Public Health Law Blog Archive

Addiction carries a greater stigma than most other diseases, often ostracizing those affected and producing discriminatory policies, including employment practices. But, to a certain extent, federal law prohibits such discrimination.

Local government planners have historically played an important role in preventing and curbing dangerous health conditions such as cholera, yellow fever and diphtheria. Today, planners have the opportunity to address chronic health issues, including coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke.

Last month the Food and Drug Administration took an important step to protect the health of the country by initiating a ban on the use of trans fatty acid as a cooking agent in foods. So what does this mean for local and state governments who have already taken actions to regulate trans fat?

The United States’ drug approval process is recognized as a “gold standard” worldwide. This standard is upheld by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but is it restricting the development of new drugs to treat rare diseases?

On June 25, the Supreme Court upheld a key element of the Affordable Care Act, allowing millions of low- and middle-income Americans to use any exchange – state or federal – to enroll in a health plan and obtain financial assistance to pay their health insurance premiums. The Court’s decision provides some important takeaways.

Produce safety has been a hot topic since President Obama signed the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) into law in 2011. FSMA required the FDA to issue proposed produce safety regulations. The FDA recently issued a proposed supplemental rule to amend their original proposal. While the revisions did not address all of the public’s concerns, they did tackle some critical issues.