedy was a towering figure in the United States Senate for more than 40 years, fighting for many important issues, but top among them were public health and social justice. Senator Kennedy fully understood the public health epidemic of tobacco use and fought at every opportunity to protect Americans from this devastating epidemic, which is the nation’s number-one preventable cause of death. Despite his own health struggles this year, Senator Kennedy shepherded the Family Smoking Prevention and Control Act through th ... Jump to full article >>

ROCKVILLE, Md. -(Dow Jones)- Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said Monday she’s planning this week to name a director to run the agency’s new tobacco division. Hamburg wouldn’t identify the pending director or elaborate on whether the person comes from industry or another public health agency. Hamburg said she personally interviewed six potential candidates. In late June, just after President Barack Obama formally signed into law legislation giving the agency the authority to regulate tobacco, the FDA began looking for a czar to oversee the FDA’ ... Jump to full article >>

Michigan Supreme Court Says Counties Can Adopt Stricter Standards Than The State The Michigan Supreme Court has ruled that counties can put more stringent anti-smoking rules in place than state lawmakers. Courts have said only the Legislature can ban smoking in restaurants and bars. But local governments are prohibiting smoking inside other businesses because of secondhand smoke risks. All seven justices on the high court said Tuesday that local officials can adopt stricter smoking regulations than the state to safeguard public health. But the court split 4-3 on another issue, voting to uphol ... Jump to full article >>