Health Agencies Urge MLB Tobacco Ban

With a year to go before the expiration of the MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement, a new campaign to ban smokeless tobacco in the big leagues has officially begun.

A consortium of 10 health agencies - from the American Medical Association to the American Heart Association to the American Cancer Society -- have joined in a campaign to encourage MLB to ban the use of smokeless tobacco in the next CBA. The group, led by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sent letters to commissioner Bud Selig and Michael Weiner, the head of the Players' Association, two weeks ago. (PDF: Read the letter here.)

While tobacco use has declined in the big leagues over the past couple decades, it remains a significant problem. About one-third of major leaguers use smokeless tobacco -- also called dip -- according to informal polling by FanHouse earlier this season.

 

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Source: http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2010/12/03/health-agencies-urge-mlb-tobacco-ban/

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