Cancer CANdor Blog

Five years ago this week, we celebrated a landmark public health victory as the president signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law.

Last monthŠ—'s news that the FDA is proposing to regulate all tobacco products was long-awaited and very welcomed by public health advocates. There was lots of news coverage of the proposalŠ—'s release, but whatŠ—'s next?

It couldnŠ—'t be a more appropriate day for the FDA to launch its first-ever national anti-tobacco education campaign aimed at youth ages 12-17.

This morning at a White House event, acting Surgeon General Boris Lushniak released the 32nd Surgeon GeneralŠ—'s report: The Health Consequences of Smoking Š—– 50 Years of Progress. The report is an important compilation of the more than 50 years of strong scientific data showing how the tobacco epidemic has caused an enormous avoidable public health tragedy.

8 million. ThatŠ—'s the number of lives saved due in large part to tobacco control efforts since the 1964 Surgeon GeneralŠ—'s Report on Smoking and Health, according to a study released in JAMA this week.

Funding tobacco prevention programs isnŠ—'t just the right thing to do, itŠ—'s the smart thing to do. That is our message to states as ACS CAN today releases a report with several other public health groups showing states are shortchanging tobacco prevention and cessation programs despite conclusive evidence that these programs reduce smoking, save lives and save money.

Did you know that when the American Cancer Society celebrated the first Great American Smokeout in 1976, 37% of Americans smoked? Fast forward to today, and that rate has been nearly cut in half to about 19%. This decline in smoking is in large part thanks to many our nation's lawmakers who have helped to pass legislation...

Members of Congress, their staff and others in D.C. today will see a new ad in Capitol Hill newspapers and online with a big, bold headline: Senator Rescues Children.

A new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health caught my attention this morning with some staggering statistics about tobacco use among our nationŠ—'s youth. The bottom line: far too many children are using flavored tobacco products.

Our children face two major challenges in America today: Too many children lack access to high-quality early education that can give them a strong start in life, and too many kids still smoke, which puts them on a path to serious disease and premature death.