Thumbs Down to Big Tobacco’s influence and creation of new front groups in an attempt to reverse the recently passed flavored tobacco ordinance in San Francisco. See ANR’s story

Thumbs Up to Contra Costa County California’s Board of Supervisors who voted unanimously to enact two different ordinances that together createcreate a number of new and strong tobacco retailer restrictions, including prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products (including e-cigarettes) within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, and libraries. These restrictions also prohibit new tobacco retailers from opening within 1,000 feet of those same venues or within 500 of an existing tobacco retailer, as well as tobacco-free pharmacies, and requires a minimum pack size of 10 for tobacco products.

Thumbs Down to the U.K., for supporting e-cigarette products over public health, by ignoring mounting peer-reviewed scientific evidence regarding the hazards of e-cigarette use and exposure, growing dual use of tobacco and e-cigs, and youth uptake of these products. Newsclip

Thumbs Up to Fourth Street Bowl in Joplin, MO, for going smokefree. Customers say their bowling game has improved in the last two months. “We’re getting overwhelming response, a lot of thank-you’s. I mean, business is up family wise,” said Dennis Buck with Fourth Street Bowl. See story

Thumbs Down to Big Tobacco as it wraps itself in harm reduction as a concept. They are looking to sell tobacco products under the guise of medical help. Researchers at UCSF point this out as “the pharmaceuticalization of the tobacco industry.

Thumbs Up to the Netherlands’ third-largest bank ABN who said on July 6 that it is ratcheting up its battle against smoking and will no longer extend credit to the Tobacco Industry. Newsclip


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