Although active as early as 1974, the
American Nonsmokers' Rights (ANR) Foundation,
originally the California Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation, was formally certified
as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 1984. The ANR Foundation, the sister organization to
Americans for Nonsmokers'
Rights (ANR), is a non-lobbying, educational nonprofit organization that creates
comprehensive programs for school-age youth on issues of smoking prevention and
their right to breathe smokefree air. It provides educational resources for schools,
health departments, medical organizations, and others interested in the issues
surrounding smoking and secondhand smoke. Our goals are to raise a smokefree generation
that rejects tobacco use and tobacco industry manipulation and interference tactics,
and to educate the community about the health effects of secondhand smoke and
the benefits of smokefree environments.
The
ANR Foundation uncovered and released the previously suppressed documentary
Death in the West which juxtaposes advertising of Marlboro cigarettes
as sexy and alluring with real life cowboys dying of smoking-related diseases.
Called "the most powerful anti-smoking film ever made," Death in
the West was censored by Philip Morris after one airing in Britain in 1976.
Death in the West has since become the core of a highly successful smoking
prevention curriculum for children and has been aired on television stations
across the country.
The ANR Foundation is the only national repository of local tobacco-related
ordinances and regulations in the United States. Our U.S.
Tobacco Control Laws Database© serves as a key
resource
for researchers and media outlets which use our data to document trends and
research the effectiveness of tobacco-related legislation. Each quarter, ANR
Foundation staff creates lists, tables
and charts, and maps to illustrate the trend toward smokefree air. Over
350 peer-reviewed publications, five NCI monographs and three Surgeon's General
Reports have used the ANR Foundation data as a primary data source.
The ANR Foundation accomplishes
its goals by:
- Collecting and disseminating accurate scientific information
about the health effects of secondhand smoke exposure;
- Empowering the
public to protect itself from secondhand smoke exposure by providing information
on methods and strategies for achieving smokefree venues, including tracking
and analysis of existing legislation regulating tobacco smoke, preparing model
smokefree policies, and collecting and disseminating accurate data on the economic
impact of smokefree policies;
- Promoting smokefree indoor air as the cultural
norm;
- Designing and implementing educational programs for young people
to encourage them to remain nonsmokers and to help them learn methods for advocating
for smokefree environments;
- Supporting measures that limit the influence
of the tobacco industry on public health policy, including tracking the industry,
its allies and front groups; and
- Supporting litigation where appropriate.
Help us raise a smokefree generation by supporting
the ANR Foundation with your generous donation, or by purchasing our materials
or training services.