370: ASTHO Leaders Convene, Flavored Tobacco Legislation

ROBERT JOHNSON:

This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, March 6th, 2023. I'm Robert Johnson. Now today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

AMBER WILLIAMS:

I would say that I hope that they walk away with at least a new connection and a new idea for how they're going to lead over this next year.

JOHNSON:

ASTHO's Amber Williams talking about the organization's Spring Meeting happening now here in Washington, D.C. State and territorial health officials arrived over the weekend, while others will join online. They plan to meet with members of the Biden administration and leaders on Capitol Hill.

WILLIAMS:

This year, they will be meeting with the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Administrator for some important conversations about public health and the future. We also have a number of new health officials (15), who will be joining us both virtually and in person to participate in a new program called Jumpstart.

JOHNSON:

Williams says the Jumpstart agenda is a key opportunity for new ASTHO members appointed in recent months to meet one another and learn how the public health family can support their work at home.

WILLIAMS:

This is a workshop that will cover really important topics, like working with your governor and your state legislature. How to define your success as a state health official? And how do you work with your team and across state government to accomplish your goals? So, this is bringing some key experts, new and alumni health officials together, And it's a really interactive onboarding experience.

JOHNSON:

Williams adds there is a lot of excitement around the meeting and the plan for the week.

WILLIAMS:

You know, honestly, this feels like a kickoff in many ways, so a really exciting year ahead. We are building new leaders, building important connections, and overall, just ensuring that public health agency leaders have what they need to be successful in their really important roles.

JOHNSON:

Flavored tobacco products are getting a lot of attention in state legislatures across the country as policymakers consider how to limit the damage they have on public health. ASTHO's Parker Beene says California voters tackled the issue last fall as a follow up to work done two years earlier at the capitol in Sacramento.

PARKER BEENE:

California put Proposition 31 before California voters, which overwhelmingly passed. This was a ballot measure related to their Senate Bill 793, which was enacted in August 2020 prohibiting the sale of certain flavored tobacco products that ultimately has gone into effect. And, you know, in 2022, we saw at least 14 other states with legislation seeking to join that growing list of states with flavor bans, but unfortunately, they didn't pass.

JOHNSON:

So far this year, Beene says at least ten states and Guam have offered legislation to impose their own limits on the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products.

BEENE:

Moreover, of those ten states, seven states that have legislation introduced that prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol flavored cigarettes. And as highlighted in our report, Washington state has introduced Senate Bill 5239, which would empower the Secretary of Health to restrict the sale of any flavored tobacco product, which includes menthol products that may be injurious or pose a risk to public health.

JOHNSON:

Beene says a proposal in Indiana is another example of the work happening in the states and territories.

BEENE:

Indiana has also introduced House Bill 1133, which proposes a ban on selling flavored tobacco and e-liquids such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco that have characterizing flavors including menthol, and this bill creates a penalty for anyone, any person or entity that sells flavored tobacco product.

JOHNSON:

Beene has written a new blog article packed with information about legislative work to limit flavored tobacco products. You can read it using the link in the show notes. 

Also today, public health officials are worried about a new drug entering the illicit drug supply. O'Keyla Cooper has more.

O’KEYLA COOPER:

Xylazine a non-opioid tranquilizer used in veterinary medicine is infiltrating the drug supply and being mixed with other illicit substances, leading to an increase in overdose deaths. Xylazine threatens to worsen outcomes for people who use drugs and complicate the overdose prevention landscape across the country. Find out how state and territorial health agencies can take steps to prevent harm related to xylazine by reading the full blog using the link found in the show notes.

JOHNSON:

Finally, this morning, learn how to partner with Gen Z audiences in a webinar planned for Monday, March 13. Get strategies tips and tools to help you enlist Gen Z advocates in your fight against misinformation and disinformation. The event is online. There's a link in the show notes.

That'll do it for today's newscast. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Robert Johnson, you're listening to Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.