Category Archives: taxes

Calif legislature passed two bills prioritizing cannabis company profits; health groups urging veto

The California Legislature recently passed two bad bills designed to promote the cannabis industry at the expense of public health. One, AB 1302, would allow cannabis billboards along highways and the other, AB 45, greatly expands permission to add CBD and THC to foods and pet supplies. Under AB 45’s weak rules, hemp sodas orContinue reading “Calif legislature passed two bills prioritizing cannabis company profits; health groups urging veto”

New WHO report highlights falling cigarette use and challenges that new tobacco products pose to public health and implementation of the FCTC

On July 27, 2021 the WHO released the WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic 2021: addressing new and emerging products, its eighth such report. The good news is that it documents solid progress in reducing tobacco use. After over a century of growth, “between 2007 and 2019, smoking rates decreased from a global averageContinue reading “New WHO report highlights falling cigarette use and challenges that new tobacco products pose to public health and implementation of the FCTC”

Smoke-free laws and cigarette taxes impact smoking behavior trajectories in youth and young adults

All smokers’ behavior is not the same. We and others has identified five trajectories of smoking behavior over time among youth and young adults based on demographic characteristics (graph above). Now Dorie Apollonio, Lauren Dutra and I have expanded this work to include the effects of changing tobacco control policies — smokefree laws and taxesContinue reading “Smoke-free laws and cigarette taxes impact smoking behavior trajectories in youth and young adults”

Smokefree law and tobacco tax increases followed by big drops in heart attacks in Thailand

The fact that smokefree laws are followed by reductions in hospitalization for heart attacks has been well-documented (page 435) in developed countries such as the U.S. and European countries. Thailand began implementing smoking restrictions in 1992 and then repeatedly updated them to expand smokefree places. In 2010, Thailand achieved 100% smokefree public places at theContinue reading “Smokefree law and tobacco tax increases followed by big drops in heart attacks in Thailand”