Two prominent federal health agencies do not appear to have as 2021 priorities banning menthol cigarettes or reducing nicotine levels in traditional cigarettes.
Quick links to detailed datasheets for United States of America at gsthr.org
Smoking in United States of America
In the United States of America, smoking is allowed but tobacco products should follow some regulations. Under these regulations, health warnings on tobacco packaging including cigarettes are mandatory, the minimum legal age for their sales is 21 years, and there are no federal legal restrictions on smoking in public places. While tobacco advertising is regulated, not all forms of their advertising are banned. An excise tax of 32.16% with a total taxation rate of 37.36% is applied on cigarettes. Cigarettes can legally be sold with authorised documents. They may also be purchased through vending machines as well as through online channels. Importing cigarettes for trade is allowed with an appropriate import license. Despite these control measures, prevalence data show that smoking remains an important public health issue in the United States. There were 39.8 million current smokers in the country in 2024. This represents an overall adult smoking prevalence of 14.1%, with higher prevalence among men (17.1%) than among women (11.1%). In comparison, the overall current smoking prevalence was 12.3% in 2022. The adult daily smoking prevalence was recorded to be 10.01% in 2020. Smoking-related mortality also remains significant in the country. In 2021, smoking resulted in 360,370 deaths, including 216,986 male deaths and 143,383 female deaths. This shows that smoking accounted for 10.38% of all deaths in the United States in 2021, with a higher rate among men (11.9%) than among women (8.7%).
Read articles from United States of America
December 21, 2020 by ecigintelligence.com
Market report: market and vaping product trends in the US
The US vaping market has recently experienced inputs and changes which are shaping new trends and transforming a market that generally is a bellwether for the rest of the sector worldwide.
December 18, 2020 by cspdailynews.com
FDA Extends Deadlines for New Graphic Cigarette Warnings
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), citing the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, issued a rule on March 17 requiring 11 new health warnings on cigarette packs, cartons and ads, consisting of text warning statements accompanied by graphic color images.
This was the second such set of warnings, as the first set was overturned as unconstitutional by an appellate court, which sent them back to the FDA to create new compliant warnings. These new warnings would have been required by the FDA beginning June 18, 2021.
December 18, 2020 by upi.com
One in six U.S. teens used tobacco in 2020, government figures show
Roughly one in six teens across the United Stated used some type of tobacco product in 2020, according to data released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This means that nearly 4.5 million teens nationally used traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes or chewing tobacco this year, officials estimated. "These findings demonstrate success in reducing youth use of tobacco overall, while also revealing changes in use patterns that will inform policymakers," U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn said in a statement.
December 17, 2020 by rollingstone.com
Legal Weed Is Coming to New Jersey — But How Will That Work?
Election Day marked a turning point in the United State’s war on drugs, as Oregon decriminalized possession of drugs, Mississippi approved medical marijuana, and New Jersey passed its Question 1 proposed constitutional amendment legalizing cannabis. As the year draws to a close, however, just what needs to be done to make weed legal in the Garden State?
December 17, 2020 by expressnews.com
Commentary: How to build on teens’ reduced vaping
A study was released recently with some great news about vaping and adolescents: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many adolescents who were vaping have quit.
In their sample of e-cigarette-using teens, 36.5 percent reported quitting altogether and 30.8 percent had reduced their nicotine use.
As pediatricians, advocates for healthy youth and parents of teens, in a year of what seems like one item of bad news after another, this news gave us some relief.
December 17, 2020 by news-medical.net
Scientists develop new vaccine to counter the effects of synthetic cannabinoids
Made in clandestine laboratories and sold widely across the United States, the diverse class of drugs known as synthetic cannabinoids presents a growing public health threat.
In a new study, Scripps Research scientists have devised a way to deactivate these designer drugs after they've been administered--offering a potential path for treating addiction and overdose. Synthetic cannabinoids are much more powerful and toxic than users often realize, and their rising prevalence has led to serious health issues among young people and adults. We found a way to negate the dangerous effects of these drugs, [...]
December 17, 2020 by eurekalert.org
Vaping could nearly triple the chance of smoking in teens
A new study offers strong evidence that kids who use e-cigarettes are more likely to take up smoking or smokeless tobacco, researchers say.
Teen boys who vaped were almost three times as likely to start smoking as other teen boys with similar risk profiles and more than two times as likely to try smokeless tobacco, the study from The Ohio State University found. [...] Unlike most previous research suggesting a link between vaping and tobacco, this study didn't simply follow young people over time to make a connection between the two behaviors. [...]
December 15, 2020 by news-medical.net
Study: Flavoring chemicals of e-cigarette vapor alone can measurably damage the lungs
Known for their appetizing flavors, such as bubblegum, banana and strawberry, e-cigarettes continue to grow in popularity around the world. Promoted by makers as a "healthy" alternative to regular tobacco cigarettes, researchers are finding e-cigarettes or vaping, still result in injury to the lungs. [...]
"Ninety-nine percent of e-cigarette liquids are flavored. To create these flavor profiles, companies are adding multiple chemicals to achieve that 'perfect' taste," said Laura Crotty Alexander
December 11, 2020 by journalnow.com
Banning menthol cigarettes doesn't appear to be FDA priority entering 2021
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration released Wednesday their unified agenda and regulatory agenda through at least August.
However, that could change significantly in the expected Biden administration, according to analysts.
December 11, 2020 by news-medical.net
As more red states legalize marijuana, some officials try to nip it in the bud
This fall, South Dakota became the first state in the U.S. to legalize both medical marijuana and recreational marijuana in the same election. Haugaard, who long opposed any form of marijuana legalization, now must participate in the creation of a medical marijuana program.
South Dakota voters enshrined legal marijuana in the state's constitution. So if Haugaard had any thoughts about reversing the initiative once lawmakers reconvene on Jan. 12, they've been dashed.
"With a constitutional amendment, there's really not much we can do about it. It's written in stone until it's repealed," Haugaard said.