Reflections on Place and Safety
Last weekend, the US saw the worst mass murder of Jewish people in its history with a shooting at the Tree of Life Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. Just days before, a man in Kentucky shot and killed two black men at a grocery store after [More]
My Place: Hurricanes & Poverty in Eastern NC
"My Place" is a series of blog posts authored by the Counter Tools team that aims to shed light on the impact place has had on each of our lives. In this My Place post, we hear from Business Manager, Beth Turner. A recent Medium piece, North [More]
Executive Director, Nina Baltierra, Featured on the LEADx Podcast!
Over the summer, our Executive Director, Nina Baltierra, made a big splash by creating and sharing her "User Manual," which allowed her to share elements of her personality, work style, and values with the team in a fun way. She got the idea from Kevin Kruse, LEADx [More]
Policy Success: Excelsior, MN votes to raise tobacco sales age to 21
Excelsior became the latest city in Minnesota to raise the tobacco and e-cigarette sales age to 21. The city passed the ordinance on Monday, along with banning the sale of such products within 500 feet of elementary, middle/junior high, and high schools. We were thrilled to have [More]
My Place: The Stories that Speak the Loudest
"My Place" is a series of blog posts authored by the Counter Tools team that aims to shed light on the impact place has had on each of our lives. In this inaugural My Place post, we hear from Senior Project Director, Charla Rios (Hodges). Being tasked [More]
House Agricultural Subcommittee & FDA Letter on the Appropriations Bill
Excerpt: As you proceed to conference on H.R. 6147, which includes the FY 2019 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we urge you to reject all tobacco riders, including the one in the House Agriculture-FDA Appropriations bill that would weaken FDA [More]
Comments on Premium Cigars ANPRM
Excerpt: In this ANPRM, FDA established important parameters limiting its inquiry regarding the regulation of premium cigars. By its plain terms, this ANPRM is not for the purpose of reconsidering the agency’s judgment that, based on the information available and in the administrative record at the time [More]
Comments on Flavored Tobacco Products ANPRM
Excerpt: When Congress enacted the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act or TCA), it prohibited the use of characterizing flavors, other than menthol, in cigarettes because Congress concluded that flavors in cigarettes made the products appealing to adolescents. The TCA also directed FDA [More]
Comments on Illicit Trade Draft Concept Paper
Excerpt: The Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) has published and sought comments on a draft paper entitled Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products after Implementation of an FDA Product Standard. The document addresses the potential for development of an illicit market as a result of a number of [More]
Comments on Nicotine Standard ANPRM
Excerpt: For decades, researchers have agreed that nicotine is the fundamental addictive agent in tobacco, leading the U.S. Surgeon General to affirmatively conclude in the 1988 report, The Health Consequences of Smoking: Nicotine Addiction, that, “nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction.” Now, strong scientific [More]
Counter Tobacco Podcast Bonus Episode: Interview with Dr. Phillip Gardiner
For this bonus episode of the podcast, following up on our episode on African-American Tobacco Use and Industry Targeting,” two Counter Tools staff members, Jackie Boards and Rose DeLeon-Foote, had the opportunity to interview Dr. Phillip Gardiner, Co-Chair of the African-American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, while he [More]
Charla Rios featured in Carolina Public Health!
Our very own Charla Rios (Hodges), Sr. Project Director and Food Retail Environment Coordinator, was featured in Carolina Public Health's Spring 2018 issue! The magazine interviewed young alumni from all eight academic units at UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health for their Trajectories article.
Counter Tobacco Podcast: African-American Tobacco Use and Industry Targeting (Episode 6)
On this episode of the Counter Tobacco Podcast, we continue our discussion at how different aspects of people’s lives are used by Big Tobacco and ultimately, how we can stop their influence from further spreading. Today’s episode focuses on African-American Tobacco Use and Industry Targeting. Listen below, [More]
Counter Tools Training Youth to Speak Out at Altria’s Shareholder Meeting
Message to Shareholders: We’ve Seen Enough Tobacco Marketing Despite the 80-degree forecast for Richmond, VA on Thursday, May 17, a cold front will pass through downtown just in time for the Altria Group shareholders annual meeting. The icy blast, expected to storm through the area around the [More]
Nina Baltierra to Serve as Executive Director of Counter Tools
The Counter Tools Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Nina Baltierra has been selected as Counter Tools’ permanent Executive Director. Nina joined Counter Tools as a Project Director in 2014 and has since taken on roles with increasing responsibility, including Director of Programs and Director [More]
Counter Tobacco Podcast: LGBTQ Tobacco Use (Episode 5)
On this episode of the Counter Tobacco Podcast, we begin our discussion at how different aspects of people’s lives are used by big tobacco and ultimately, how we can stop their influence from further spreading, particularly at the point of sale. We begin with the LGBTQ community. [More]
Counter Tools co-founder to John Stossel: Cigarettes are the most lethal products ever introduced
"Thanks to Ribisl's recommendation, New York cigarette smokers now must pay at least $13 a pack." Kudos to our co-founder Dr. Kurt Ribisl for advocating for healthy retail policies that advance public health! Watch the piece here.
Counter Tobacco Podcast: Vaping (Episode 4)
There’s a new product in town and it’s certainly becoming popular. This episode of the Counter Tobacco podcast explores the new trend of vaping, including how e-cigarettes work and who exactly is using them, and what regulations they are (or are not) subject to so far. Sources [More]
Moulton, Milton Community Youth Council want Big Tobacco to fail
We're so proud of the work Vermont's Milton Community Youth Coalition, Inc. is doing! They're using our software to map tobacco retailers' proximity to public parks and schools, and are sharing their findings with the community to fight youth exposure to tobacco use and advertising. "You look [More]
Counter Tobacco Podcast: Tobacco’s Replacement Smokers (Episode 3)
This episode of the Counter Tobacco podcast continues our previous discussion on how the tobacco industry views young people as “replacement smokers”, including some of the tactics they use to recruit them to their side. Sources The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use [More]
