After years of hard work by ACS CAN staff, volunteers, and tobacco control partners, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized its authority to regulate all tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes, cigars, and hookah. This was a significant and necessary step to protect the public health of the nation.
This week marks not only the start of a new year, but also the anniversaries of two very important laws to assist the fight against cancer.
With all of the precincts reporting in, there are only 40,000 votes separating the yes votes from the no votes. However, estimates show more than 1 million mail-in and provisional ballots were left uncounted on election night. Therefore, ACS CAN and the campaign coalition are not conceding the election outcome, and we and our public health partners are pledging to fight for the health of Californians until every vote is counted.
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."
Big Tobacco is about to meet a challenge in the state of California. Yesterday, ACS CAN CEO Dr. John Seffrin announced a pledge to support California's Proposition 29, the California Cancer Research Act, an historic ballot initiative that would make California the second largest funder of cancer research after the U.S. federal government.
As a father, I know how attractive tanning beds can seem to youth who want tan skin all year round. My wife strongly discouraged my daughter while she was growing up from using tanning beds because she was concerned about her risk of getting skin cancer. That's why I was fully supportive and very excited about a historic new law California enacted this month that bans the use of tanning beds for those under 18.
As you're reading this, cancer advocates are fighting a major battle against Big Tobacco in California - a battle that, if won, could save more than 100,000 lives, $5.1 billion in healthcare costs and protect nearly 230,000 kids from the dangers of tobacco.