Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1136/tc-2023-058469
Sven Eric Jordt, Sairam V Jabba, Patricia J Zettler, Micah L Berman
{"title":"Spree Bar, a vaping system delivering a synthetic nicotine analogue, marketed in the USA as 'PMTA exempt'.","authors":"Sven Eric Jordt, Sairam V Jabba, Patricia J Zettler, Micah L Berman","doi":"10.1136/tc-2023-058469","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2023-058469","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"414-418"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11408701/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140159105","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1136/tc-2023-058353
Philip Gendall, Lucy Popova, James Thrasher, Janet Hoek
{"title":"Nicotine beliefs and perceptions of low nicotine labels and mitigating statements among people who do and do not smoke: a cross-sectional study from Aotearoa New Zealand.","authors":"Philip Gendall, Lucy Popova, James Thrasher, Janet Hoek","doi":"10.1136/tc-2023-058353","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2023-058353","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Aotearoa New Zealand proposed a new maximum nicotine content of 0.8 mg/g for smoked tobacco products, although the new government plans to repeal this legislation. Requiring 'Very low nicotine' (VLN) messages on cigarettes meeting this standard may reinforce misperceptions that they are less harmful than cigarettes currently sold.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To explore knowledge of nicotine and very low nicotine cigarettes (VLNCs), and perceptions of cigarette packs featuring different low nicotine messages (eg, 'Very low nicotine') and mitigating statements (eg, 'No cigarettes are safe'), we surveyed 354 people who smoked, 142 who formerly smoked, and 214 people who had never smoked regularly.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Around half of all respondents believed VLNCs were less harmful than regular cigarettes and around two-thirds incorrectly thought nicotine causes most of the related health problems resulting from smoking. Nearly a third thought VLNCs would be <i>less</i> harmful than regular cigarettes; 34% believed they would be just as harmful. Mitigating statements did not affect perceptions of people who smoked, although people who formerly, or who had never smoked regularly, perceived mitigating statements referring to poisons and cancer as significantly more likely than the VLN message to discourage smoking.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Misunderstanding of VLNCs as less harmful than regular cigarettes is widespread; VLN messages may reinforce this misperception, which mitigating statements did not correct among people who smoke. As an alternative to VLN messages, policy makers could consider introducing VLNCs on a specified date and developing public information campaigns; these measures would avoid phase-in confusion and obviate the need for VLN messaging.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"323-329"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139404513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1136/tc-2023-058143
Rumana Huque, Fatema Kashfi, Ibrahim Khalil, Hamidul Islam, Syed Mahbubul Alam, Nasiruddin Ahmed
{"title":"Perspectives on reforming the tobacco tax administration system in Bangladesh to enhance public health.","authors":"Rumana Huque, Fatema Kashfi, Ibrahim Khalil, Hamidul Islam, Syed Mahbubul Alam, Nasiruddin Ahmed","doi":"10.1136/tc-2023-058143","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2023-058143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Taxation is the most cost-effective instrument to regulate the consumption of tobacco products. However, weak tax administration can compromise the effectiveness of taxation. This paper aimed to understand the process of the current tobacco tax administration system in Bangladesh, identify gaps and outline the policy priorities to strengthen the tobacco tax administration process in Bangladesh.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A sequential qualitative study was conducted in two linked phases: (a) document review and evidence synthesis; and (b) 20 key informant interviews and one workshop with relevant stakeholders to validate the findings generated from both phases.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The complex tax system combined with weak tax administration leads to tax evasion in Bangladesh. The processes of procuring and collecting banderoles and tax stamps vary between cigarette and biri companies, and across large and small tax-paying companies. The use of banderoles at the factory level is maintained manually, and there is no system to routinely verify the authenticity of banderoles. Many unregistered small-scale tobacco manufacturing units often reuse the banderoles on new packs. Shortage of staff with inadequate training at the National Board of Revenue restricts adequate tobacco market monitoring. Electronic tax stamps and banderoles combined with a secure digital tracking and tracing system should be introduced to better monitor the supply, distribution and sale of tobacco products. Training needs to be provided to develop capacity of relevant officials.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The tobacco tax administration needs to be strengthened to increase the government's tobacco tax revenue and protect public health.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"335-340"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12128754/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139098677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1136/tc-2024-058718
Amanda Y Kong, Joseph G L Lee, Sarah M Halvorson-Fried, Kerry B Sewell, Shelley Diane Golden, Lisa Henriksen, Lily Herbert, Kurt M Ribisl
{"title":"Neighbourhood inequities in the availability of retailers selling tobacco products: a systematic review.","authors":"Amanda Y Kong, Joseph G L Lee, Sarah M Halvorson-Fried, Kerry B Sewell, Shelley Diane Golden, Lisa Henriksen, Lily Herbert, Kurt M Ribisl","doi":"10.1136/tc-2024-058718","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2024-058718","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To examine inequities in tobacco retailer availability by neighbourhood-level socioeconomic, racial/ethnic and same-sex couple composition.</p><p><strong>Data sources: </strong>We conducted a 10 November 2022 search of PubMed, PsycINFO, Global Health, LILACS, Embase, ABI/Inform, CINAHL, Business Source Complete, Web of Science and Scopus.</p><p><strong>Study selection: </strong>We included records from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries that tested associations of area-level measures of tobacco retailer availability and neighbourhood-level sociodemographic characteristics. Two coders reviewed the full text of eligible records (n=58), including 41 records and 205 effect sizes for synthesis.</p><p><strong>Data extraction: </strong>We used dual independent screening of titles, abstracts and full texts. One author abstracted and a second author confirmed the study design, location, unit of analysis, sample size, retailer data source, availability measure, statistical approach, sociodemographic characteristic and unadjusted effect sizes.</p><p><strong>Data synthesis: </strong>Of the 124 effect sizes related to socioeconomic inequities (60.5% of all effect sizes), 101 (81.5%) indicated evidence of inequities. Of 205 effect sizes, 69 (33.7%) tested associations between retailer availability and neighbourhood composition of racially and ethnically minoritised people, and 57/69 (82.6%) documented inequities. Tobacco availability was greater in neighbourhoods with more Black, Hispanic/Latine and Asian residents (82.8%, 90.3% and 40.0% of effect sizes, respectively). Two effect sizes found greater availability with more same-sex households.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>There are stark inequities in tobacco retailer availability. Moving beyond documenting inequities to partnering with communities to design, implement, and evaluate interventions that reduce and eliminate inequities in retail availability is needed to promote an equitable retail environment.</p><p><strong>Prospero registration number: </strong>CRD42019124984.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":"350-360"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12128782/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141470935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-05-14DOI: 10.1136/tc-2024-058913
Janet Hoek, Renee Hosking, Anna Graham-DeMello, Carissa Sanders, Lani Teddy, Jude Ball, Yvette van der Eijk, Karine Gallopel-Morvan
{"title":"Removing or returning freedom? Views on a nicotine-free generation policy held by young people from aotearoa who use electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).","authors":"Janet Hoek, Renee Hosking, Anna Graham-DeMello, Carissa Sanders, Lani Teddy, Jude Ball, Yvette van der Eijk, Karine Gallopel-Morvan","doi":"10.1136/tc-2024-058913","DOIUrl":"10.1136/tc-2024-058913","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>International interest in a smokefree generation policy has grown as more local authorities and governments move to introduce this policy. Young people strongly support this measure, but we know less about how they view a nicotine-free generation policy that includes electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). We addressed this gap by probing adolescents' views on a birth-year policy that included all nicotine products.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We undertook in-depth interviews with 20 adolescents aged 16-18 who self-assessed as moderately or severely addicted to vaping and lived in Aotearoa New Zealand. In semistructured interviews, we explored participants' views on a nicotine-free generation, its rationale, implementation and likely impact. We interpreted the data using a reflexive thematic analysis approach.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most participants supported a nicotine-free generation, rejected arguments that ENDS use was a 'choice', and called for government leadership to protect them and future generations; a small minority saw the measure as unwarranted interference. Several participants thought compliance would be low, given their experiences of lax age verification practices and the widespread social supply of ENDS, but suggested measures to improve compliance.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Although participants thought a nicotine-free generation could impose personal hardship, most privileged the freedom they thought it could bring over the illusory 'choice' they currently had. Policy-makers should consider looking beyond a smokefree generation to a nicotine-free generation; alongside this measure, they should implement strong enforcement and provide comprehensive support so young people addicted to nicotine can be empowered to stop using ENDS.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143190357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-05-14DOI: 10.1136/tc-2025-059338
Meagan O'Neill Robichaud, Kevin R J Schroth, Michael B Steinberg, Cristine D Delnevo
{"title":"Unauthorised therapeutic claims on e-cigarette and nicotine pouch company websites in the USA.","authors":"Meagan O'Neill Robichaud, Kevin R J Schroth, Michael B Steinberg, Cristine D Delnevo","doi":"10.1136/tc-2025-059338","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2025-059338","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144080436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-05-13DOI: 10.1136/tc-2025-059290
Zaineb Danish Sheikh, J Robert Branston, Lilia Olefir, Kevin Welding
{"title":"Examining cigarette, heated tobacco and e-cigarette market pricing and tax pass-through in Ukraine during the 2019-2022 tax reforms.","authors":"Zaineb Danish Sheikh, J Robert Branston, Lilia Olefir, Kevin Welding","doi":"10.1136/tc-2025-059290","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2025-059290","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>This study offers a comprehensive examination of the pricing strategies/dynamics used by the tobacco/nicotine industry in response to tax increases using Ukraine as a case study during the 2019-2022 tax reforms. This period saw the introduction of new tax categories for heated tobacco products (HTPs) and electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) with concomitant tax increases. This is the first systematic consideration of taxation on these products. The primary objectives are to examine how tax changes influence product pricing and how HTPs are priced vis-a-vis cigarettes, particularly in the context of harmonisedspecific tax rates.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>NielsenIQ monthly price and sales data for cigarettes, HTPs, and e-cigs, along with official tax data, were used. Tax pass-through analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between tax increases and retail prices by market segment, with net revenue calculations used to evaluate impacts.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The industry usually overshifted taxes on cigarettes (mid-price and premium), HTPs, and e-cigs while undershifting on economy cigarettes during the study period. However, a big HTP tax increase in 2021 was not overshifted to a great extent. The industry also employed a price-smoothing strategy where initial price increases following tax increases were kept moderate, with further increases introduced gradually throughout the year.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study shows that the industry has used tax increases on HTPs and e-cigs as an opportunity to raise prices but with lower net revenue per stick. The findings suggest that fully harmonising HTP taxes with those on traditional cigarettes could limit the industry's pricing strategies and hence help reduce consumption and generate additional government revenue.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144064482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-05-08DOI: 10.1136/tc-2025-059322
Valentine Ballmer, Luca Notari, Luc Lebon
{"title":"Test purchases of tobacco with minors in the Canton of Vaud (Switzerland) in 2023 and 2024.","authors":"Valentine Ballmer, Luca Notari, Luc Lebon","doi":"10.1136/tc-2025-059322","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2025-059322","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144050058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tobacco ControlPub Date : 2025-05-08DOI: 10.1136/tc-2024-059019
Tyler Nighbor, Shanshan Wang, Zheng Xue, Samuel Asare, Eva Orr-Souza, Minal Patel, Priti Bandi, Johann Lee Westmaas, Ahmedin Jemal, Nigar Nargis
{"title":"Electronic cigarette use, related health outcomes and policy interventions in the USA: a call for research to fill evidence gaps.","authors":"Tyler Nighbor, Shanshan Wang, Zheng Xue, Samuel Asare, Eva Orr-Souza, Minal Patel, Priti Bandi, Johann Lee Westmaas, Ahmedin Jemal, Nigar Nargis","doi":"10.1136/tc-2024-059019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1136/tc-2024-059019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The population-level health consequences of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use are heavily debated. This special communication provides updated evidence and identifies knowledge gaps across domains including: (1) health-related outcomes associated with e-cigarette use; (2) initiation and use of e-cigarettes among youth and young adults; (3) concurrent use of electronic and combustible cigarettes; (4) transitions from combustible cigarette use to exclusive e-cigarette use among adults who currently smoke cigarettes and (5) existing e-cigarette-related policy interventions. Literature was searched through PubMed and Medline for systematic reviews, scoping reviews, meta-analyses and primary research articles including emerging topics not covered in reviews published between 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2024. E-cigarette use is associated with several adverse acute health outcomes; there is currently insufficient longitudinal evidence to predict chronic health outcomes. Prevalence of e-cigarette use among youth is considerable and may be associated with subsequent combustible cigarette smoking. Evidence for the health and behavioural impact of dual use of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes is limited by imprecise measurement of exposure. Evidence on adults completely substituting combustible cigarettes for e-cigarettes is strong in clinical trials; observational studies do not show complete substitution. Finally, the effects of e-cigarette-related policy interventions to restrict e-cigarette consumption are currently limited in scope and too short-lived to draw causal inferences. Substantial evidence gaps related to the use, associated health impacts and regulation of e-cigarettes in the USA are identified, and we suggest key areas for future research to address that are crucial for informing the public health approach to e-cigarettes.</p>","PeriodicalId":23145,"journal":{"name":"Tobacco Control","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144045088","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}