The TPP trade negotiations present an important opportunity to begin, and set a precedent for, treating tobacco products differently to achieve the economic development, poverty alleviation and health goals the president discussed.
That's right a device that if used before the age of 35 increases one's likelihood of getting melanoma by 75 percent is classified in the same risk category as your everyday bandage. It goes without saying that this is ludicrous and must be changed.
Today the American Cancer Society and ACS CAN are celebrating the 37th Great American Smokeout. Each year on this day, thousands of people across the country put down their cigarettes for a day, and many make a plan to never pick them up again. However, the Great American Smokeout is also a day to draw attention to the devastating impact tobacco use continues to have on our country and how lawmakers can help to reverse it.
The law the president is about to sign contains provisions that ACS CAN worked hard to have included on behalf of patients. Collectively, this legislation will help patients access lifesaving medications and devices that treat cancer and its side effects.
The momentum continues! In January, California became the first state in the nation to ban youth under18 from using tanning beds. In May, Vermont passed a similar lifesaving law. Just last week, Chicago became the first major U.S. city to vote to protect young people from skin cancer and melanoma by banning tanning bed use among minors.
I want to share with you some important information about a bipartisan bill advancing in the U.S. Senate that ACS CAN has been closely monitoring the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). This is a critical bill for cancer patients and their loved ones.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took an important step today to address the illegal sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to kids. The FDA announced that it sent warning letters to more than 1,200 tobacco retailers threatening civil penalties against those selling tobacco to kids.