In This Issue                       December 2012

• Appeals Court Will Not Reconsider Graphic Warnings Label Case
• Watch the Archived Warner Series on LGBT and Tobacco
• Read the New Legacy Dissemination Report on LGBT and Tobacco
• TV Program Shows Life on the Road with truth®
• New Study: EX® Campaign is Cost-Effective in Promoting Quit Attempts
• Legacy Honors 2012 Community Activists
• Share Your Story at MyLegacyStory.org

Appeals Court Will Not Reconsider Graphic Warnings Label Case 

More prominent warning language and hard hitting visuals will not be appearing on cigarette packs in the U.S. anytime soon. This December, an appeals court for the U.S. Court of Appeals-DC Circuit denied a request by the federal government to reconsider an August 2012 decision that bans the proposed graphic warning labels on cigarettes. Tobacco companies challenged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulation requiring graphic warning labels, arguing it is a violation of the companies' First Amendment rights. Another federal appeals court has held that the statutory graphic warnings requirement (as opposed to the actual FDA-issued warnings) is constitutional.

 

Legacy urges the U.S. Department of Justice

Sample of Proposed Graphic Warning Label

to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the DC Circuit decision and continue to press the case for effective graphic warning labels as part of a comprehensive tobacco education program. Research conducted in countries that have implemented graphic warnings, such as Canada and Australia, found that many smokers credit the warnings with motivating them to quit and/or helping them to stay smoke-free. This and other research demonstrates the new labels would help young smokers make more informed decisions about lighting up, and give current smokers further motivation and evidence-based tools to help them quit for good.

Panel Addresses High Smoking Rates Among LGBT Communities, Identifies Solutions

Social stigma, stress, and the use of tobacco as a social lubricant may all contribute to high rates of tobacco use among LGBT people. On Dec. 11, a Warner Series panel of leading LGBT health activists discussed smoking rates in the LGBT community, while offering solutions on how to address this serious public health issue. The event was hosted by Legacy and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) -- the nation's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans - and took place at HRC's Equality Center.

After opening remarks by Legacy President & CEO Dr. Cheryl Healton, the event featured Shane Snowdon, the Director of the Health & Aging Program at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Snowdon moderated a panel of speakers with deep experience working on tobacco-related LGBT issues:

• Dr. Scout, Director, The Fenway Institute's Network for LGBT Health Equity
• Ms. Gloria Soliz, Tobacco Education Specialist, The Last Drag in San Francisco
• Riana Buford, Educational Programs Associate, Mautner Project
• Aisha Moodie-Mills, Advisor for LGBT Policy and Racial Justice, Center for American Progress

The panelists agreed on the need for greater awareness of the LGBT smoking disparity among LGBT groups and other groups disproportionately impacted by tobacco, as well as increased cultural competency and collaboration between national public health and national LGBT advocacy groups in order to fully integrate tobacco control into LGBT health programs.

To view the archived webcast, click here.

New Report Emphasizes Importance of Culturally-Appropriate Tobacco Cessation and Prevention for LGBT Communities

Grassroots groups across the country have worked hard to combat pervasive tobacco use within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities. Programs that have raised awareness about this issue include:

• An edgy Delicious Lesbian Kisses (DLK) campaign from the Mautner Project - a national organization based in Washington, D.C. - that drew attention to smoking among lesbians;
• The Fenway Institute's Network for LGBT Health Equity (Boston, MA) -- helping to bridge the gap between LGBT organizations and tobacco control funding ; and
• The CRUSH campaign in Las Vegas -- using ambassadors called 'CRUSH Cuties' to spread the message that being tobacco free is sexy.

A new report released by Legacy, titled Tobacco Control in  LGBT Communities, focuses on those efforts and explores the reasons behind continued disparities in tobacco use among LGBT people versus the general population. The case studies provide examples of programs that are working successfully to address this important public health issue as well as lessons learned so future programs can adapt if needed.

Read the report here.

Musice, Messages and - Marriage? Life on the Road with truth

truth tour riders are featured in the program "Warped Roadies", now airing on Fuse - the national music television network of The Madison Square Garden Company. The new original half-hour reality series began airing December 7 and documents the stories, trials and tribulations of the road crew that keeps the multi-city Vans Warped Tour rolling as it makes 41 stops across the country during the summer of 2012. 

For the past 13 summers, the truth campaign has traveled with the Vans Warped Tour, educating hundreds of thousands of teens and young adults about tobacco use through meaningful one-on-one conversations, and fun activities at the truth 'zone'. The 2012 tour featured a crew of seven truth tour riders, along with a DJ and a manager.

"Warped Roadies" will feature several truth-related elements. A truth-centered storyline will be featured in one of the 10 episodes. In addition, three custom "vignettes" - mini-episodes - with different members of the truth crew will be featured in the show - airing on Fuse.tv. Through these vignettes and storylines, viewers will learn how truth goes about planning for a successful tour event, the role that music plays in helping attract teens to the truth zone, and even what it's like to spend your honeymoon on tour. The storyline will focus on truth tour rider Lindsay and her husband Mike, a roadie with the tour. The Utah-based couple married in the spring, and then both took to the road in June - effectively spending their extended honeymoon on tour.

All of the truth vignettes will be available on Fuse.tv, as well as on thetruth.com and affiliated truth social sites on Facebook and YouTube. 

The "Warped Roadies" collaboration is not the first time the two youth-focused brands have worked together. In 2006, truth partnered with Fuse for WARPED: INSIDE & OUT, a documentary-styled look at the Vans Warped Tour 2006.

New Study Finds that National EX Campaign is Cost-Effective in Promoting Quit Attempts

New data released this month in Health Affairs finds that EX, a mass media campaign from Legacy promoting smoking cessation, is an effective and cost-efficient way to promote quitting. The study is one of the first to provide strong evidence of the cost-utility of a national mass media campaign to increase adult smoking cessation in the United States, as a function of increasing quit attempts. As part of the evaluation of EX, cost-utility analyses were conducted to compare the cost-effectiveness of this campaign to other public health and medical interventions offered in different populations and settings. The results find that, during the years studied, EX prompted 52,979 additional quit attempts - resulting in 4,238 additional quits and saved 4,450 quality-adjusted years of life - that is, years adjusted for the diminished quality of life if living with tobacco-related disease or conditions as well as premature death. . The findings also bolster other research studies that found programs like Legacy's truth youth prevention campaign and other national mass media campaigns can lower smoking prevalence in a cost-effective manner among adults and youth.

To read a full abstract of the study, click here.

Haverstraw, New York, Activists Honored for Their Passion, Tenacity in Classic David v. Goliath Fight with Big Tobacco

Each year, the Community Activist Award gives Legacy a chance to acknowledge individuals who are spreading important messages or taking action at the community level to combat the issue of tobacco use in the United States. This year, Legacy is proud to honor Haverstraw, New York Mayor Michael Kohut and Marion Breland-Oswald, Director of Youth and Family Services for the village, with the 2012 Legacy Community Activist Award. By making the reduction of youth tobacco use a priority, the Village of Haverstraw, NY, in Rockland County is now viewed as a "Trailblazer Community" in tobacco control. Mayor Kohut and Ms. Breland-Oswald's actions initially led to a series of voluntary tobacco advertising removals in Haverstraw by retail owners; a local resolution restricting tobacco marketing in retail environments in 2011; and finally, although it was ultimately rescinded in 2012, the passage of the nation's first ban of tobacco product displays. Growing from the Village of Haverstraw experience is an ongoing national discussion on how communities, advocates and businesses can collaborate to move the needle on building healthier communities and eliminating the negative effects of tobacco. Read more here.

Share Your Story   

Please share your story of how tobacco has affected you or someone you love at MyLegacyStory.org. At MyLegacyStory.org, you can also read the stories of other people like Cyndy M., who lost her husband two years ago to mouth cancer due to decades of smoking.  

There's no more meaningful way to mark the end of 2012 or the start of the New Year than to share your story, and when you do, to make a special donation to leave your own Legacy to honor the memories of friends and family. You can even create a fundraising campaignto support Legacy's important work. 

Whether you're worried your kids will experiment with cigarettes, or if you're struggling to quit smoking yourself, please tell your story today.

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