Viewpoints: Public Health Lessons From Ending Our Smoking Culture

The Washington Post: Can Americans Ditch Guns The Way We Ditched Cigarettes?
Not that long ago, cigarettes were completely woven into American culture. The Marlboro Man, posters telling us: “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette,” even the armrests on planes and all our cars were designed for smokers. And now? Not so much. Can it work like that with guns? Because after another horrific school shooting — eight students and two teachers massacred at Santa Fe High School outside Houston on Friday — we are nearly out of fresh ideas. (Petula Dvorak, 5/21)

Chicago Tribune: Santa Fe School Shooting, Ritalin And The NRA's Culture Of Convenient Excuses
It’s not enough religion, and too many violent video games. Those, we’re told, are the things causing America’s almost rhythmic school shootings. That’s where the blame was placed — again — this weekend as students and families and pundits and lawmakers grappled with Friday’s slaughter of 10 people at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas. ...The “our culture is causing mass shootings” argument is compelling and can sound reasonable on a visceral level. But it’s based on emotion, not reality. (Rex Huppke, 5/21)

St. Louis Post Dispatch: Another School Mass Shooting, Another Tired Recitation Of NRA Talking Points
The National Rifle Association wants to make Friday’s high school shooting in Texas all about building security. The answer, as robotically recited by various officials, is to harden schools, establish airport-style security checkpoints, add more armed guards and allow teachers to pack heat. But apparently no number of young people’s corpses and grieving parents will move the organization to discuss the real issue: reducing shooters’ access to their mass-killing weapons of choice. (5/21)

The Hill: Vulnerable Patients — Easy Targets For Companies Willing To Sacrifice Ethics For Profits
A small medical device has just become embroiled in a large controversy, suggesting violations of fundamental ethical norms and settled principles of scientific research. At first glance, the Bridge — a neuro-modulation device that attaches behind the ear — resembles a hearing aid with wires. The Bridge received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in November 2017 for easing opioid withdrawal symptoms during detoxification; before, it was approved only for acupuncture. (Jody Lynee Madeira, 5/21)

The Hill: 'Right To Try' Should Focus On Regulatory Changes That Embrace The Fast Pace Of Precision Medicine
The “right to try” bill (S. 204), which suddenly resurfaced when the House scheduled it for committee meetings this week, was designed to allow patients with a terminal diagnosis — who have run out of effective treatment options — access to try a drug that just might help, even without Food and Drug Administration approval. This legislation — a priority for President Trump — sounds like a no-brainer. As the clock runs out, with a patient facing hospice as the next and last step, what could be wrong with giving an unproven drug a chance? Nothing, if it’s done right. (Mark M. Souweidane and Jeffrey P. Greenfield, 5/21)

The Washington Post: Watching But Not Treating Cancer Can Be Hard. Sometimes It’s The Right Approach.
My sister just finished 18 weeks of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer, a slog that started six months ago when she underwent an eight-hour procedure to remove all visible signs and cells of her malignancy. From the moment her primary-care doctor suspected the diagnosis, Julie’s calendar has been chock-full of appointments: scans, bloodwork, chemo treatments and a transfusion. Now that she’s done with chemo, Julie can either enroll in a clinical trial or sit tight and participate in what is called “watchful waiting,” which includes regular bloodwork, scans and doctor visits. I call it Hope. Pray. Wait. (Steven Petrow, 5/20)

The Hill: Chicago Health Commissioner: Big Tobacco Is Targeting Our Youth And We Must Stop Them 
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced a crackdown on e-cigarette sales to minors, but before then, the city of Chicago had already taken matters into its own hands. The City Council passed an ordinance to require tobacco dealers to post warning signs at their doors about the health risks of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. These signs, once designed and distributed, will also contain quit-line numbers to help our residents beat a nicotine addiction. (Julie Morita, 5/21)

Miami Herald: Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Lawsuit Against The Nation’s Largest Drug Makers
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s lawsuit against the nation’s largest drug makers and distributors marks a moment of awakening in the state’s battle to recover from the opioid crisis. In blunt, forceful language, Bondi accuses these companies of sparking the deadly opioid epidemic through sham marketing that reaped the defendants “billions of dollars” while causing “immense harm to the state of Florida.” This is an important step in holding an industry accountable for the incredible damage that has wracked communities and families. (5/22)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: A Healthier Food Stamp Program Should Be On The Menu
Trying to push more people to work for food stamps by adding harsh provisions to the farm bill has sharply divided Congress, even though the high-stakes bill failed to pass the U.S. House Friday, mostly over unrelated issues. Congress can take the food stamp work-requirement dispute off the table entirely. Instead of punitive, ill-considered measures likely to hurt hungry children, Congress should instead take aim at the unhealthy foods that are contributing to the obesity epidemic among our young people. (5/22)

Sacramento Bee: Restore California's End Of Life Option Act
A California Superior Court judge’s decision to strike down California’s “End of Life Option Act” is wrong as a matter of law. The California statute provides death with dignity for terminally ill patients. The California Court of Appeal should overturn this decision and failing that, the Legislature should quickly reenact it in a manner that addresses the judge’s concerns. (Erwin Chemerinsky, 5/21)