Read articles from United States of America

February 02, 2021 by taxfoundation.org

Washington lawmakers have proposed a bill (SB5266) that would make it the second state to ban all flavored tobacco and the first to impose a nicotine cap on vapor products, and would increase taxes on vapor to among the highest in the nation.

The excise tax on vapor products will, if enacted, be levied at retail level at 45 percent of retail price. Although several states have higher statutory rates on vapor products, most levy these taxes at the wholesale level. Washington levying the tax at the retail level would make it one of the highest effective rates in the country. The new tax would take effect January 1, 2022.

February 01, 2021 by eurekalert.org

A new study shows 4 in 10 cancer deaths are attributable to cigarette smoking in parts of the South region and Appalachia. For this study, appearing in Cancer Causes & Control, Farhad Islami, [...] examined the proportion of cancer deaths from 2013 to 2017 attributed to cigarette smoking in 152 metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas (MMSAs).

Data show the proportion of cancer deaths attributable to cigarette smoking was greater in men than in women in all evaluated MMSAs. In both sexes combined, the proportion of smoking-related cancer deaths ranged from 8.8% in Logan (Utah-Idaho) to 35.7% in Lexington-Fayette (Kentucky). [...]

January 29, 2021 by wsj.com

The decadeslong decline in U.S. cigarette sales halted last year as people in lockdown lit up more frequently and health concerns around e-cigarettes caused some vapers to switch back to cigarettes.

Before the pandemic, U.S. cigarette unit sales had been falling at an accelerating rate, hitting 5.5% in 2019, as smokers quit or switched to alternatives like e-cigarettes. The pandemic put the brakes on that slide. In 2020, the U.S. cigarette industry’s unit sales were flat compared to the previous year, according to data released Thursday by Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc.

January 29, 2021 by alreporter.com

The American Lung Association released its 19th annual “State of Tobacco Control” report, which reveals that Alabama received all failing grades for its efforts to reduce and prevent tobacco use, including e-cigarettes. The American Lung Association graded federal and state efforts to reduce tobacco in this year’s report and is calling for meaningful policies that will prevent and reduce tobacco use and save lives. “’State of Tobacco Control’ 2021 provides an important roadmap on how states like Alabama and the federal government can put in place the policies proven to have the greatest impact on reducing tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke,” said Ashley Lyerly [...]

January 28, 2021 by eurekalert.org

In the first study to assess national use of e-cigarettes among adults with disabilities, George Mason University's College of Health and Human Services researchers found that adults with disabilities were twice as likely to use e-cigarettes (8.4%) than adults without disabilities (4.8%), but the prevalence of e-cigarette use varied by type of disability.

Dr. Gilbert Gimm led the study [...]

"Previous studies have found that e-cigarette use is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, and adverse health outcomes. [...]

January 27, 2021 by postbulletin.com

Daniel Tranter, supervisor of the Indoor Air Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health, said he often hears from renters who are concerned about neighbors who smoke.

The Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) prohibits smoking and vaping in public areas, which include common areas like hallways, lobbies, garages and party rooms. “If there’s smoke drifting from one private residence to another, that’s not something we can regulate,” Tranter said. Some rental properties have lease addendums in place that prohibit smoking indoors. If that’s the case, a concerned resident need only hope their landlord will enforce the policy when prompted, he said.

January 26, 2021 by theedgemalaysia.com

Philip Morris International Inc faces the possibility of having imports of its IQOS heated-tobacco sticks to the US blocked as early as November, in an intensifying legal battle with British American Tobacco Plc over cigarette alternatives.

BAT’s subsidiary Reynolds American Inc seeks to block imports of the sticks, as it alleges that the tobacco heating technology used in IQOS devices infringed its patents. The six-day trial at the US International Trade Commission in Washington, DC began on Monday, with a judge scheduled to release his findings in May.

January 25, 2021 by abc11.com

Stein said the ban would benefit public health, decrease youth smoking and help mitigate harm to communities of color.

"Menthol cigarettes are designed to be easier to smoke," said Attorney General Josh Stein. "That means they make it easier to get hooked. What's more, they're marketed in ways that disproportionately harm young people and people of color. I urge the FDA to ban menthol cigarettes and help us prevent another generation of North Carolinians from become addicted to nicotine and suffering the consequences in years to come."

January 22, 2021 by marijuanamoment.net

January 21, 2021 by newswise.com

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States, and cigarette smoking is associated with a higher incidence of breast cancer spread, or metastasis, lowering the survival rate by 33% at diagnosis.

While cigarette smoking’s link to cancer is well-known, the role of nicotine, a non-carcinogenic chemical found in tobacco, in breast-to-lung metastasis is an area where more research is needed.

Now, scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have found that nicotine promotes the spread of breast cancer cells into the lungs.