skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

KY Kids can Breathe Easier as Flavored Cigarettes Get the Boot

play audio
Play

Monday, September 28, 2009   

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Federal regulators now have more authority to regulate what goes into cigarettes, and the Food and Drug Administration is flexing its new muscle by banning flavored cigarettes from being made, imported, distributed, or sold in the United States. It applies to such spice flavors as cloves as well as candy and fruit flavors, though not menthol.

Since most adult smokers have started as teenagers, Paul Kiser, director of Kentucky Action, says the ban will help stop teens from picking up the habit in the first place.

"This is a step in the right direction; it's by no means a magic bullet that's going to solve our youth smoking problem, but it's another piece of the puzzle to help reduce the overall smoking rates of youth in the state."

Prior to the ban, cigarette makers had contended that flavored cigarettes weren't marketed to children, but Kiser says his group never bought the industry claim that kids weren't the target.

"The industry would look you dead in the eye and swear to you that these products were not aimed at children, that these were products for adult smokers to try something new."

Kiser says what matters is that kids likely won't crave what they don't see.

"Getting these off the shelves is a huge step to reduce one more enticement."

Kiser says that, according to 2008 numbers from the Centers for Disease Control,, nearly 7,700 people die every year in Kentucky from tobacco-related diseases, and the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids estimates that at current smoking rates, 107,000 Kentucky kids now under 18 will eventually die prematurely from smoking.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021