The Effect of State and Local Flavored Cigar Sales Restrictions, on Retail Sales of Large Cigars, Cigarillos, and Little Cigars in Massachusetts, California, Illinois, and New York.

INTRODUCTION: In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act prohibited flavored cigarettes but allowed for flavored cigars. Since, there has been a 34% increase in youth cigar use and widened racial disparities. State and local jurisdictions have increasingly enacted flavored tobacco product sales restrictions. As more jurisdictions consider implementing flavor restrictions, it is important to understand their effect on tobacco markets that have high flavor proliferation, including the cigar market. AIMS AND METHODS: This study uses data from Truth Initiative's flavor policy database and NielsenIQ retailer scanners for California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and New York. We use a three-way fixed-effect model to assess the impact of the percentage of the population covered by a flavored cigar sales restriction on per capita unit sales of cigars. RESULTS: We find that population coverage by cigar sales restrictions was significantly associated with decreases in per capita cigar sales. More specifically, a 25% increase in the percentage of the population covered by a flavored cigar sales restriction was associated with a decrease in per capita all cigar sales of 15%-19%, 4%-10% for large cigars, 17%-21% for cigarillos, and 2%-41% for little cigars. CONCLUSION: Flavored cigar sales restrictions are an effective policy to reduce per capita cigar sales. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s proposed product standards would increase population covered by a flavored cigar sales restriction to 100%, leading to potential significant reductions in cigar sales, especially little cigar, and cigarillo sales. This may also substantially reduce youth cigar use and racial disparities in cigar use. IMPLICATIONS: In April 2022, the U.S. FDA published a proposed rule to prohibit characterizing flavors in all cigars and menthol cigarettes. Besides this proposed rule, there has been little federal action to date to reduce sales of flavored cigars. However, as of March 31, 2022, Massachusetts and 333 localities across 10 states have enacted policies that restrict the sale of flavored cigars and other tobacco products. We find that population coverage by cigar sales restrictions is significantly associated with decreases in per capita cigar sales.

Analysis of e-cigarette warning letters issued by the Food and Drug Administration in 2020 and 2021.

PURPOSE: This study analyses the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letters sent to e-cigarette companies from 1 January 2020 to 9 September 2021. Study results can inform regulation of e-cigarettes. METHODOLOGY: Warning letters retrieved from FDA's website were coded for company type (retailer, manufacturer or distributor), location (domestic or international), infractions listed (PMTA (premarket tobacco product application), selling to minors, advertising to youth or packaging violation/mislabelling), product type (e-liquid, device or both), flavour (fruit, candy, tobacco, menthol/mint, concept flavour) and consequence (civil money penalties, product seizure and injunction, product detention and refusal of entry to the USA, no-tobacco-sales order, criminal prosecution). RESULTS: Of 303 coded letters (126 from 2020 and 177 from 2021), 97.4% were sent to small online retailers. Overall, 94.1% of the companies cited were located within the USA, 75.2% of the infractions were identified by reviewing a company's website and 70.5% were PMTA violations. In 2020, 55.6% of infractions were PMTA violations; in 2021, nearly all infractions were PMTA violations. The letters cited 880 products; 92.2% of which were e-liquid products, with 32.4% fruit and 31.1% concept flavours. DISCUSSION: Warning letters targeted small online retailers rather than large e-cigarette brands or products most used by youth: pod mods and disposables. The focus of these enforcement actions comprises a small share of the market and the impact on use was likely minimal. With PMTA decisions pending for the largest brands of e-cigarettes, the FDA should use its enforcement powers to target manufacturers, distributors and sellers of the tobacco products that have the greatest impact on youth and products that provide no public health benefit.

Cannabis and vaping nicotine: An exploration of risk factors using a nationally representative sample of youth and young adults.

BACKGROUND: Given that cannabis and e-cigarettes are among the most commonly used substances among young people, there is a need to identify risk factors for concurrent cannabis consumption and nicotine vaping among youth and young adults. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Truth Longitudinal Cohort, collected from September 2020 to March 2021, among a cohort aged 15-24 years (N = 6379). Chi-square tests were conducted to detect differences in sample characteristics by dual use status (never e-cigarette and never cannabis users, never cannabis and former/noncurrent e-cigarette users, never e-cigarette and former/noncurrent cannabis users, former/noncurrent e-cigarette and cannabis users, current e-cigarette only users, current cannabis only users, and concurrent cannabis and e-cigarette dual users). Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine key demographic variables predicting dual use status. RESULTS: Household tobacco use (Relative Risk Ratio, RRR = 4.93), higher sensation seeking (RRR = 3.98), and mental health score (RRR = 2.58) were associated with higher risk of dual use. Being 15-17 years (RRR = 0.22), being female (RRR = 0.59) and having parents with an education level of some college or more (RRR = 0.64) were associated with lower risk of dual use. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest the need to carefully monitor cannabis and vaping nicotine among young people. The identification of risk factors provides additional guidance for prevention and treatment efforts, suggesting the need to address use of both substances and target those most at risk.

Quitting e-cigarettes: Quit attempts and quit intentions among youth and young adults.

While youth and young adult e-cigarette use has risen in the U.S., few studies have explored e-cigarette cessation behavior. This study estimates quit attempts and intentions among young people (aged 15-36) since the rise of high-nicotine products, and examines factors associated with e-cigarette quit attempts and intentions. Current e-cigarette users (past 30-day use, not already quit) were drawn from a national probability-based cohort sample. Data were collected from September to December 2019 (n = 1158). Weighted proportions of past-year quit attempts, intentions to quit in next 30 days, and general intentions to quit (at some point) were calculated. Models estimated cessation outcomes with respect to harm perceptions, friend use, dependence, use frequency, combustible use and demographic factors. Among current e-cigarette users, 54.2% reported general intentions to quit, 15.3% reported intention to quit within 30 days, and 33.3% reported a past-year quit attempt. Past-year quit attempts were associated with higher levels of harm perceptions (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.08, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.49-2.92), dependence (aOR = 1.92, 95% CI: 1.44-2.56) and daily use (28 + days) compared to infrequent use (1-5 days) (aOR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.12-0.43). General intentions to quit were positively associated with harm perceptions (aOR = 1.77, 95% CI: 1.23-2.56) and dependence (aOR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.41-2.52), and negatively associated with daily use compared to infrequent use (aOR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.19-0.65). Findings indicate that over half of young e-cigarette users want to quit, highlighting a critical need for policies and resources to promote and sustain e-cigarette cessation among young people.