Hookahs!

Did you know:

A 45 - 60 minute hookah session exposes the smoker to approximately the same amount of tar and nicotine as an entire pack of cigarettes.

So the question comes down to this: Why are we JUST NOW having the conversation of whether they should be included in the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act (UICAA)?

We have the opportunity to tell our legislators that health is more important than profit. The Administrative Rules Review Committee is going to be discussing this very topic tomorrow afternoon, and we need to let them see where the support lies. Here's the plan:

Today:
- Email the committee members (contact info below - if you wanna be hardcore, get their numbers and call them) and let them know how important it is to include Hookahs in the UICAA (fact sheet HERE).
- Tell your friends to email as well! This can save lives and money in the state of Utah, and the more people to help out, the more likely to have a positive affect on our state.

Tomorrow:
Show up to the Utah State Capitol no later than 12:30 for the meeting at 1. It will be in room C445. If you let me know TODAY that you will be attending, we will have a pin made for you to show your support! The most important thing is to be visible support, but if you want to be ultra prepared, you can try to speak to the legislators before or after the meeting and share personal stories and testimonies.

Let me be the first to thank you for your efforts in Tobacco Prevention, and your willingness to respond to this call to action. THANK YOU!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, PLEASE don't hesitate to let me know at ProjectTwelveHundred@gmail.com

Thanks again!

Administrative Rules Review Committee
Member	E-Mail
Rep. Curtis Oda, Chair	coda@utah.gov
Sen. Howard A. Stephenson, Chair	hstephenson@utahsenate.org
Sen. Gene Davis	gdavis@utahsenate.org
Rep. Neal B. Hendrickson	nhendrickson@utah.gov
Rep. Rebecca D. Lockhart Speaker of the House	blockhart@utah.gov
Sen. Mark B. Madsen	mmadsen@utahsenate.org
Sen. Benjamin M. McAdams	bmcadams@utahsenate.org
Rep. Carol Spackman Moss	csmoss@utah.gov
Rep. Merlynn T. Newbold	merlynnnewbold@utah.gov
Sen. Michael G. Waddoups, Senate President	waddoups@utahsenate.org

HB 89 Update

Update: HB 89, the Smoking in Cars with Children bill, was lifted from committee (resurrected from the dead) and sent to the Health and Human Services (HHS) committee! This is an excellent move in the right direction. Now its your turn to take action.


It will be voted on tomorrow (Tues, March 1) in committee at around 8:00 a.m.
I know this is EXTREMELY SHORT NOTICE, but if you can write an email between now and 8, you deserve the Amazing Advocate Award. Here's what to do:
1. Copy and paste the email addresses into the BCC line. Email addresses found HERE.
2. In Subject line, put VOTE YES ON HB89 TODAY
3. In the body of the email, urge the representatives to take a stand to protect Utah's children from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. See talking points below.
4. Urge them to vote yes!
5. Send BEFORE 8am!

Talking Points:
- Please protect children from a hotbox of toxic air the EPA considers 10x above the hazardous level of toxicity.
- This is not a personal property issue, nor is it a parent's right issue - this is a human rights issue - no individual should be forced to breathe in concentrated tobacco smoke.
- PERSONAL STORY
- You (the legislator) have the opportunity to protect children from the dangers of secondhand, thus saving Utahn's lives and money.

Sorry this is so condensed and on such short notice! I am trying to do better!

HHS Committee Emails

pray@utah.gov, evickers@utah.gov, rchouck@utah.gov, dclark@utah.gov, tcosgrove@utah.gov, bdaw@utah.gov, rmenlove@utah.gov, dsanpei@utah.gov, cwatkins@utah.gov

CALL TO ACTION! HB 170

Urgent!!

HB 170, the flavored tobacco bill is up for discussion in the Business and Labor Committee at 4p.m. today (Fri, 25 Feb, 2011), and we need to urge the committee to pass it with a favorable recommendation! So, follow the steps:

1. Copy and paste the email addresses into the BCC line. Email addresses found HERE.
2. In Subject line, put VOTE YES ON HB170 TODAY
3. In the body of the email, urge the representatives to take a stand to protect Utah's children from the harmful effects of Big Tobacco. See talking points below.
4. Urge them to vote yes again!
5. Send BEFORE 4pm!

Talking Points:
- Big Tobacco markets tobacco products to attract kids, including flavored tobacco and candy-like shapes and packaging.
- Nicotine levels in many new tobacco products are so high, that if enough is consumed by a child, can cause nicotine poisoning and/or death.
- PERSONAL STORY
- You (the legislator) has the opportunity to protect children from the manipulation from Big Tobacco, thus saving Utahn's lives and money.

GO, FIGHT, WIN!

House Business and Labor Committee Members

jdunnigan@utah.gov, dpitcher@utah.gov, jbird@utah.gov, jbiskupski@utah.gov, derekbrown@utah.gov, sduckworth@utah.gov, gfroerer@utah.gov, fgibson@utah.gov, dipson@utah.gov, toddkiser@utah.gov, blast@utah.gov, mikemorley@utah.gov, curtwebb@utah.gov, lwiley@utah.gov

It's Official!

Just got back from the mailbox. In it was a letter from the IRS. This is what they had to say:

"Dear Applicant:

We are pleased to inform you that upon review of your application for tax-exempt status we have determined that you are exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code."

In layman's terms, that means that Project: 1200 is officially a Non-Profit! Congratulations to everyone who have helped us get this far! This is YOUR success just as much as it is mine. You are awesome, and I look forward to a future of great success!

Yours in the fight,

Peter.Moosman.

Surveys and Town Hall Meetings!

Hey everyone!

The Democrat Party has a survey online to learn about the important issues of their constituents. One of the questions deal with the bill regarding smoking in cars with children. Please take the survey and vote in favor! At the end it asks for any comments, so reiterate the importance of this bill there! You can find the survey HERE!

Next, there are some town hall meetings coming up, in which you can talk with legislators! Please attend one (or many!) to let them know how you feel about tobacco, i.e., smoking in cars with children, flavored tobacco, and funding for the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program. Here are the dates:

Saturday, Feb 12:
- Sen. Davis & Reps. Cosgrove, Wiley, Wheatley, and Hemingway
   9am, Desert Star Theater, Murray, UT 84107
- Sen. Mayne & Rep Hendrickson
   12pm, Eddie P. Mayne Kearns Senior Center, Kearns, UT 84118

Tuesday, February 15:
- Sen. Pat Jones & Rep. Cosgrove
   7pm, Murray High School Choral Room, Murray, UT 84107

Thursday, February 17:
- Sen. Ben McAdams & Rep. Joel Briscoe
   7pm, Tenth East Senior Center, SLC, UT 84102

Cigarette Branding

Not much to say today, other than a little story:

Once upon a time, I visited my favorite website, fastcodesign.com. While there, I found an interesting article on cigarette branding. It was a great approach to a constant discussion in tobacco prevention. At the end of the article, it had a link to another interesting article about a tactic to discourage smoking. Take a look.

Gotta love designers.

Smoking in Cars with Children (HB 89)

The first bill up for discussion this legislative session is one dealing with smoking in cars with children 15 years old and younger. Representative Patrice Arent is the sponsor of the bill, and its official title is Protection of Children Riding in Motor Vehicles. The text can be found HERE.

There has been some controversy over this bill, mainly dealing with property rights. What we need to realize is that the rights of the child strapped into the backseat are being taken away, and it is for them that we need to make our voices heard.

Calls to action will be coming soon.  While we wait, take a look at some information pertaining to the issue:

The Bill:

• Last year, this bill passed in the House, 40 yeas / 31 nays.
• Though passing in the Senate committee, it died the last night of the session without a vote. (cowards...)
• Last year, the age was 8 years and younger, but has been increased to a more comprehensive age of 15 and younger. 

The Issue:

• There is NO SAFE LEVEL of tobacco smoke exposure
• The level of toxic air in a vehicle when smoking is up to 10 TIMES GREATER than what the US Environmental Protection Agency considers hazardous.
• In 1997, the National Cancer Institute concluded that secondhand smoke (SHS) is the cause of:
• 2,000 cases of SIDS a year
• 8,000 new cases of asthma in children a year
• 1 MIL cases of exacerbated asthma in children a year
• As quoted from the Surgeon General, 2007:
• "Because their bodies are developing, infants and young children are especially vulnerable to the poisons in secondhand smoke."
• "...Babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from sudden death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who are not exposed to cigarette smoke."
• "Secondhand smoke exposure causes acute lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and young children."
• "Children exposed to secondhand smoke are at increased risk for ear infections and are more likely to need an operation to insert ear tubes for drainage."

For more information on secondhand smoke, visit tobaccofreekids.org, ctfu.org, heart.org, cancer.org

Resistance is FUTILE

To kick off the legislative session, I have a little story:

Once upon a time, there was a country. Yes, thats right, a country. This country decided to take a stand for the health of its people. As this country took that stand, it put a little damper on a company by the name of Philip Morris. The country, Uruguay, pursued more comprehensive Tobacco Prevention laws, including more prominent warning labels. Philip Morris sent a simple message to the COUNTRY of Uruguay: We have more money than you. Resistance is futile.  So, a single company has more money than a country. Big deal. Scare tactics didn't work on those Uruguayans and they continued to fight for the health and safety of their people. All in all, they showed Philip Morris whats up.

They overcame the Big Tobacco monsters.

Now its our turn to take a stand. Click HERE to learn more and to cast your vote for Philip Morris as the Worst Company in 2011!

Seriously, what would be a better way to start off this session? Exactly.

Time Flies

Hey friends!

It has already been a whole year since our last legislative session. A lot has kept me busy, which is my excuse for not updating the blog since... lets see... June. I know, its ridiculous. Hopefully this upcoming year will be more productive for the blog. I haven't written on the blog, but things HAVE been happening. And things WILL BE happening! The session starts in approximately 30 hours! That is when all the fun begins.

I wish I had more to tell you about what we will be working on this session, but I cannot. I have met with some representatives regarding a few issues, and I have reviewed the legislative website. Other than that, information will be coming in soon! Until then, I can tell you about a few of the issues we will pursue this session:

- Smoking in cars with children
- Flavored tobacco
- Saving tobacco prevention funding

There may be more, but we shall start with those. All three were issues that didn't get resolved last year, so feel free to take a gander through the blog posts of last session to become semi-familiar with what is happening, and I will be on soon enough with more information to catch us all up to speed! Until then, get some rest because it is going to be a tiresome 1.5 months!

Cheers!