Tobacco (6) The tobacco endgame (2)

3 January, 2023

Momentum on tobacco endgame is accelerating. In addition to California, there are endgame movements in New York, Minnesota, and Colorado, as well as dozens of cities and counties. India and the European Union have set up endgame advisory councils. Malaysia's parliament was considering a Tobacco-Free Generation bill when it was unexpectedly dissolved. Denmark is reportedly drafting a bill, and Ireland and France have announced their determination to end the epidemic.

The promise of getting rid of tobacco has hit the mainstream press as well. Just in December, tobacco endgame was featured in the journal Science (1), U.S. National Public Radio, the Wall Street Journal (3) and Indian national television. This is vital to success; Tobacco use and the resulting death and disease have become so normalized that few can even contemplate a world without it.

Chris Bostic, Policy Director, Action on Smoking and Health

1. https://www.science.org/content/article/final-puff-can-new-zealand-quit-....

2. https://www.npr.org/2022/12/15/1143191995/new-zealand-cracks-down-on-lig....

3. https://www.wsj.com/articles/antismoking-law-in-new-zealand-sets-new-fro...

4. https://sansadtv.nic.in/episode/the-global-debate-new-zealand-tobacco-la....

HIFA profile: Chris Bostic is Action on Smoking and Health’s Policy Director. Since 2001, Chris has worked in tobacco policy at the local, state, national and international levels. Prior to joining ASH, he worked at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the American Lung Association. He has also served as a public health law clinical instructor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and was a founding board member of the Human Rights and Tobacco Control Network (HRTCN). bosticc at ash.org