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2023: New York City Makes It Illegal To Discriminate Against Weight And Height

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BRAND NEW YORK — Weight and height were added to the list of protected groups such as race, sex, and religion by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Friday, making them off-limits to discrimination.

At a bill-signing ceremony held in City Hall, the mayor and other elected officials and weight-acceptance campaigners argued that people of all sizes should be afforded equal access to employment, housing, and public accommodations.

Adams, a Democrat who wrote a book on how he reversed his diabetes with a plant-based diet, praised the rule, saying it “will help level the playing field for all New Yorkers, create more inclusive workplaces and living environments, and protect against discrimination.”

This month, the city council passed an ordinance that makes exceptions for those whose height or weight would make it impossible for them to do their jobs.

When the council considered the bill, some business leaders spoke out against it, saying that complying would be too much of a hassle.

weight

At a bill-signing ceremony held in City Hall, the mayor and other elected officials and weight-acceptance.

“The extent of the impact and cost of this legislation has not been fully considered,” said Kathy Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City.

San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Madison, Wisconsin, are just a few U.S. cities that have passed anti-discrimination measures protecting residents based on weight weight and physical appearance. New Jersey and Massachusetts are just two states where lawmakers have proposed size and height discrimination bans.

The president of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, Tigress Osborn, has stated that the anti-discrimination ordinance passed in New York City should serve as an example for the rest of the country and the world.

According to Osborn, the city’s decision to pass the new rule “will ripple across the globe” and prove that “discrimination against people based on their body size is wrong and is something that we can change.”

The ordinance’s effective date is November 22nd, 180 days from now.

SOURCE – (AP)

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2024: France Becomes World’s First Country To Enshrine Abortion Rights In Constitution

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ABORTION RIGHTS: On Monday, France became the first country in the world to codify abortion rights in its constitution, marking the end of a campaign that began in direct response to the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Lawmakers in both chambers of the French Parliament voted 780 to 72 in favour of the measure, easily passing the three-fifths majority required to change the French Constitution.

The vote on Monday, taken during a special session of parliamentarians at the Palace of Versailles southwest of Paris, marked the end of the parliamentary process. The French Senate and National Assembly decisively adopted the measure earlier this year.

abortion

France Becomes World’s First Country To Enshrine Abortion Rights In Constitution

According to the amendment, abortion is “guaranteed freedom” in France. Some organizations and lawmakers had advocated for stronger language to expressly label abortion as a “right.”

Lawmakers lauded the decision as a historic opportunity for France to send a clear message of support for reproductive rights, while abortion is under threat in the United States and in areas of Europe, such as Hungary, where far-right parties have risen to power.

Following the vote, the Eiffel Tower lit up with the words “my body, my choice.”

Before the vote, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said MPs owed a “moral debt” to women who had previously been compelled to undergo illegal abortions.

“Above all, we’re sending a message to all women: your body belongs to you,” she stated.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the government would organize a formal ceremony on Friday, International Women’s Rights Day, to commemorate the amendment’s approval.

Following a campaign by Simone Veil, an Auschwitz survivor who later rose to prominence as one of France’s most well-known feminist figures, the country first legalized abortion in 1975.

While abortion is a contentious topic in American politics, sometimes dividing voters along party lines, it is largely supported in France. Many of the legislators who voted against the amendment did so not because they opposed abortion but because they believed the legislation was excessive, given the widespread support for reproductive rights.

abortion

France Becomes World’s First Country To Enshrine Abortion Rights In Constitution

The measure’s ratification is a clear triumph for the French left, which has been campaigning for years to include abortion rights in the constitution. Before 2022, President Emmanuel Macron’s government maintained, like the amendment’s current opponents, that the move was unnecessary.

However, France was compelled to act when the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and allowed states to determine the matter on their own.

Before the debate began in the National Assembly in January, French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti stated that history was full of examples of “fundamental rights” that were thought to be safe but later taken away, “as we were recently reminded by the decision of the US Supreme Court.”

He went on to say, “We now have irrefutable proof that no democracy, not even the largest of them all, is immune.”

The voting represents the 25th amendment to the French constitution since the Fifth Republic’s inception in 1958.

abortion

France Becomes World’s First Country To Enshrine Abortion Rights In Constitution

The Catholic Church was one of the few groups opposing the amendment. The Pontifical Academy for Life, a Vatican agency that deals with bioethics concerns, said in a statement that “in the era of universal human rights, there can be no ‘right’ to take human life.”

A conference of French bishops on Thursday reaffirmed the church’s opposition to abortion ahead of the referendum.

SOURCE – (CNN)

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Ozempic Is Coming For Gyms. Here’s How They’re Responding

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OZEMPIC: America’s gyms are changing their approach as more members use weight loss medicines.

Luxury gyms such as LifeTime are acquiring weight loss clinics with doctors who can prescribe GLP-1s, a powerful new class of medications that have proven extremely effective in helping people lose weight. Equinox is developing exercise programs specifically for people taking the medications.

ozempic

Ozempic Is Coming For Gyms. Here’s How They’re Responding

The industry is facing a big transformation as Baby Boomers age out of the normal gym-going populace, and new drugs make it simpler to lose weight. Oprah’s well-known WeightWatchers commercials are gone (the company’s stock dropped last week after she announced her resignation from the board), and doctors and strength training are in.

Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 prescription medications have spread throughout the country’s affluent populations. During the final three months of 2022, US healthcare providers wrote over 9 million prescriptions for Wegovy and other injectable weight loss medications. According to JPMorgan researchers, 30 million people in the United States may be on GLP-1 drugs by 2030, accounting for approximately 9% of the population.

While the total impact of GLP-1s is unknown, gyms want to ensure they are included in the transition to weight reduction medicines. The industry has previously made billions of dollars from people who want to lose weight.

However, gyms are still mostly about muscle development. Ozempic Muscle loss is a typical side effect experienced by some people using these drugs. So, gyms are now marketing their brands to existing members who indicate they are on GLP-1s, hoping to add memberships in the future when people on these prescriptions look to maintain and grow muscle.

Some analysts believe Planet Fitness and other low-cost gym businesses will gain from the growth of these drugs as prices fall. Currently, most Americans cannot afford GLP-1 drugs, which cost $1,000 or more per month.

ozempic

Ozempic Is Coming For Gyms. Here’s How They’re Responding

“In a world where GLP-1s become widely available, gyms from Planet Fitness to the highest-end brands are likely to launch marketing campaigns aimed at increasing their membership bases,” said Simeon Siegel, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets, who follows fitness companies.

Weight loss specialists and personal trainers
Life Time has opened a clinic where members can receive personalized weight loss instruction and access to doctors who can prescribe GLP-1 drugs to those who qualify.

People taking GLP-1s “will want the right professional facilities, professional personal trainers, and nutritionists to help them,” said Bahram Akradi, CEO of Life Time, during an earnings call on Wednesday. We are confident that this [GLP-1] mega trend will be particularly positive for Life Time.”

Equinox has launched a “GLP-1 protocol,” a personal training program for members using these medications to preserve muscle mass. The corporation stated that it created the initiative to respond to member inquiries about GLP-1s.

According to Equinox, the plan offers a “targeted fitness program [that] can help you retain and build muscle during the process.”

Xponential Fitness, which owns boutique brands like Club Pilates, Rumble, and Pure Barre, has bought a chain of weight loss medical clinics in Southern California staffed by doctors who can prescribe GLP-1s.

Budget gyms, such as Planet Fitness, believe GLP-1s will help them recruit first-time gym customers who wish to prevent muscle loss. Some analysts agree.

“If this goes mainstream, I believe gyms and fitness centers will find a brand new set of potential members,” Siegel said. “This could bring in people who never stepped foot into the gym into having a new view of your health.”

However, some fitness industry watchers believe it is too early to determine how GLP-1 users would exercise and the influence on clubs.

“It is still too early to discuss the use of weight loss drugs and the role of clubs,” said Rick Caro, president of Management Vision, a fitness consulting organization.

ozempic

Ozempic Is Coming For Gyms. Here’s How They’re Responding

Industries planning for the Olympic future
The gym business is one of many attempting to prepare for a future where more individuals use such substances.

These medications, glucagon-like peptide 1 or GLP-1 receptor agonists, were created to treat type 2 diabetes. (Ozempic has not been licensed for weight loss by regulators, but a comparable medicine, Wegovy, has.)

WeightWatchers has introduced a new membership plan for individuals that provides access to doctors who can prescribe these drugs. It also paid over $100 million to acquire Sequence, a telemedicine company that provides patients with virtual prescriptions for these weight reduction medications when appropriate.

Food firms also expect GLP-1 consumers to buy fewer sugary snacks and beverages.

Last year, JPMorgan reported that current GLP-1 users purchased approximately 8% less food — including snacks, soft drinks, and high-carb goods — than those who did not take these drugs.

Nestlé intends to invest more in nutritional goods that it claims provide “benefits” to those taking GLP-1 medications, such as its Opifast high-protein drinks.

SOURCE – (CNN)

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Zyn Nicotine Pouches Are All Over TikTok, Sparking Debate Among Politicians And Health Experts

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Washington — The latest tobacco product selling online, Zyn, is a little pouch containing nicotine and flavours.

However, it has sparked a controversy among lawmakers, parents, and pundits, reflecting an increasingly complex picture in which Big Tobacco actively promotes alternative products while specialists grapple with their possible benefits and risks.

Zyn is available in mint, coffee, and citrus flavours and is marketed to adult tobacco users by Philip Morris International. However, videos of young people popping the pouches have received millions of views on TikTok and other social media platforms.

zyn

Zyn Nicotine Pouches Are All Over TikTok, Sparking Debate Among Politicians And Health Experts

Advocates are concerned that Zyn may become the newest nicotine product to entice underage kids, similar to how Juul sparked a years-long surge in vaping activity. Other scientists contend that the possibility of preventing people from using cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products, which result in 480,000 deaths each year in the United States, balances the risk.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result,” explained Dr. Jasjit Ahluwalia, an addiction specialist at Brown University. “That is how we’ve dealt with tobacco for decades. We’ve been all about abstinence, rather than promoting products that can prevent harm.”

Ahluwalia sees nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes as a means to assist smokers in reducing or quitting smoking.

That strategy is common in the United Kingdom, but it is not part of the medical mainstream in the United States, where only pharmaceutical-grade drugs such as nicotine gum and lozenges are officially allowed to assist smokers in quitting.

According to Ahluwalia, Zyn works like those products do: it releases modest quantities of nicotine, which are absorbed into the gums and reduce cravings. He emphasizes that the main distinction is that Philip Morris, the largest cigarette manufacturer in the world and a longtime foe of anti-smoking organizations, offers Zyn.

The Zyn debate has now spilt over into politics, pitting Democrats and Republicans in Washington against one another and sparking yet another conflict in the country’s culture war.

In late January, Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York urged regulators to look into Zyn, stressing its attraction to teenagers. Several House Republicans then warned residents that “Big Brother” planned to “ban nicotine.”

Tucker Carlson, a Zyn user, joined the fray, stating, “Zyn is not a sin,” praising its unverified benefits, such as “enhancing male vitality and mental acuity.”

Zyn users immediately evolved their online lexicon, which includes terms like “zynnies,” “zynner,” and “zynsky.”

Ollie Ganz, a tobacco and nicotine researcher at Rutgers University, said that there is a young male-led online subculture around Zyn, but much of that is not coming from the brand itself.

Online videos show young people chronicling their first Zyn experiences, comparing different taste combinations, and showcasing heaping stacks of used canisters.

“It’s concerning to see the countless Zyn-related memes and hashtags that are being amplified and normalized across social media,” said Kathy Crosby, CEO of the Truth Initiative, an anti-tobacco advocacy group.

Truth and other groups cite data indicating that nicotine can interfere with adolescent brain development.

The Food and Drug Administration’s responsible for balancing Zyn’s hazards to children with its potential to benefit adults.

According to an FDA representative, the government is monitoring underage use, with 1.5% of high school and middle school students reporting using pouches last year. That is well below the 10% who use e-cigarettes.

zyn

Zyn Nicotine Pouches Are All Over TikTok, Sparking Debate Among Politicians And Health Experts

The FDA has allowed Zyn to remain on the market while they assess Philip Morris’ marketing application, which has been waiting since 2020. If teen use continues low, the company may be able to obtain FDA approval for at least part of its products, which are available in several strengths and a dozen flavours.

In 2019, the FDA granted its first reduced-risk classification to a similar product: snus, a tobacco pouch popular in Sweden that has fewer carcinogens than cigarettes. The FDA stated that smokers who switch to snus lessen their risk of lung cancer, bronchitis, and other ailments.

Zyn eliminates the tobacco leaves contained in snus, leaving only nicotine, which Philip Morris claims boosts its attractiveness.

“People may be hesitant to switch to an oral tobacco product if they believe it is similar to traditional chewing tobacco,” business spokesman Corey Henry explained. “Consumer acceptability is a big part of Zyn.”

Henry says Philip Morris does not market Zyn through internet influencers or endorsements. The website is only available to people over the age of 21. Flavours such as cinnamon and peppermint are “familiar to adults,” Henry added.

Zyn launched in the United States in 2014, but sales have skyrocketed in the last year, producing $1.8 billion as shipments increased by more than 60% yearly.

On a November call with retailers, a firm executive described the rise as “gonzo” and “lights out.”

“I did not see this coming. “I don’t know anyone who did,” said Joseph Teller, the head of oral tobacco products.

zyn

Zyn Nicotine Pouches Are All Over TikTok, Sparking Debate Among Politicians And Health Experts

Zyn’s advertisements emphasize the pouches’ unobtrusive and convenient nature as a “smoke-free,” “spit-free” alternative for smokers “at work” or “on the move.”

However, to achieve the company’s claimed objective of a “smoke-free future,” Zyn will need to assist customers in completely quitting cigarettes rather than cycling between them.

There is limited research on switching, and preliminary findings show there may be better solutions than pouches.

Researchers at Ohio State University recently discovered that it took smokers 30 minutes to an hour to receive enough nicotine from Zyn to satisfy their cravings. Cigarette smokers achieved the same nicotine levels—and relief—in five minutes.

“The pouches we studied, especially those with lower nicotine concentrations, did not appear to meet the needs of smokers,” stated study leader Brittney Keller-Hamilton. “That being said, they didn’t totally flop either.”

For the time being, smokers who have found success with Zyn are hoping it remains available.

Last spring, while working as a bartender in Portland, Oregon, Justin Wafer, 39, was smoking one pack every day. On hectic days, he would vape instead of taking a smoke break.

But, when his reloadable electronic cigarette failed in May, he tried Zyn. He now pops a pouch every three to four hours and claims to have not smoked in over nine months.

“I don’t see how it’s any different from pharmaceutical solutions like lozenges or gum,” he said. “Except it’s easier to get and tastes better.”

SOURCE – (AP)

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