Legal Victories in U.S. Tobacco Control 2014 – ASH > Action on Smoking & Health
Several cities raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21
Increasing the minimum age is very important because 95% of smokers start by their early twenties. The cities that have taken this life saving step include Healdsburg, CA; Englewood, NJ; Melrose, MA; and Evanston, IL. See more about how tobacco companies target young people in our video>
A Florida widow won a $23.6 billion lawsuit against R.J. Reynolds
Her attorneys argued that Big Tobacco was aware that cigarettes were addictive and caused lung cancer and that by not telling smokers about those risks, the company was negligent. Read more here>
Oregon and Vermont increased their cigarette taxes
Increasing the price of tobacco products is the single most effective way to prevent initiation among nonsmokers and to reduce consumption. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has concluded that a 50% increase in price lowers consumption by 20%. Read more about tobacco taxes on our blog>
New York City prohibits coupons for tobacco products.
The tobacco industry challenged the law because they have often used coupons as a way to offset the cost of rising tobacco taxes. Recently, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York upheld that law. Read more about this in our Implementation Guide>
More colleges and universities go smoke and tobacco-free
As of October 1, 2014, there are now at least 1,477 campuses that are 100% smoke-free. Of these, 975 are 100% tobacco-free, and 291 prohibit the use of e-cigarettes anywhere on campus. Read more about tobacco free colleges and universities here>
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