Other Policy
Research
Recent increases in efficiency in cigarette nicotine delivery: Implications for tobacco control – Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Data from four major cigarette manufacturers indicated that nicotine content remained relatively stable in the range of 12-14 mg/cigarette between 1998 and 2012, but average nicotine yield increased significantly over that time span (ranging from 1.65 mg/cigarette in 1999 to 1.89 mg/cigarette in 2011). Researchers concluded that recent trends in nicotine are not due to agricultural variations as reported by tobacco manufacturers, and that the yield-to-content ratio, a feature of the cigarette that can be controlled by manufacturers, should be monitored and regulated by government agencies.
Changes in effectiveness of cigarette health warnings over time in Canada and the United States, 2002–2011 – Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Researchers assessed health warning “wearout” in Canada and the United States using International Tobacco Control (ITC) Survey data from 2002-2011. Four measures of health warning effectiveness were analyzed, revealing a decline in effectiveness over time in both the Canadian large pictorial warnings and the American small text-only warnings, confirming that health warnings should be changed periodically to combat wearout.
No place to hide: two pilot studies assessing the effectiveness of adding a health warning to the cigarette stick – Tobacco Control. Two small studies, one conducted in Scotland and the other in Greece, assessed the impacts of printing health warnings onto the cigarette stick itself. Researchers observed increases in quitting intentions for all the messages tested in both studies, suggesting that cigarette stick warnings might encourage smoking cessation at a larger scale.
The potential and peril of health insurance tobacco surcharge programs: Evidence from Georgia's State Employees Health Benefit Plan – Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Forty-five percent of enrollees in Georgia’s State Health Benefit Plan (GSHBP) who began paying the tobacco surcharge at the program’s inception in July 2005 had self-reported as tobacco-free by April 2011. The researchers concluded that such surcharges appear to be effective, but since results were based on self-reported data, further research involving clinical verification of smoke-free status would strengthen these results.
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State Policy
Florida Senate panel approves playground smoking ban (FL) – Miami Herald. A proposal that could snuff out smoking in parks where children play moved easily through its first Senate test. The law would allow local governments to prohibit smoking on public park land that includes children's areas with at least one piece of playground equipment. The proposal would be an expansion of the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act, which was approved by voters in 2002 and prohibits smoking in most enclosed indoor workplaces.
Indiana Chamber backs employers not hiring smokers (IN) – Indy Star. Indiana House Bill 1029 would allow employers to require job-seekers to stop using tobacco products at all times as a condition of employment, eliminating a so-called smokers’ bill-of-rights law approved in the early 1990s. The American Heart Association, American Lung Association and Tobacco Free Indiana Coalition oppose this bill, instead favoring measures that have been shown to help people quit.
Lawmakers override LePage veto of smoking-cessation bill (ME) – Associated Press. Maine lawmakers have voted to override Republican Governor Paul LePage's veto of a bill aimed at helping Mainers get treatment to quit smoking. Supporters say more than 40% of people in the Medicaid program smoke and that the bill will save taxpayer dollars as fewer people will need treatment for tobacco-related illnesses.
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International
Impact of a point-of-sale tobacco display ban on smokers' spontaneous purchases (Australia) – Tobacco Control. A comparison of spontaneous cigarette purchase behaviors two months before and after the implementation of a point-of-sale display ban found that after the ban, fewer smokers noticed cigarette displays, made spontaneous purchases (30% reduction), and claimed the displays influenced purchasing decisions. Spontaneous purchasers cited the influence of displays less frequently after the policy change.
EU strikes deal on tough new anti-tobacco rules (European Union) – Reuters. The European Union approved new anti-tobacco legislation, including larger health warnings on cigarette packaging and rules on electronic cigarettes, which will go into effect in 2016. Under the agreement, most e-cigarettes can be sold as consumer products rather than medical devices, but countries can regulate e-cigarettes as medical devices if they so choose. Cigarettes and other products will have to carry graphic picture and text warnings that cover 65% of the front and back of the packaging.
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