Stamp Out Smoking News

Information provided by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids:

The FDA tobacco legislation signed into law preserves the rights of states to raise tobacco tax rates, implement and enforce comprehensive smoke-free laws, adequately fund strong state tobacco prevention programs, enhance access to smoking cessation, and take any actions to restrict the sale and distribution of tobacco products.  It also expands what states can do to prohibit or restrict tobacco product marketing.

Consistent with the way the FDA regulates other products under its jurisdiction, the passage of the legislation will block states from taking action specifically to regulate the structure of any tobacco product that is subject to FDA regulation – except that states are left free to pass any fire-safe cigarette laws.

The FDA tobacco legislation, once fully implemented, will establish a range of new marketing restrictions and other measures that will apply nationwide to complement state tobacco prevention efforts and will provide assistance to states to implement their laws restricting sales to youth. (more…)

Category: E-Newsletter Stories

Sunday, June 21 is the perfect day for Arkansas dads to start living a healthy and prosperous life.  On that day, dads currently using tobacco can celebrate Father’s Day by stopping their tobacco use, choosing to save money and be around longer for their families.  To help dads celebrate this special day, families can provide the loving support dads need to be tobacco-free before Father’s Day next year by encouraging them to call the Arkansas Tobacco Quitline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Smoking has been linked to various forms of cancer, heart disease and respiratory diseases.  Smokeless tobacco users may suffer from gum disease, oral cancer and have an increased risk of a heart attack.  But quitting smoking benefits dads’ health almost immediately.  In addition to their own health, dads can improve the health of their families.  Studies show there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke.  By not smoking and not allowing others to smoke around their children, fathers can reduce the risk of their children having allergies, asthma or other lung problems.  In Arkansas, it is against state law to smoke in a vehicle with a child under six years of age and under 60 pounds.  The law, ACT 13, is a primary offense and Arkansans can be pulled over by law enforcement agents and given a ticket for violating the law. (more…)

Category: Press Release

Arkansas High School in Texarkana has been selected as the winner of “The Big Pitch” 2009, Stamp Out Smoking’s sixth annual tobacco-free drama contest.   SOS received 48 entries for the “The Big Pitch” 2009, the most received in the history of the contest.

Arkansas High School will receive $2,000 in store credit to purchase media equipment or supplies, and students who participated in the writing and production of the winning television commercial will each receive a $25 iTunes gift card.  Arkansas High School’s winning team includes: Julie Davis, Erica DeMarchi, Desteni Gamble, Stephanie Gomez and Ashlyn Rico.

Second place was awarded to Southside High School in Fort Smith, and it will receive $1,000 in store credit for media equipment or supplies.  The following team members will receive $20 iTunes gift cards: Mason Kesner, Scott Rogers and Khoa Vu.  North Little Rock East High School was chosen as the third-place winning team, receiving $500 in store credit for media equipment or supplies and team members winning $15 iTunes gift cards.  Winning team members include: Claire Barton, Katie Jolly, Maddi Mosler and Leighton Teague.

For the second consecutive year, SOS has requested the help of Arkansans to select their favorite video entry through the “People’s Choice” Award.  Videos approved for voting by the Arkansas Department of Health were posted on stampoutsmoking.com and were available for voting until noon April 20.  After receiving nearly 4,000 votes, the public selected Haas Hall Academy in Farmington as the winner of the 2009 “People’s Choice” Award.  Winning team members Brent Burgess, Serena De La Cruz, Mary Elizabeth Goodwin, Roy Lane and Megan Scarbrough will receive $25 iTunes gift cards. (more…)

Category: Uncategorized

Dr. Carolyn Dresler of the Arkansas Department of Health announced today a voting initiative that urges all Arkansans to rally around Stamp Out Smoking, the media and public relations campaign of the ADH Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program.

“We are asking the public to participate in the selection of their favorite entry in the ‘The Big Pitch’ drama contest,” Dresler said.  “This year we have 48 entries, more than ever before.  It’s so easy to vote for your favorite.  Just go to the stampoutsmoking.com homepage and look for ‘The Big Pitch.’”

Entries will be posted on stampoutsmoking.com and will be open to the public for voting from April 8 until noon on April 20.  A $25 iTunes gift card will be awarded to each member of the People’s Choice winning team. (more…)

Category: Uncategorized

Effective March 1, Arkansas cigarette taxes increased by 56 cents per pack. An additional federally implemented tax begins in April and will increase the price per pack by 62 cents.  In addition to the Arkansas excise tax increase and the Federal tax increase, the tobacco industry is also increasing its prices.  With the cost of smoking on the rise, there’s no better time to quit than now.  The high cost of cigarettes means smokers are spending more money on a dangerous addiction; money that could be spent on essential items such as food and clothing.

Cigarette smokers not only risk their own health and that of those around them, they also place a large financial burden on the state’s health care system.  By a conservative estimate, Arkansas spends more than $620 million a year in health care costs directly related to cigarette smoking.

The cigarette tax increase in Arkansas will help to provide a statewide trauma system and improve other health care programs in Arkansas.  The package offers something for everyone and will benefit every Arkansan: flu shots for every Arkansan who wants one, health insurance for small businesses, cancer research and treatment, and stroke research and treatment.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids estimates that the tax will result in an 8.7 percent decrease in youth smoking.  Projections also indicate that the tax will prevent 15,400 Arkansas children from becoming addicted adult smokers and reduce the number of smoking-affected births by 3,000 over the next five years.

The cigarette tax increase will not only help fund statewide health programs, it will also encourage many smokers to stop using tobacco altogether, resulting in a healthier population.  A healthier population leads to lower health care costs for every Arkansan.

Category: Uncategorized

The Arkansas Tobacco Quitline (ATQ) received more than 2,000 calls in the first half of February 2009.  Historically, the ATQ and other state-funded cessation programs helped more than 5,500 Arkansas tobacco users last year.

The ATQ is one of many excellent resources in helping tobacco users kick the habit.  The promotion, “Free patches or lozenges, while supplies last,” has not only aided Arkansans in cessation, it has prompted many more Arkansans to call the Quitline.  Following the Quitline vendor change and media buy in October 2008, the ATQ received more than 7,400 calls.

Calling it quits through the ATQ is one of the most important things a tobacco user can do.  When tobacco users call the Quitline, they receive free, confidential, non-judgmental expert support from a Quit Coach® to help make a plan to quit tobacco.  Quit Coaches provide ongoing support via phone or online, tailored to the specific needs of all tobacco users, including smokeless tobacco users.  Women who are pregnant are eligible for a specialized cessation program with additional benefits.

The Quitline also provides unlimited access to Web Coach™, an interactive, online community that offers tools to quit, social support and information about quitting, as well as printed Quit Guides – a series of workbooks that offer guidance and support throughout the quitting process.

However, due to the phenomenal response to the tax increase, some of the services have had to be reduced.  At the present time, the ATQ can only provide a single response call with nicotine replacement patches.  ADH will work to increase referrals to other existing cessation programs within the state.  When the call volume has resumed a similar level to those received at the beginning of ADH’s contract with Free & Clear, the full level of services will be reinstituted.

The ATQ is available seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m.  Services are available in English, Spanish and additional languages as needed, including Marshallese.

Category: Uncategorized

The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Arkansas honored Elroy Brown of Osceola in a press conference at the Capitol on January 16 to announce his receipt of an Honorable Mention awarded by the American Legacy Foundation.  Brown received an Honorable Mention for the 2009 Community Activist Award for his work challenging tobacco in Mississippi County.

CTFA Executive Director Katherine Donald noted that the Legacy Foundation does not usually award Honorable Mention, but that Brown’s nomination was so strong, the organization decided to award the position for the first time.

Dr. Carolyn Dresler, Branch Chief for the Tobacco Prevention and Cessation program for the Arkansas Department of Health, said that Elroy’s work in his community is a model for TPCP grantees.

In accepting the award, Brown inspired the audience with the words of his former Arkansas State University football coach, Larry Lacewell. “There are three types of coalitions out there,” he said, “those that make things happen, those that wait for things to happen, and those that don’t know what’s happening.  Along the way, I decided I was going to be one of those that made things happen.”

The American Legacy Foundation® is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit.  The Foundation develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use to encourage those who use tobacco to stop and to prevent youth from ever starting to use tobacco.

Category: Uncategorized

The Madison County Health Coalition is located in Huntsville, Arkansas, a rural community with a growing influx of Hispanic commuters.  The coalition was established in 2000 with a mission of addressing Madison County’s health issues through a collaboration of diverse community interests by maintaining and seeking local resources to achieve better health for county residents.  Local health professionals, community leaders and members of the interested public started MCHC to address issues including drug, alcohol and tobacco prevention and breast cancer awareness.  MCHC has received a grant from the Arkansas Department of Health to further its goal of reducing the use of smokeless tobacco and cigarette use in Madison County.  MCHC has also received funding from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s Minority Initiative Sub-Recipient Grant Office to deliver a tobacco prevention message specifically targeted to the growing surrounding Hispanic population.  MCHC hosted a Car Seat Safety Day in May, which provided free car seats to its community members while educating them about Act 13.  Among the coalition’s successes, Huntsville passed a resolution to make Mitchusson Park tobacco-free.  For more information about MCHC programs, visit MadisonCountyHealth.com.

Category: Uncategorized

The Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program’s Stamp Out Smoking campaign announces the 2009 “The Big Pitch” drama contest.  Now in its sixth year, the tobacco-free drama contest gives junior, middle and high school students the opportunity to write and star in their own television spots highlighting the dangers of tobacco.  Entries should focus on one of the following topics: a) Tell your peers why they should never start using tobacco, b) Tell the ones you love why they should quit tobacco, c) Tell Arkansans about the dangers of smokeless tobacco.

Students will compete for the chance to see their commercial on television and be part of the SOS advertising campaign.  Additionally, first-, second- and third-place teams will win media equipment and supplies for their schools, as well as iTunes gift cards for each team member.

All qualifying videos submitted by teams will be placed on stampoutsmoking.com.  A “People’s Choice” Award will be given to the entry that receives the most votes.  This award returns for a second year, after more than 1,000 votes were cast to select last year’s winner.

In order to be considered, entries must be postmarked by March 30.  All entries will be posted on stampoutsmoking.com for voting by April 8, and winners will be notified by 3 p.m. on April 20.

For more information about “The Big Pitch” drama contest, please contact Luis Gonzalez at luis.gonzalez@cjrw.com or (501) 975-8322, or visit stampoutsmoking.com.

Category: Uncategorized

Each year, the Arkansas Cancer Coalition hosts the Cancer Summit to showcase progress of Coalition partners in meeting objectives of the state’s comprehensive cancer plan.  The Summit allows for discussion, networking, skill building and collaboration among Arkansas’s cancer prevention and control communities.

The tenth annual Arkansas Cancer Summit, themed “Cancer Survivorship: Embracing the Journey,” will be held on Tuesday, March 31, at the Holiday Inn Airport Conference Center in Little Rock.  This year’s Summit will highlight cancer survivor stories, access to health care, navigating the system, and surviving and thriving.  It will also explore issues reaching beyond cancer to address overall chronic disease rates.

One in every two men and one in every three women in Arkansas will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.  Cancer’s economic, psychological and social costs are staggering, and its impact on patients, their families and their communities is immeasurable.  The Arkansas Cancer Coalition exists to provide a favorable environment for cancer control partners to work to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, the burden of cancer for every person in the state.

The Coalition is a partnership of individuals and organizations working together to provide an overview of the current status of cancer control in Arkansas, reduce the overall burden of cancer, and improve the quality of life for those personally affected by cancer by strengthening and sustaining the cancer control partnership support network.

For more information on the Arkansas Cancer Coalition and to register for the summit, visit www.arkansascancercoalition.org.

Category: Uncategorized