Story 1: Washington receives an “F” in its efforts for tobacco and nicotine prevention By Meha Singal https://www.dailyuw.com/news/washington-receives-an-f-in-its-efforts-for-tobacco-and-nicotine-prevention/article_f20c15d6-c3c5-11ee-bdff-9f56eeb73348.html
A recent news article discussed the recent development from the American Lung Association regarding the state of Washington’s efforts to diminish Tobacco use. Their efforts were given an “F” indicating the state’s lack of work on trying to solve this issue. Carrie Nyssen, senior director of advocacy for the American Lung Association reminds citizens of the effects this has on the children who must be inoculated due to the overuse of tobacco on a daily basis by Washington residents. Nicotine is an addictive substance users utilize in a variety of ways, but attempting to restrict its use becomes a financial problem. The profit for the State of Washington is said to be around $460 million while only $4.6 million is allocated to the prevention of illnesses produced by tobacco products. In order to thwart this issue, Washington must take more measures to ensure the safety of upcoming generations from secondhand smoke that may inhibit their development. Nyssen relays the prominence of the removal of marketing towards children particularly in the vaping community, where products are created to be flavorful and enticing to younger generations.
Story 2: UW begins officially handing off four apartments to private developer By Julia Park
The project, “W Housing Four Properties (UH4) project” has been in progress since before the summer of 2022 has been approved on November 8th of 2023. Its goals are to lease four of the housing properties owned by the university, accessible to graduates and students with families to a private company known as Greystar. This change will allow lower rent prices, and authorize renovations to UW residence halls. This project will additionally increase the availability of housing with the ever-growing student enrollment rates, and aid in paying off debts for food and housing. Current residents will be relocated during construction to a nearby town. Students have rallied against the buy-out of the private company, accumulating 786 signatures from students in protest. Tiffany Jewel, a low-income graduate student at UW finds this news troubling as she moved with her family in order to obtain subsidized housing, only for this project to be put into action. Existing residents are forced to either accept the terms or vacate their homes. Housing Justice UW seeks financial assistance from the university due to this swift relocation act.
