Cigarette butts on public streets, sidewalks and other outdoor areas are toxic and unsightly and result in high litter management and collection costs for communities. Programs that effectively minimize tobacco product waste can save municipalities money, substantially benefit the environment, enhance our quality of life, and lower the risk of cigarette-caused fires.

Participants are introduced to some of the key principles to making food and beverage operations financially successful, as well as healthier, with a focus on captive market settings such as concessions and parks.  The webinar provides:

Electronic cigarettes are everywhere. As their market share rises, so do questions concerning the safety of these products and the appropriateness of their use. This webinar provides an overview of electronic cigarettes including what they are and how they are marketed. The presenters summarize some of the available research on these products and their impact on public health. Finally, the webinar examines the Minnesota Tobacco Modernization and Compliance Act, how it addresses electronic cigarettes, and how local (city and county) governments can further regulate these products.

Preemption occurs when a “higher” level of government limits or eliminates the power of “lower” levels of government to adopt laws that may be stronger in terms of protecting public health. Because of preemption’s negative impact on tobacco control, the public health community needs to be aware of the different ways in which federal or state preemption has been used to challenge tobacco control measures.

June 22, 2013, marks the fourth anniversary of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, which granted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco products to benefit public health. Since the Act became law, the FDA has established the Center for Tobacco Products and has begun the work of regulating tobacco products and enforcing those regulations.  In this webinar, speakers will reflect on the past four years of federal tobacco regulation, including successes, disappointments, and hopes for the future.

The Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Public Health Law Center and Transform Wisconsin roll out new resources for Wisconsin schools to promote community recreational use of school property. These resources include a checklist for community use policy and forms, as well as sample recreational agreements.  Presenters also discuss how to work with schools to improve policies and forms to promote physical activity opportunities for community members.

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As U.S. smoking rates have declined over the last decade, novel non-cigarette tobacco products, often called “other tobacco products” or OTPs have been introduced into the retail marketplace. This webinar provides an overview of these new tobacco products, what they are, and how they are marketed. The presenters summarize some of the available research on these products and their impact on public health.

The number of states that have adopted statutes permitting the use of medical marijuana under certain circumstances continues to grow. Accompanying this growth is an increase in questions about how these laws affect smoke-free policies for multi-unit residential properties. This webinar reviewed the interplay between medical marijuana laws and policies addressing secondhand smoke. The discussion covered both private, market-rate properties and federally subsidized public housing and Section 8 properties.

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The tobacco industry has used, and continues to use, many different tactics to hook youth on its products, keep them addicted as adults, and avoid regulation and responsibility for its behavior. This webinar looks at the historical context of the tobacco industry’s behavior and its tactics in areas such as smoke-free regulation, marketing, and tobacco product regulation.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 granted the FDA the authority to address the crushing public health burden of menthol in tobacco products, especially on youth, African-Americans, and the LGBTQ community. Unfortunately, in the three years since the law was enacted, the FDA has studied the issue but failed to act on this authority. This webinar will discuss what the public health community can do to press the FDA to take bold action on menthol.

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The Public Health Law Center provides legal technical assistance to communities around the country on a variety of public health issues. This webinar outlines the breadth and depth of assistance, with a specific emphasis on support to Minnesota grantees working on Community Transformation Grant (CTG) projects, Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) strategies and Tobacco Free Community (TFC) initiatives.

This webinar provides an overview of the science behind obesity and chronic disease, and explains why growing numbers of hospitals are taking steps to reduce sugary drink consumption and other healthy eating strategies within their facilities. It provides information about strategies and tools, drawing on examples from hospitals around the country as well as highlighting work in Minnesota. Health care facilities play an important role in promoting health, both as medical providers and as thought-leaders within communities.