GRASSROOTS
NEWSLETTER
January-
February 2005
Volume 3 Number 4
It has recently been a tough few months for tobacco prevention advocates.
In a major victory for tobacco companies, the Court
of Appeals for the
Earlier this year
big tobacco had their way by stripping a farm buyout bill that would give the
Food and Drug Administration regulative authority over tobacco products. A big business friendly Congress has started
to dismantle the rights of citizens to sue corporations as a class at the state
level, knowing that federal courts are much less sympathetic to such litigation. And then there is the trend among politicos
to talk about further denial of the people’s rights in the misnamed ‘Tort
Reform” debate. This issue has obviously
been an object of concern for big tobacco for decades. A Philip Morris document about tort
reform states: "Our success in the tort battles in the
past two years has resulted in part from our ability to find non-tobacco
industry messengers to head the fight. Our success in battling
[Florida-type Medicaid legislation] will come in part from our
ability to [use] the more acceptable public face of key
business association or coalition leaders." http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/cgi/getdoc?tid=hym22a00&fmt=pdf&ref=results”
Revelation of these industry documents is the result of the Master
Settlement Agreement with 46 state’s Attorney Generals that the tobacco industry turn over all internal memoranda. The MSA also forced the tobacco cartel to pay
Arkansans approximately $50 million annually for harms caused. This amount is less than what the industry
spends in 48 hours marketing. Tobacco
Free Kids new state data shows tobacco related health care costs rising in
How
Tobacco Kills You!
Most of the over 400,000 Americans tobacco kills
die from heart disease or stroke due to the bodies’ reaction to even a small
amount of tobacco smoke. When nicotine
is introduced into the blood stream it inhibits the widening (vasodilatation)
of coronary arteries in response to nitric oxide produced by the endothelial
cells lining the arterial wall. Additional contributions to heart disease and stroke are the adverse effects of
secondhand smoke on blood lipids, inhibiting the bodies’ ability to manage
cholesterol, as well as platelet activation ‘thickening’ the blood, all
of which are associated with endothelial damage and plaque formation leading to
atherosclerosis that, in turn, predisposes to coronary heart disease and
stroke. A recent landmark experiment in healthy young nonsmokers revealed that a mere 30 minute exposure to secondhand smoke
causes changes in coronary blood flow that are indistinguishable from those of
habitual smokers.
How Tobacco Addicts Kids
In virtually every tobacco retail outlet you will see the Phillip Morris
“anti-smoking” pamphlet “Talk to your Kids about Tobacco.” The suggestion is
that parents open a dialogue about tobacco as a choice only an adult should
make. Can you think of a better way to
get a young person to start smoking? Research
has shown that if a person dabbles about with alcohol there is a 1 in 10 chance
of becoming an alcoholic. Those
experimenting with cocaine have a 1 in 6 chance of becoming an addict. Persons who try nicotine have a 1 in 2 chance
of addiction and the younger a person starts to smoke the odds go up to 9 out
of 10. 90% of all nicotine addicts start
before they are 18.
The
Economics of Smoke Free Dining.
Our colleague in
Ventilation Does Not Work
Much of the tobacco cartel rhetoric talks about ‘accommodation’ for
everyone when in fact it is only the tobacco smoke that is being accommodated. The industry promotes expensive ventilation
systems as an option. Filtration only
affects the particulate and odor from secondhand smoke and does not remove
harmful gasses that actually make up about 85% of the effluent from a burning
cigarette. Americans for Nonsmoker’s
Rights suggests that unless the manufacturers of these filtration devices agree
to represent customers in court and pay workman’s comp claims, then that is
money wasted.
The courts are increasingly considering businesses
and government liable to employees and the public alike under the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990 regarding clean indoor air. For persons suffering breathing impairments
brought on by asthma or severe angina, secondhand tobacco smoke poses as great
a barrier to access as stairs to a person using a wheelchair.
Around the State
The battle presses on in the General Assembly. Having passed legislation making all hospital
campuses in
A fire safe cigarette bill has been introduced and
there is talk of an upcoming smoke free restaurant bill. A 2003
The
Check out the new SOS web site at www.stampoutsmoking.com featuring
Boxer JermainTaylor and complete with an ad gallery,
trivia quiz, music videos, and more to help young people stamp out smoking in their
lives.
Quit Smoking
Do you know someone who wants to quit? Quit Smart cessation classes are available
or we can connect you with other options in the area. Contact TFMC at 427-2620
for information, scheduling, and registration.
Free nicotine patches are available!
The Arkansas Department of Health’s Quit line is 1-866- NOW QUIT for personalized
counseling from the Mayo Clinic.
If you are receiving this in the mail but have an
email address, please let us know and save us a stamp!