Did you know tobacco use kills more than 440,000 people each year and costs $96 billion in health care expenditures annually. Today, 3,900 kids will try a cigarette for the first time and 1,000 kids will become addicted, daily smokers.
Today’s Tech Savvy Guest is Dr. John R. Seffrin, the Chief Executive Officer of the American Cancer Society and The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Dr. Seffrin joins us to celebrate the year anniversary of the President signing the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law. The tough new rules on tobacco marketing and sales to kids that are part of this law will go into effect next week. It is my hope that by sharing Dr. Seffrin’s post here, that I am spreading awareness about the new rules going to prevent somebody’s child from becoming a statistic.
As a father, I know how hard parents try to protect our kids from danger. I hope all parents join me today in celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory authority over the tobacco industry. With 1,000 children becoming addicted every day and another 3,900 children picking up their first cigarette, this legislation is necessary to safeguard our kids from Big Tobacco’s predatory and deceptive marketing.
The law has already banned the manufacturing and distribution of candy- and fruit-flavored cigarettes that were intended to entice kids to start smoking. Beginning this month, the sale of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco to minors will be prohibited by federal law and tobacco vending machines will be banned except in adult-only facilities. Additionally, we will see:
larger, stronger warning labels on smokeless tobacco products- a ban on the use of misleading descriptions such as “light” “mild” or “low-tar” in marketing and packaging cigarettes
- a ban on all tobacco-brand sponsorships of sports and cultural events
- a ban on virtually all free tobacco samples and giveaways of non-tobacco items, such as hats and T-shirts, with the purchase of tobacco
- a prohibition on the sale of cigarettes in packs of less than 20. This will eliminate so-called “kiddie packs” that make cigarettes more affordable and appealing to kids.
We expect that with effective implementation, the law will have a huge impact on ensuring that fewer kids start to smoke.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), the American Cancer Society’s advocacy affiliate, and its volunteers were strong advocates for this legislation and are working to ensure that the law is implemented as strongly as possible. To find out more about this law and ACS CAN’s efforts, please visit http://acscan.org/protectkids and participate in our Twitter party on June 29 from 2-3 pm.
If you have any questions about the new tobacco regulations, the ACS will be answering question about this legistation and the impact of these tough new tobacco rules during the live Twitter chat. Follow the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network on Twitter at @ACSCAN.
Smoking-related diseases remain the most preventable cause of death in the world. This law will help to deter our kids from smoking. Thank you for being a part of the fight to protect our kids from Big Tobacco.
No compensation was received for this post. I received this information through my voluntary participantion in the American Cancer Society’s Bloggers for More Birthdays Campaign.
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Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
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