Certain requirements must be met for a public health issue to be classified an epidemic. These include a demonstrable negative health impact — and victims. The flu is a yearly epidemic, and opioid addiction is turning rapidly into a serious…

In the 1990s, more than 40 states sued the major tobacco manufacturers to recoup costs allegedly incurred from treating smoking-related illnesses. After years of courtroom battles, the two sides developed the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). Under MSA, the companies agreed…

Efforts to prevent smoking have been remarkably successful in the United States, shrinking the number of smokers from more than 60 percent to almost 15 percent of the adult population — but with an estimated 36.5 million Americans still lighting…

Sacramento The nation’s largest state-based pension fund, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), has long been known for using its investment muscle to push for “socially responsible” investments — and for strong-arming private companies to follow its politically correct…