Public health proponents can applaud as smoking is being banned in public places in more and more cities.  The logic goes that by making smoking in public places inconvenient by forcing smokers to go outside or X many feet away, that this will result in decreases in smoking rates and undermine how socially acceptable smoking is perceived to be. But don't think that tobacco is going down without a fight.

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 When I think back to my time spent in elementary school, I definitely have some fond memories. Marbles were big one spring and yours truly could hook you up with any color cat’s eye you wanted, girls were still gross, and He-Man would’ve gotten my vote for president over that George Bush character. Yet, there is no memory quite as fond nor as retrospectively annoying as the mandatory school assembly.

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As I was thumbing through the December/January issue of Teen Vogue, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed…in a good way.  See, I was expecting to read about Chris Brown’s favorite flavors of bubble gum and see those wacky —yet chaste Jonas Brothers yucking it up on the red carpet.  My expectations were more Tiger Beat and Bop than what Teen Vogue had lined up.  Teen Vogue was stylish with a sidewinder of pop culture sass, all about fashion tips, and has advertisers showing  off surprisingly cool photography.  And placed between articles about how to dress up a preppy peacoat with a glamorous faux-fur collar and teen European fashionistas is an awesome spread on the many ways smoking cigarettes can ruin your look.

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As a parent, sibling, friend, neighbor, spouse, and civilian, every action you take affects those around you, whether you are aware of it or not. While the past year has seen a dramatic increase in environmental awareness, our consideration towards fellow humans and their rights seems to have become of less importance. One might blame an economic crisis, gas prices, unemployment, or any other social concern for our recent “don’t give a damn” attitudes, but one thing is certain: we cannot overcome if we do not come together, and we can begin doing this by standing up for the rights of those who do not have a voice. Let’s start this effort with a quite simple aspiration: a chance at clean air and healthy lungs for every new baby and child.

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 In 1998, the US Congress created the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign with the goal of preventing and reducing youth drug use.   Above the Influence is the most visible symbol of the federal government’s commitment to youth prevention, and attempts to target youth ages 12 to 18, their parents, and caregivers.   Since 2002 the campaign has focused predominantly on marijuana, a policy decision based on the fact that a key public health goal is to delay the onset of use of the first drugs of abuse- marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol.   Marijuana constitutes 88% of all teen illegal drug use, and more teens are in treatment for marijuana dependence than for all other illegal drugs combined.  So is Above the Influence effective in promoting its message?

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 Having an older brother or a friend with an older brother meant that you got to hear all the coolest, foulest words before anyone else on your block.  You got to listen to music your parents would disown you for hearing. Sure, you had to use context clues to figure out what Ice T was talking about on Iceberg , but at least he gave you something to work with.  The older kid in the neighborhood didn’t allow you that much room, instead they just hurled the words at you, over and over, not knowing their meanings, just knowing that they were meant to put you or your friends down.  “Gay” was a stone cast often in my neighborhood, and I suspect yours too.  Well, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), an organization focused on the safety, respect, and education of students, has launched a star-studded PSA campaign that may have some people rethinking their insults. 

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It seems like everytime you open the newspaper and turn to the business section you see the same thing: some stock trader (weird yellow jumpsuit optional) looking dejected, head hanging low, shoulders slumped, slightly sweaty with a shot of the closing DOW numbers faintly displayed in the background. For months now, we’ve all been inundated with the images, specualtions, forecasts and predictions regarding the downward spiral that is the nation’s current economic status. Bail outs don’t seem to be working so well for bankers, but how do regular, everyday people deal with the looming monetary catastrophe?

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 Traditionally most people think of themselves as smokers or non-smokers and there hasn’t been a popular label for those who fall somewhere in between the two.  Health surveys often ask people survey questions that only offer the two options: smoker or non-smoker.  Some recent research has focused on the non-traditional smoker who smokes occasionally, on weekends, or when out socially with friends who smoke.  Identifying and focusing on the different varieties of smoking behavior is important for those in the prevention fields so that this large group of people are not ignored or lumped with non-smokers in survey data on which cessation research is based. 

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