State of Tobacco Control
The American Lung Association has been advocating tobacco prevention and cessation in an effort to end lung cancer and other respiratory diseases that result from smoking. Promoting policies that create smoke-free areas, raising the legal tobacco buying age and eliminating marketing programs targeted at youth have successfully reduced smoking rates.
Tobacco use has been in decline in recent years – 15% of adults smoked cigarettes in 2015 compared with 20% usage just ten years ago. Still, the CDC reports more than 480,000 Americans die each year as a result of cigarette smoking.
The American Lung Association in Pennsylvania is releasing its 15th annual “State of Tobacco Control Report” which analyzes tobacco usage and the efficacy of tobacco control legislation.
Deborah Brown, President and CEO and Joy Meyer, Vice President of Community Impact of the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic
Deborah Brown, President and CEO and Joy Meyer, Vice President of Community Impact of the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic joins us on Thursday’s Smart Talk to discuss the findings of this report and take your questions about trends in tobacco use and effective means of reducing these preventable deaths.
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– It appears there is a movement to help the child workers but I have heard that tobacco farming is very bad for human health in general. Slaves were used in the past and they got sick, there were a number of related conditions but I cant think of them off the top of my head. https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/05/14/us-child-workers-danger-tobacco-farms – anon
– Please have your guests discuss the new initiative in Philadelphia to license cigarette retailers. My understanding is that this will tremendously help reduce sales to minors as it will significantly limit access to cigarettes in low economic neighborhoods where there an abundance of retailers (that often ‘target’ youth… i.e. Cigarette marketing at a child’s eye level or in the windows at their level). – Megan, Harrisburg
