California - latest tobacco ads debut..

December 22, 2010 - -California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHS) Secretary Kimberly Belshé and California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Director Dr. Mark Horton today premiered a series of new anti-tobacco television advertisements. The ads include a bold new approach in the fight against tobacco – focusing attention on its impact on the environment. In addition, the two health leaders shared the latest statewide trends surrounding tobacco.

“I am proud of the tremendous progress that California has made during the past 20 years,” said Belshé, “but our job is not yet complete because nearly four million Californians still smoke, and tobacco remains the No. 1 cause of preventable death and disease.”

ADs - undo tobacco everywhere..

As California enters its third decade of combating tobacco use, CDPH has created a series of new anti-tobacco television ads. The theme of the new ads include educating Californians about the progress the state has made, the challenges and importance of quitting smoking, the deceptive marketing practices of the tobacco industry, and the impact toxic tobacco waste has on the environment.

Some of the program’s accomplishments include:

* A 42 percent decline in adult smoking prevalence from 22.7 percent in 1988 to 13.1 percent in 2009;
* A 42 percent decline among Asian/Pacific Islanders, and a 41 percent decline in smoking for both African American and Latino adults;
* More than 1 million lives saved both of smokers who quit and of young people who chose not to start smoking;
* $86 billion in health care costs saved; and
* Lung cancer declining more than three-times faster in California than in the rest of the nation.

Each year, more than 100 million pounds of cigarette butts are discarded in the United States. They are, by far, the most-common trash item found on beaches and roadways. The many toxic chemicals found in cigarettes are released into the environment when butts are discarded. Cigarette butts are made of cellulose acetate, a plastic that does not biodegrade and can remain in the environment for years.

Reference: State’s Latest Tobacco Ads Debut, Business Wire, 12/20/2010