— A report out today finds that US states overall have cut 15.4% in funding for anti-tobacco programs during the past year. Only one state currently meets the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s funding guidelines: North Dakota. In the words of the movie, Fargo: Ya, you betcha! (U.S. News & World Report)

— The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) is looking to exceed its 50-person cap on staff. The staff limit was set by state Proposition 71, which approved the agency’s creation in 2004. With $1 billion in grants already distributed, and around $2 billion on the table these next few years, CIRM may be looking at administrative hurdles ahead. (California Stem Cell Report)

— Safety data relating to the use of US Food and Drug Administration-approved medications might not be reaching doctors treating children, according to a new study. Although many drug-makers have followed recommendations from the FDA Modernization Act of 1997 and studied side effects among children, a majority of the results haven’t been published or placed on labels. (Reuters)

— An economic study suggests that scientific creativity might be best stimulated when funding isn’t tightly bound to a precise project. A comparison of researchers given broad grants and those who received project-specific grants found that the former group produced more highly cited papers. (Science Insider)

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