Journal of public health policy
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J Public Health Policy · Jan 2006
Fighting a tobacco-tax rollback: a political analysis of the 1994 cigarette contraband crisis in Canada.
We identify factors that led a regional government (Quebec, Canada) to opt for a reduction of its tobacco tax to combat tobacco smuggling. Then we explore the fallout of Quebec's tobacco-tax rollback on its tobacco control policy. We conducted qualitative research using a case-study design and multiple sources of data. ⋯ The new resources were instrumental in enhancing the activists' ability to promote legislative measures. Our approach sheds light on the tobacco industry's strategy to have governments reducing their tobacco tax. Quebec offers an example of how tobacco control activists can transform defeat into the cornerstone of a comprehensive tobacco control policy.
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The objective of this study was to determine whether the 2004 USA Dewine-Kennedy Bill is congruent with Philip Morris' core policy principles for United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of tobacco and what impact that would have on the public health. I compared the Dewine-Kennedy Bill with 1999 Philip Morris core policy principles for FDA regulation. Additional supporting data on FDA regulation from 1998 to the present were collected from previously secret tobacco industry documents, relevant newspaper reports from Nexis-Lexis, federal statutes, and federal regulations. ⋯ In conclusion, The Dewine-Kennedy Bill, at best, was mixed in terms of the enhancement of the public health. On the one hand, proponents of this legislation argued stronger FDA regulatory requirements would have some effect on reducing youth and adult tobacco consumption. On the other hand, tobacco products would have remained a politically and economically viable and legal product consumed by millions of Americans many of whom would have continued to suffer from tobacco-related illnesses and deaths.
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Restrictions on alcohol advertising are vulnerable to challenge under international trade agreements. As countries negotiate new trade treaties and expand the scope of existing ones, the risk of such a challenge increases. ⋯ Key cases are reviewed to illustrate how these provisions have been used to either overturn existing advertising restrictions or prevent new ones from coming into force. The article also reports on the mixed results governments have had in trying to justify their regulations to trade panels and the stringent criteria imposed for proving that a regulation is "necessary."
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J Public Health Policy · Jul 2005
Successful public policy change in California: firearms and youth resources.
The California Wellness Foundation's Violence Prevention Initiative (VPI) was a 70 million dollars, 10-year effort to reduce violence among California youth. The Policy and Public Education Program of the initiative advanced two broad policy goals: (1) limiting the availability of handguns to youth, (2) increasing the state's investment in youth resources. Roughly 110 communities passed more than 300 ordinances to limit gun availability or promote gun safety. ⋯ Funding for youth programs increased to more that 368 million dollars in 2002-03, from about 100 million dollars in 1996-97. Using a framework adapted from the social movements and political communications literature the importance of four key elements was apparent in the VPI: articulating clear policy goals, strategic issue framing, capitalizing on political opportunity, and effectively mobilizing resources. The impact of new gun policies, increased funding for youth programs, and a diverse network of policy professionals and issue advocates interested in social change to decrease violence remain to be fully understood.