Congress Passes Child Nicotine Poisoning Prevention Act
Congressed passed legislation in January to protect America’s kids from nicotine poisoning by requiring that liquid nicotine be sold in child-resistant packaging, consistent with Consumer Product Safety Commission standards. This legislation addresses the increasing number of poisoning cases involving liquid nicotine used in electronic cigarettes, which jumped from 271 cases in 2011 to 3,783 in 2014, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. More than half of these cases involved children under the age of 6.
Study Finds Gap in Medicaid’s Efforts to Help People Stop Smoking
After reviewing state Medicaid data from 2010-2013, researchers found that few enrollees (about 10% nationwide in 2013) received cessation treatment to help them stop smoking even though Medicaid recipients are about two times as likely as average Americans to be smokers. The study was published in the journal of Health Affairs.