TEM focuses on how we can achieve and plan for a tobacco-free California using policy and people power. In each episode, we’ll engage subject matter experts to discuss niche topics within tobacco control and highlight California-specific progress and the opportunities they offer advocates.
In this episode, you’ll hear from Michelle McGarry, Tobacco Programs Supervisor at the Center for Well-Being, and Deborah Virgen, Community Health Worker (CHW) based in Santa Rosa, CA. Together, Michelle and Deborah talk about their personal experience with and as CHWs, and the labor of love that it requires from interested individuals. They also discuss how CHWs play an integral role in public health and how the momentum created by CHWs can be used to fight Big Tobacco.
EPISODE 13:Commercial Tobacco is a Violation of Human Rights
In this episode, Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, Managing Attorney at Action on Smoking and Health, and Charles Debnam, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Community Wellness Alliance, discuss how commercial tobacco impedes on basic human rights and what advocates can do to effect change. You’ll also learn about a major lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its lack of regulation on menthol cigarettes.
In this episode you’ll hear from Ravena Soto, Project Coordinator for the Tribal Community Coordinating Center at ETR, Rachel Reif, Youth Engagement Coordinator for the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians, and Kortni Bennett, Project Coordinator for California’s Clean Air Project. Our guests explain the difference between traditional and commercial tobacco, internal challenges for implementing tobacco policies, and the priorities that drive tobacco control efforts within tribal communities.
In this episode, Robin Koval, Truth Initiative CEO and President, and Jordan Watkins, Truth ambassador and doctoral student at the University of Alabama, join ASH’s Policy Director, Chris Bostic, for a conversation about Truth Initiative’s new position paper, Gamechanger: Shifting from Tobacco Control to Ending the Industry’s Influence for Good. They also get into detail about realistic goals for Endgame and impacts on communities most affected by the tobacco industry.
In this episode, Lorraine Lathen, Jump at the Sun Consultant and Director of the City of Milwaukee Tobacco-Free Alliance, joins Carol McGruder, co-chair and co-founder of the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, for a conversation about No Menthol Sunday and its cultural significance to the African and Black community. Together, they discuss the opportunities that faith-based organizations lend to tobacco control efforts and the importance of knowing one’s history when going up against Big Tobacco, an industry that has historically and intentionally targeted marginalized communities of color.
In this episode, Dr. Elisa Tong, a Medical Director for the Stop Tobacco Program at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Dr. Karen Beard, a Clinical Psychologist from Los Angeles, CA, discuss their vast experience in tobacco control. They specifically talk about the opportunities that cessation or tobacco treatment offers the Endgame movement, and the success they’ve experienced as clinicians and medical experts.
In this episode, Shelly Brantley, Project Director at Rural Initiatives Strengthening Equity (RISE), and Tashelle Wright, a health equity researcher, discuss the strategies necessary to implement tobacco policies in rural communities. During their conversation, they identify opportunities and challenges that impact how effectively endgame can be achieved and maintained in these areas.
In this episode, we are joined by Ruth Malone, Professor Emeritus at UC San Francisco and lead for the statewide UpEnd Tobacco Project, as well as Kim Homer Vagadori, Project Director of California Youth Advocacy Network. Ruth and Kim have worked in tobacco control for 20+ years. Together, they share their deep understanding of the tobacco industry’s impact on Californians and how the state has continuously fought back.
In this episode, we are joined by Ramsey King, Health Policy Coordinator for the SOL Project, and Rosendo Iniguez, Program Manager for the Latino Coordinating Center. Ramsey and Rosendo explain the social determinants of health as it relates to tobacco control efforts, and why it needs to be incorporated into program development and implementation. They speak from experience as not only public health practitioners, but leaders in the African American and Latino communities.
In this episode, we are joined by Efraim Lopez, Project Director for the Environmental Justice and Tobacco Control Project at the Sierra Club in Sacramento, CA, and Tara Leonard, Health Educator with the Santa Cruz County Department of Public Health. Efraim and Tara explain how the environmental perspective calling for commercial tobacco control policy goes beyond tobacco product waste. They also describe effective and engaging ways to get the general public thinking about tobacco’s adverse effect on the environment whether it be pollution, waste management, or conservation.
To learn more about the Sierra Club’s Tobacco Control Progam, click here.
To learn more about the documentary mentioned in this episode, click here.
In this episode, we learn how Brookline, MA became the first city in the United States to achieve a tobacco-free generation (TFG). Mark Gottlieb, Executive Director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute at Northeastern University School of Law, Anthony Ishak, Brookline Resident and Pharmacist, and Kate Silbaugh, Professor of Law at Boston University and Elected Town Meeting Representative in Brookline open up about the process, perspective, and purpose behind TFG.
The Public Health Advocacy Institute’s attorneys are happy to help to determine whether the Tobacco-Free Generation Policy might be a viable approach in your community. Contact them at moreinfo@phaionline.org
In this episode, Terese Voge, Health Program Manager for the County of Sonoma, and Carley Moore, Coalition Coordinator, talk about tobacco policy in Sonoma County. During this interview, they dive into the City of Petaluma’s tobacco retail ordinance that was passed in December 2021 and went into effect in January 2022. You’ll also hear Carley and Terese discuss their supporting roles to the local coalition and the strategic process that led to this big win!
Learn more about the ordinance here.
In this episode, Ignacio Burgos talks about his role as the Youth Program Coordinator for the California Youth Advocacy Network (CYAN) and what he believes defines a successful relationship with young people. Joining the conversation is Milton Nguyen, a senior at Mira Loma High School who has dedicated 4+ years to tobacco control advocacy. Milton describes his journey as an advocate and how to effectively engage young people. Together, the two emphasize the powerful force that is youth.
Learn more about CYAN here.
In this episode, Action on Smoking and Health’s (ASH) Policy Director, Chris Bostic, and former Mayor of Beverly Hills, John Mirisch, sit down to discuss the Endgame Initiative, a public policy-driven strategy to end the tobacco epidemic. Chris walks us through the intent and implementation of Endgame while John shares his experience as the Mayor of the first city in the U.S. and the world to phase out the sale of commercial tobacco products.
Read the Beverly Hills Case Study here.
