Major League Baseball Big News.....

Yesterday Major League Baseball (MLB) made a big announcement. First they congratulated Ryan Braun (of the Milwaukee Brewers) for winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award. The first Brewer to win since "Rockin" Robin Yount!

Then they announced a new 5 year collective bargaining agreement with the Players Association...........so no strike (good luck with that NBA). Within the new agreement MLB took steps to prevent smokeless tobacco products from getting on the field. There were five new "rules" involving smokeless tobacco:

1) Players can no longer bring tobacco PRODUCTS onto the field, in their pockets or on their person.

2) Players can no longer use tobacco products during televised interviews, during autograph signings, or at any event where fans will be present.

3) MLB and the Players Association will partner with The Partnership at drugfree.org on a national public service announcement campaign that will feature notable players.

4) The Players Association will create a Tobacco Cessation Center for the players, providing resources and assistance to educate players and help them quit. Players will also now receive oral cancer screenings as part of their annual physicals.

These are progressive steps that keep players' health in minds and allow young fans to see their heroes being tobacco free. Great news.....and thanks to MLB for making "the right call"!!

One Reason to Quit: Today is the 36th Great American Smokeout

The American Cancer Society is marking the 36th Great American Smokeout today by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking. By doing so, smokers take an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk.

Quitting is hard. Especially because nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs out there. But there's lots of resources available to help you, or a loved one, quit smoking:

• Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for one-on-one phone coaching.
• Check out Become an Ex to relearn to live life without cigarettes.
• Need an extra boost? Sign up for free text messages from SmokeFreeTXT.
• Visit the Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention's (CTRI) website for more resources on quitting.

 

Good luck to all those who attempt to quit today! Your family, friends, and body, will thank you!

 

 

Ruling AGAINST New Warning Labels

Yesterday, US District Court Judge Richard Leon (Washington DC) granted a preliminary injunction to tobacco companies....ruling that the FDA warning labels violate the First Amendment. Judge Leon's decision centered around the message coupled with graphic images on the warning labels that were due to hit selves on Sept. 2012. The labels were declared unconstitutional, as doing more than providing factual information. This ruling means that tobacco companies do NOT have to use the new warning labels until the case is resolved.

The next logical step will be that the Justice Department will file an appeal, which makes it unclear exactly what the impact of this decision will be.

Congress instructed the FDA to require the labels, following the lead of the Canadian regulations that require similarly graphic imagines on cigarettes packs. In 2009, Congress approved the law with broad, bipartisan support. This law gave the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products.

Is this a "set back"? Yes and no. Yes, because we were expecting the warning labels to provide a powerful incentive for smokers to take the life-saving step of quitting and for kids never to try that first cigarette. No, because the Justice Department was expecting the ruling based on Judge Leon's views and sympathy for tobacco companies. The next step is to appeal and let the US Court of Appeals hear the argurements.

TO BE CONTINUED...........................