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December
2011
In
This Issue:
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Message
from the President: A New Year, A New You
As
many of you will agree, this time of year is so
very important for many smokers as they make plans
to quit as a New Year's resolution. "Quitting
season" is a critical time for all of us in
the public health and tobacco control communities
to work hard to support smokers who are trying to
quit. The New Year brings with it a renewed
commitment to save lives and a reminder of how
grateful we are to partners like you who help us
to do this important work.
At
Legacy®, the stories of those lives
we've touched through our work re-energize us.
Today we share one man's journey that inspires our
work as we ring in the New Year. It is a
touching story of a quitter who will
celebrate his second year being smoke-free thanks
to BecomeAnEx.org. Read more about Tommy on
The President's Corner
blog.
As
we celebrate the holidays, I wish everyone good
health, optimism and anticipation for all that
lies ahead. We each deserve a world where young
people reject tobacco and anyone can quit, and
look forward to working with you in 2012!
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New
Study: Cocaine Interaction with Nicotine Provides
"Another Reason to Shun Cigarettes"
In public
health, cigarettes and alcohol are often viewed as
gateway drugs to more illicit drugs such as
cocaine, marijuana or other substances. New
research published in the Science Translational
Medicine journal provides detailed scientific
insight on how nicotine interacts with cocaine in
the brain, implying the potential for a very
dangerous cocktail for addiction.
In
the study, researchers found that in mice,
nicotine alters certain brain chemicals called
histones. This chemical change makes it much more
likely the brain will then be hyper-reactive to
other drugs like cocaine. While the researchers
only looked at the effect in animals, the
implications for public health are huge: the
reward power of cocaine may be dramatically
increased by prior exposure to nicotine, making
someone more likely to use cocaine again and
again. These results might also explain why users
of drugs like cocaine have a difficult time
quitting their addictions if they smoke. This
study may impact studies on the effects of
nicotine with other addictive substances,
including alcohol, methamphetamines, heroin and
more.
In
addition, these findings also open the door to
better understanding the negative effects of
exposure to nicotine on the developing brain,
especially for young teens or children whose
mothers smoked during pregnancy. Previous
research shows that there is an association
between smoking and other mental illness and
cognitive deficits, like poor concentration,
impulsivity, attention deficit hyperactivity,
behavioral and conduct problems, and other
compulsive and risk-taking behaviors, as well as
depression or anxiety and so this study on brain
chemistry makes these established findings even
more convincing.
Researchers
and advocates have known for decades from
epidemiological studies that smoking cigarettes is
where addiction and abuse usually begins.
This research confirms nicotine's powerful impact
on the brain and solidifies our work to prevent
youth from smoking and help smokers quit.
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Institute
of Medicine Report Identifies Smoking as One of
Many Possible Environmental Risk Factors for
Breast Cancer
A
new report from the Institute of
Medicine (IOM) shows that avoiding tobacco use is
one of several actions women can take to reduce
their risk for breast cancer. Along with avoiding
tobacco use, the IOM report identified the
following steps as positive behavioral changes:
The
steps identified in the IOM report have the
potential to reduce risk for breast cancer among
women in general, but the committee cautioned that
the evidence on how much risk reduction any of
these individual steps offers is
inconclusive. Whether small or significant,
the impact on individuals will vary considerably
because women are exposed to a range of substances
throughout their lives; in addition, biological,
physical, and genetic factors influence their
individual chances for developing the disease.
While
several reports have focused on smoking's
association with breast cancer, research
conclusions remain divided. The IOM report
provides a credible and authoritative voice to
consumers and researchers alike with a fair
warning: there is enough evidence to show that
quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke are
opportunities to reduce the risk for breast
cancer. Prevention is key in saving lives from
breast cancer, and that includes living a life
free of tobacco.
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truth® Gear Meets
Streetwear
truth
gear - a popular element of the summer tour - is
expanding through a collaboration with prestigious
designer, artist and entrepreneur Jeff Staple. In
this exciting new venture, Staple worked with
local designers in six cities to produce a limited
edition, premium line of t-shirts that spreads the
truth about tobacco and its consequences. The
"truth1585 Collection" is available as promotional
gear and giveaways in some of the trendiest
specialty boutiques in New York City, Boston,
Detroit, Philadelphia, San Francisco and
Washington, DC.
The
truth1585 Collection and an affiliated website, http://www.truth1585.com/,
extend the collection's philosophy. "truth is a
powerful thing. The truth is unassailable. So we
deal in facts. We attack misinformation head-on.
And while lies are meant to serve the few, truth
is owned by the many - smokers, non-smokers,
teens, 20-somethings - everyone. The fact is - no
one likes being lied to," remarked Jeff Staple in
clarifying his vision for the collection. "The way
I see it, the truth1585 Collection aims to blow
the lid off those who want to hold us in the dark.
truth1585 is not here to tell you what to do or
what not to do. We're just here to give you the
truth - the rest is up to you."
Read
the full press release for more details or
visit http://www.truth1585.com/ to
read more about Staple's creative
vision.
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Congratulations
to the 2011 Legacy Community Activist Award
Winners
An
Arizona couple, Donald and Patricia L. Morris, are
the co-winners of Legacy's 2011 Community Activist
Award. The couple was nominated by Leland L.
Fairbanks, president of Arizonans Concerned About
Smoking INC. (ACAS), because of their invaluable
contribution to Arizona's tobacco control
community over the past two
decades.
The Morris' advocated for
early legislation to ban smoking from all state
offices, agencies, and vehicles. In 2006, with the
help of other national public health groups, the
Morris' created the voter initiative "Smoke-Free
AZ," which would ban smoking from all public
places and workplaces. They also helped with a
number of other projects including the removal of
cigarette vending machines from Scottsdale, AZ in
1986; the Phoenix Suns basketball arena
eliminating tobacco and smoking advertisements;
and helping all Arizona schools to be smoke-free.
"The
Community Activist Award honors an integral aspect
of Legacy's mission." said Cheryl G. Healton,
DrPH, Legacy's President and CEO, "We recognize
that we can better inform the public about the
effects of tobacco with the help of grassroots
activists like the Morris' and their
community-based initiatives that reach people at
the local level and make tangible differences in
their lives."
Read
the full press release here.
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Public
Health Groups Score a Victory and Knock Tobacco
Out of the Park
On
November 22, 2011, Major League Baseball (MLB)
 announced new limits on
smokeless tobacco use in its new collective
bargaining agreement, representing a historic
first step to protect the health of big-league
players and millions of young fans who look up to
them. The announcement was a victory for public
health and medical groups who launched a campaign
earlier this year urging the MLB and the MLB
Players Association (MLBPA) to ban tobacco use by
players, managers, coaches and other staff. High
school boys use smokeless tobacco at high rates,
and smokeless tobacco has been ubiquitous at
MLB games for decades.
In
the new agreement that MLB and the MLBPA
announced, big-league players, managers and
coaches will no longer be able to carry a tobacco
tin or package in their uniforms at games, or any
time that fans are in the ballpark. They will be
prohibited from using smokeless tobacco during
televised interviews, at autograph signings and
other events where they meet fans, or at
team-sponsored appearances. The restrictions will
become effective in the five-year contract to take
effect in 2012; violators are subject to
discipline. The agreement also bolsters tobacco
education programs for players, and creates a new
MLBPA center on cessation to help players
quit.
Partner
groups involved in the campaign, led by the Campaign for
Tobacco-Free Kids, include:
American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer
Society, American Dental Association, American
Heart Association, American Lung Association,
American Medical Association, Legacy, Oral
Health America and the Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation.
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Legacy
Joins Comprehensive Cancer Control National
Partnership
Legacy
is proud to be an official partner of the Comprehensive Cancer Control (CCC)
National Partnership, a collaboration of
national organizations working together to support
efforts that reduce the burden of cancer for all
people. The CCC National Partnership supports
state and local cancer control coalitions,
including coalitions among tribes, territories and
Pacific Island jurisdictions, with the CCC goals
focused on providing technical assistance to
coalitions, identifying and implementing policy
approaches, and facilitating the exchange of
information between coalitions.
There
are currently 16 national organization and federal
agency members including the American Cancer
Society, LIVESTRONG, National Association of
Chronic Disease Directors and the National Cancer
Institute. As an official partner since
August 2011, Legacy participates in monthly calls
and seeks ways to support initiatives, by sharing
resources such as Legacy fact sheets,
dissemination reports and resources through the
quit smoking program BecomeAnEX.org.
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Leave a
Legacy this Holiday Season
The
holidays are a great time to give back to the
community and support a tobacco-free future. At
Legacy, we have many giving options to choose
from, some of which have appealing tax benefits,
and we greatly appreciate your
support.
- Make a gift
online at http://www.legacyforhealth.org/.
(Click "Donate" on the upper right corner of the
page.) If your company has a matching gift
program you can double the size of your
donation.
- Be social and
prevent young people from ever starting to
smoke. Donate to truth through
Facebook
Causes.
- Donate to EX and help us to offerfree
vital cessation resources to anyone who needs
them! Go to BecomeAnEX.org, click
on "Support EX" in the upper right hand corner
of the page, then click on the red "Donate Now".
- Share
your personal story about the
importance of building a tobacco-free legacy on
http://www.mylegacystory.org/.
You can also make a donation in honor of or in
memory of a loved one on this site.
- Federal employees can support Legacy through
the Combined Federal Campaign. Select "American
Legacy Foundation", charity # 19203.
- Recommend a gift to support Legacy through
your Donor Advised Fund.
- Make a gift of appreciated stock or
securities and take advantage of
attractive tax benefits. Contact Legacy
Chief Financial Officer Anthony O'Toole at
202-454-5557 for more information.
- Individuals who are age 70½ or older may
make a donation of up to $100,000 from their
IRAs without any taxes on that amount. This is
an incredible opportunity that may expire in
2011, so please check with your financial
advisors now to determine if this gift is right
for you.
- Name American Legacy Foundation as a
beneficiary in your will or estate plan.
- Select,
customize and mail beautiful greeting cards
while you support Legacy. Just go to
www.igivecards.com/legacy
and order cards for the holidays, birthdays, or
any occasion at all. Legacy will receive a
donation from every single card order.
- Use
http://www.goodshop.com/
for all your online shopping and select American
Legacy Foundation as your charity of choice.
With 2,500 retailers to choose from, and coupons
and deals galore, you can really save money.
Plus Legacy will get a donation for every
purchase made on GoodShop!
- Use
http://www.gooddining.com/
to support Legacy's work at no cost to you every
time you dine out! More than 10,000 restaurants
are participating. Register on the site
now!
- Use
http://www.goodsearch.com/
as your go-to search engine. Legacy receives a
donation with every search on GoodSearch!
Thank
you for supporting Legacy's vital work! Happy
Holidays!
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Kolmac
Clinic in Silver Spring, MD, to Host Nicotine
Anonymous Meetings
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