As the days get warmer and the sun gets hotter it's more important than ever to raise awareness about skin cancer and the dangers of tanning. That's why the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention designated the Friday before Memorial Day as "Don't Fry Day." So today, I'm taking the opportunity to remind everyone of the incredible impact policymakers can have on preventing skin cancer, especially for youth -- policymakers like those in Vermont, who passed an historic law earlier this month to protect the state's youth from the dangers of tanning. The law prohibits the use of tanning beds for minors under the age of 18, making Vermont the second state in the nation to pass such important legislation (California passed a similar law in January.). The law is strong - it applies to all tanning devices regardless of whether or not payment is required to use the device. It also requires the Vermont Department of Health to post information on the health risks associated with tanning on each device. Vermont legislators saw the urgency of this issue and the value in prevention since the number of cases of melanoma in women ages 15 and older in Vermont increased by 34 percent between 2004 and 2008. ACS CAN and American Cancer Society staff and volunteers were instrumental in getting this legislation passed. Through emails, calls, testimony in the Vermont House and Senate, op-eds and letters to the editor and a statewide lobby day, they were a powerful force on the ground and exemplified the power of fighting back against this disease. Their efforts were supported by a variety of groups including the Pediatric Association of Vermont, the Dermatologist Society of Vermont and the Directors of the Vermont Cancer Center. While we celebrate the victory in Vermont, our staff and volunteers are working across the country to safeguard our children from the detrimental effects of indoor tanning. Just this week, our staff in New York is getting significant media coverage of their efforts to pass a tanning bed ban law (including a New York Times editorial) and in New Jersey, a bill banning youth tanning bed use passed in the House last night and will soon go to the Senate. Do you think a law like Vermont's would be beneficial for protecting the children that live in your state?
Even as Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, ACS CAN will keep working year-round, across the country and with both state and federal lawmakers, to advance the public policies we know will reduce the burden of breast cancer.