CMA Passes SFMS Resolution Urging U.S. Chamber of Commerce to Cease Tobacco Advocacy Efforts October 19, 2015 Advocacy, CMA, Public Health, SFMS Member House of Delegates, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, John Maa, tobacco 0 The California Medical Association (CMA) reinforced its long-established stance against tobacco use at the 2015 CMA House of Delegates. Resolution 107-15 authored by the San Francisco Medical Society strongly objects to pro-tobacco efforts by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in other parts of the world. It asks CMA to call on the Chamber to immediately halt all advocacy efforts on behalf of tobacco companies and urges all conscientious companies that are members of the Chamber to either take similar action or quit their membership to protest such anti-health efforts. This resolution comes at a time when CMA—as part of the Save Lives California Coalition—is seeking to reduce those numbers by implementing a needed $2 per pack tax increase on cigarettes sold in California—a concept that’s already gained an overwhelming number of supporters across political party lines. Tobacco use is the cause of almost 6 million deaths worldwide each year, and will cause more than 8 million deaths annually by 2030, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On average, people who smoke die 10 years earlier than those who don’t. “Smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in California,” said CMA President Steven Larson, MD. “The resolution passed this weekend along with the recently filed initiative will help people quit smoking and will fund research cures for cancer and other tobacco-related diseases.” “It is up to all of us to help prevent and reduce teen smoking,” said SFMS member John Maa, MD, one of the authors of the resolution. “Thousands of underage smokers become addicted each year and with the efforts of the Save Lives coalition along with this resolution, we will be able to reduce those numbers.” Comments are closed.
