Teen vaping rates rise, nearing pre-pandemic levels, CDC reports
Teen vaping rates are rising once again, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday — a signal that as kids have returned to school, so has their use of e-cigarettes. Data from the annual National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that 14.1% of high school students and 3.3% of middle school students said they'd recently used...
CISLAC engages stakeholders on tobacco control in Gombe
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC) has taken its national campaign and advocacy on tobacco control to Gombe state, thereby calling on the state government to develop policies and legislative frameworks to control tobacco use in the state. According to CISLAC tobacco prevalence has been on the increase in Nigeria and other African countries,...
The oldest trick in Big Tobacco’s playbook nearly derailed South Africa’s TB conference. Here’s why
On the morning of Saturday, September 3, 10 days before the opening of the seventh South African Tuberculosis (TB) Conference, the event was set to be the best-attended iteration of the gathering to date. More than 1 000 delegates had signed up and the interest from civil society was unparalleled. Public health experts’ enthusiasm came at a...
Sub-Saharan Africa Urged to Embrace THR
With more than 200,000 smoking-related deaths each year in sub-Saharan Africa, there is an urgent need for the region to embrace tobacco harm reduction, according to a new briefing paper published by Knowledge Action Change (KAC). KAC argues that tobacco harm reduction could generate significant public health gains for the countries in sub-Saharan Africa and...
Toxic tobacco: proposed 100% ban on smoking in public areas
Tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke continue to contribute to over 9% of the mortality burden in South Africa. This galvanised the National Department of Health to gazette the Draft Tobacco Products and the Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill that will drastically change smoking laws in the country. The Bill will be introduced to the National Assembly in the coming...
Report: Tobacco industry continuing decades-long targeting of Black communities, women, youth with menthol products
Report: Tobacco industry continuing decades-long targeting of Black communities, women, youth with menthol products Ads and internal corporate documents as early as the 1930s through today show intense and sustained effort to promote menthol sales. DALLAS, October 4, 2022 — The massive growth in popularity of menthol cigarettes over several decades is the result of the...
British American Tobacco publishes ‘transition plan’ to reach net-zero emissions
British American Tobacco (BAT) has unveiled a detailed “transition” plan to net-zero emissions across its entire value chain, focusing on renewables procurement, scenario analysis and supplier engagement. BAT has this week published its Low-Carbon Transition Plan, detailing the actions it will need to take in order to create a net-zero value chain by 2050. The plan utilises...
End tobacco farming in Kenya, NGOs tell Ruto
Joel Gitali says Ruto committed himself to that goal when he served as Agriculture minister in 2008-2010. In Summary •An estimated 36,000 farmers produce tobacco leaf on around 13,500 hectares of land, primarily in the Nyanza and Western regions of Kenya. •The Ministry of Health says it kills 9,000 Kenyans every year. Tobacco control advocates have asked President...
Need for urgent research on nicotine pouches
In Summary When consumed in high levels, nicotine can lead to poisoning and death, but the most common problem with the chemical is its addictive nature. It reconfigures how the brain operates and makes people crave tobacco products. There is a raging debate as to whether nicotine pouches should be restricted due to the fact...
Tobacco responsible for 20% of deaths from coronary heart disease
Every year, 1.9 million people die from tobacco-induced heart disease, according to a new brief released today by the World Health Organization, World Heart Federation and the University of Newcastle Australia ahead of World Heart Day, marked on 29 September. This equates to one in five of all deaths from heart disease, warn the report’s...
