Rep. Jon Nelson (R-Rugby) rose to speak on SB2024 today saying he was going to “eulogize” what he sees as “the most effective state agency” of his legislative tenure. The bill removes funding from the state’s Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control, which you know as BreatheND, and clearly Nelson knew which way the political…
The End of BreatheND Is Nigh
The Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control – you know then as “BreatheND” – isn’t a public health initiative. It’s an employment program for anti-tobacco activists who enjoy some of the biggest salaries in state government for their job categories. The Center was created by voters on the 2008 ballot, but lawmakers have wanted to get…
BreatheND Used as Sock Puppet by American Lung Association to Oppose Legislation
How would you feel about a group representing oil industry interests coordinating with the Department of Health to oppose legislation? Or maybe agriculture interests working with the Department of Agriculture? And not just working with, but literally being allowed to promote messaging under the banner of the state agency? I think most reasonable people would see…
Is the Fight to Keep BreatheND About Public Health or Big Salaries for Bureaucrats?
North Dakota needs to find ways to save money. In his final budget address to the Legislature in December former Governor Jack Dalrymple proposed eliminating the Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control. You know them as BreatheND, purveyors of those obnoxious and pervasive anti-smoking ads. Yesterday Governor Doug Burgum proposed his own tweaks to Dalrymple’s…
This Is Why Putting Anti-Tobacco Activism in State Government Was a Bad Idea
Study: Nicotine labeling on e-cigarettes sold in ND often wrong That’s the troubling headline over a Patrick Springer article published in the Fargo Forum over the weekend. Whatever your position on vaping, we can all agree that the labeling should be accurate. But there’s a problem. This study was conducted by the anti-tobacco activists in…
North Dakota Auditor Recommends A 243 Percent Tax Hike On Cigarettes
North Dakota’s State Auditor Bob Peterson released a report (see below) related to the state’s Center for Tobacco Prevention and Control. This entity was created by voters with a measure approved on the 2008 ballot. It created the center and, per the law, requires that it fight tobacco in accordance with the federal Centers for…