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County flavor restrictions associated with reduced smoking by adolescents

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Researchers from Boston College found that county-level restrictions on flavored tobacco products were associated with reduced use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes by adolescents in Massachusetts. The local restrictions limited the sale of flavored tobacco products to adult-only retail tobacco stores.  “Local legislation can reduce adolescent tobacco use, and municipalities should enact stricter tobacco-control policies when [...]

Researchers report estimates of the impacts on the non-Hispanic Black population stemming from a US ban on menthol cigarettes

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Recent studies have estimated the harm of menthol cigarettes in the U.S. from 1980-2018 among both the general population as well as among African Americans specifically, and have estimated the public health impact of a US ban on menthol in cigarettes and cigars in the general population. The FDA’s proposed rule cited these impactful studies [...]

Counter Tools assesses the marketing of flavored tobacco

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Counter Tools and Truth Initiative partnered in 2018 to develop retail tobacco store assessment questions focused on menthol and other flavored products; those questions were later revised to include e-cigarettes. Now, a new report assessing marketing at retailers in five cities in Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio (including Cleveland) is available on-line, with downloadable resources. See [...]

ASPiRE files public comment with FDA on menthol ban

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In an effort led by Sarah Mills, ASPiRE has filed a public comment with the Food and Drug Administration describing the public-health benefits of a comprehensive ban on the sale of menthol-flavored cigarettes, proposed by the FDA in April. The filing cited numerous studies that provide evidence that menthol is associated with the initiation of [...]

Secret pacts between tobacco companies and retailers are a bad bargain for public health

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Tobacco companies handsomely incentivize retailers around the world to follow harsh requirements related to selling and marketing tobacco products through contracts that fly under the radar of both consumers and policymakers. These agreements allow tobacco manufacturers to give their products primary placement in stores, discount their pricing and target specific demographics. Such rigorous control undermines [...]

Cheaper tobacco product prices at US Air Force Bases compared with surrounding community areas, 2019

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This study with ASPiRE authors Kong, Golden, Ribisl, and Vandegrift evaluates compliance with a US Department of Defense (DoD) policy requiring stores on military bases to set tobacco prices comparable to stores in the surrounding community. The authors conducted store audits of 23 on-base and 50 off-base retailers in Texas. They found the median price of [...]

Cigar ad content at stores near middle schools, high schools in California

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Ads for little cigars that implied health claims and featured premium branding and sensory descriptors were found by researchers in retail settings near schools. Although the FDA prohibits using inaccurate, reduced-risk descriptors on tobacco product advertising, researchers visiting 530 retailers near California middle and high schools photographed and content analyzed cigar ads, finding 44% of [...]