Non-compliant packaging and illicit smokeless tobacco in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan: findings of a pack analysis
Conclusions
Weak and poorly enforced ST control policies may be slowing the progress of tobacco control in South Asia. Standardised regulations are required for packaging and labelling ST. Improving compliance and reducing sale of cheap illicit products may require business licensing and market surveillance. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - April 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Abdullah, S. M., Huque, R., Siddiqi, K., Kanaan, M., Huque, S., Ullah, S., Garg, S., Singh, M. M., Deshmukh, C., Borle, A. L., Iqbal, R., Mazhar, L., Parascandola, M., Mehrotra, R., Croucher, R., Khan, Z. Tags: Open access Original research Source Type: research
Messaging about very low nicotine cigarettes (VLNCs) to influence policy attitudes, harm perceptions and smoking motivations: a discrete choice experiment
Conclusion
Harm and chemical information can be prioritised to ensure VLNCs are not misperceived as less harmful than regular cigarettes. Messages about increased quitting efficacy and reduced addictiveness associated with VLNCs may backfire if presented to those who do not smoke. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - April 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Reynolds, R. M., Popova, L., Ashley, D. L., Henderson, K. C., Ntansah, C. A., Yang, B., Hackworth, E. E., Hardin, J., Thrasher, J. Tags: Open access Original research Source Type: research
Towards tobacco-free retailers: feasibility of an intervention encouraging retailers to stop selling tobacco in Tasmania
Conclusion
Our study suggests that a non-regulatory intervention targeting low volume retailers to end tobacco sales may help to reduce the retail availability of tobacco. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - April 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Smith, A. L., Mihrshahi, S., Martin-Gall, V. A., Brkic, M., Veitch, M. G., Freeman, B. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Longitudinal bidirectional association between youth electronic cigarette use and tobacco cigarette smoking initiation in Thailand
Conclusions
This longitudinal study in Asian low-income and middle-income countries supports the prospective association of youth e-cigarette use with subsequent smoking initiation and youth cigarette use with subsequent e-cigarette initiation that is similar to that observed in high-income Western countries. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - April 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Patanavanich, R., Worawattanakul, M., Glantz, S. Tags: Original research Source Type: research
Impact of the European Unions menthol cigarette ban on smoking cessation outcomes: longitudinal findings from the 2020-2021 ITC Netherlands Surveys
Conclusions
The EU menthol ban was effective in reducing menthol use and in increasing quit attempts and quitting among pre-ban menthol smokers. Impact could be maximised by closing gaps that allow post-ban menthol cigarette use. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - April 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Kyriakos, C. N., Driezen, P., Fong, G., Chung-Hall, J., Hyland, A., Geboers, C., Quah, A. C. K., Willemsen, M. C., Filippidis, F. T. Tags: Open access Original research Source Type: research
Projecting the impact of implementation of WHO MPOWER measures on smoking prevalence and mortality in Japan
Conclusions
To bring forward the elimination of tobacco smoking and substantially reduce smoking-related deaths, the government of Japan should fulfil its commitment to the FCTC and adopt stringent tobacco control measures delineated by MPOWER and beyond. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - April 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Yang, S. L., Togawa, K., Gilmour, S., Leon, M. E., Soerjomataram, I., Katanoda, K. Tags: Open access Original research Source Type: research
Factors associated with smoking behaviour changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: a 6-month follow-up study
Conclusion
During the pandemic, dual cigarette and HTP use increased smoking intensity, whereas HTP-only use was associated with quitting but fear of COVID-19 and not having a home smoking ban made it harder to quit. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - April 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Yamamoto, T., Abbas, H., Kanai, M., Yokoyama, T., Tabuchi, T. Tags: COVID-19 Original research Source Type: research
Worldwide news and comment
All articles written by Karen Evans-Reeves and Ruth Canty unless otherwise attributed. Ideas and items for News Analysis should be sent to k.a.evans reeves@bath.ac.uk GLOBAL The 10th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) took place in Panama City in February 2024 to review global progress in tobacco control to date and to deliberate on future measures (figure 1). Delegates from 142 member Parties attended alongside public health organisations from across the globe. The following stories feature key decisions and outcomes from COP10. Figure 1The 10th s...
Source: Tobacco Control - April 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Evans-Reeves, K., Canty, R. Tags: TC News analysis Source Type: research
Ensuring a safe, tobacco free future for the young: protecting children from tobacco industry interference
The tobacco industry needs to replace the eight million people who use tobacco1 and die every year from tobacco-related diseases. These are often recruited among the young, since 9 out of 10 people who smoke start before the age of 18.2 Young customers keep the industry viable. The WHO estimates over 40 million children aged 13–15 years use tobacco.3 While most governments have implemented measures to protect minors from tobacco use in accordance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the fight to protect the young remains intense as the tobacco industry continues to target youth. The tobacco in...
Source: Tobacco Control - April 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Assunta, M., Chamberlain, P. Tags: Open access Editorial Source Type: research
Correction: Reducing attractiveness of e-liquids: proposal for a restrictive list of tobacco-related flavourings
Discussion under subheading 'Potential impact of proposal on manufacturers and users'. The revised text should have read as follows: We found that for 0.2% of the tobacco-flavoured e-liquids without secondary flavours, all of their flavourings used are on the proposed list. Therefore, these products would be allowed to remain on the market with their current composition. 77.3% of the tobacco-flavoured e-liquids contain one or more flavourings that are not on the proposed list. For these liquids, manufacturers would have the option to adapt the composition using only (combinations of) the allowed flavourings. For the remain...
Source: Tobacco Control - March 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Tags: Open access Correction Source Type: research
JUUL and its 'Action Network attempt to prevent a local flavour ban
Tobacco control policies that restrict the sale of flavoured commercial tobacco products (‘flavor bans’) are becoming increasingly popular in the USA. Cities such as Chicago, Minneapolis and Washington DC, as well as the states of California and Massachusetts, have recently enacted restrictions on the sale of flavoured e-cigarettes and menthol cigarettes. Because flavours play a major role in youth initiation of tobacco (improving product taste and appeal, masking harshness),1–8 flavour bans have strong potential to curb youth tobacco use. Indeed, flavour bans are associated with reduced adolescent and yo...
Source: Tobacco Control - March 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Roberts, M. E., Patterson, J. G., Keller-Hamilton, B. L., Ferketich, A. K., Singer, J. M., Zettler, P. J. Tags: Industry watch Source Type: research
Tobacco-free blunt wraps: a regulatory conundrum
Cigars (eg, large manufactured cigars, cigarillos) are among the most used combustible tobacco products in the USA.1 2 Some of the popularity of cigars may be driven by the ability to modify them to smoke cannabis ‘blunts’ (ie, hollowed-out cigars filled with cannabis or a mixture of tobacco and cannabis).3–5 Smoking blunts could expose users to greater levels of carcinogens than smoking either cannabis or tobacco alone,6 and, among adolescents and young adults who smoke cigarettes and use cannabis, those who use blunts have greater dependence on nicotine and cannabis than those who use cannabis in forms ...
Source: Tobacco Control - March 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Kong, G., Morean, M. E., Davis, D. R., Bold, K. W., Krishnan-Sarin, S. Tags: Industry watch Source Type: research
Perception of heated tobacco products and support for regulations: a cross-sectional study in Hong Kong
Conclusions
Lower support for HTP regulations and a total ban on sale were associated with perceptions of reduced harm and effectiveness for quitting CCs of HTPs in Hong Kong. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - March 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Wu, Y. S., Cheung, Y. T. D., Ho, S. Y., Tong, H. S. C., Lai, V. W. Y., Lam, T. H., Wang, M. P. Tags: Brief report Source Type: research
Illicit cigarette purchasing after implementation of menthol cigarette bans in Canada: findings from the 2016-2018 ITC Four Country Smoking and Vaping Surveys
Conclusions
Actual rates of brand-verified menthol smoking were substantially lower than self-reported rates at post-ban. After Canada’s menthol ban, there was no increase in illicit purchasing of menthol or non-menthol cigarettes from First Nations reserves. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - March 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Chung-Hall, J., Fong, G. T., Meng, G., Craig, L. V. Tags: Open access Brief report Source Type: research
Should menthol e-cigarettes be banned? Reaction of adult smokers and users of e-cigarettes to hypothetical bans
Conclusions
Our results indicate that a ban on menthol cigarettes and flavoured cigars would decrease smoking. However, it is unclear if adding a ban of menthol e-cigarettes would lead to additional benefits because without menthol e-cigarettes as an alternative, some smokers and e-cigarette users may switch to non-flavoured tobacco smoking, rather than quit all tobacco use. (Source: Tobacco Control)
Source: Tobacco Control - March 19, 2024 Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Yang, Y., Lindblom, E. N., Ward, K. D., Salloum, R. G. Tags: Brief report Source Type: research
