Tobacco Issues

This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.

This Surgeon General's report details the causes and the consequences of tobacco use among youth and young adults by focusing on the social, environmental, advertising, and marketing influences that encourage youth and young adults to initiate and sustain tobacco use. This is the first time tobacco data on young adults as a discrete population have been explored in detail. The report also highlights successful strategies to prevent young people from using tobacco

The need to reduce disability and premature deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is increasingly engaging international organisations and national and sub-national governments. In this book, experts from a range of backgrounds provide insights into the legal implications of regulating tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods, all of which are risk factors for NCDs. As individual countries and the international community move to increase targeting of these risk factors, affected industries are turning to national and international law to challenge the resulting regulations. This book explores how the effective regulation of tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods can be achieved within the context of international health law, international trade and investment law, international human rights law, international intellectual property law, and domestic laws on constitutional and other matters. Its contributors consider the various tensions that arise in regulating NCD risk factors, as well as offering an original analysis of the relationship between evidence and health regulation. Covering a range of geographical areas, including the Americas, the European Union, Africa and Oceania, the book offers lessons for health and policy practitioners and scholars in navigating the complex legal fields in which the regulation of tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy foods takes place.

This completely revised and enlarged 2nd edition of The Tobacco Epidemic provides a comprehensive update of the clinical, public health and political aspects of tobacco smoking. Since its 1st edition in 1997, knowledge on the health hazards of tobacco and nicotine addiction has increased considerably, but recent data has shown that the global problem has become more aggravated in low- and middle-income countries: if current trends continue, tobacco smoking will be responsible for the deaths of 1 billion people in the 21st century. Written by outstanding international experts, the book covers the history of tobacco production and use, the economics of tobacco use and control, as well as the health consequences of active and passive smoking in both adults and children. Special chapters discuss the impact of media, movies and TV on tobacco consumption in young people, the patterns and predictors of smoking cessation in the general population and in different social subgroups, and initiatives supported by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Readers will find the latest information on how nicotine dependence is treated with nicotine replacement products, what role health care professionals play in helping smokers to quit and what effects smoke-free environments, advertising bans and price increases have on smoking prevalence. The potential harms and benefits of smokeless tobacco, waterpipe tobacco smoking and electronic cigarettes are also evaluated. This book is a must-read for anyone in the medical profession who treats patients with smoking-related diseases and for those engaged in tobacco control. It will also be appreciated by interested nonmedical readers like journalists and legislators.

Smoke and Mirrors: The Canadian tobacco war

The bulk of the world’s tobacco is produced in low- and middle-income countries. In order to dissuade these countries from implementing policies aimed at curbing tobacco consumption (such as increased taxes, health warnings, advertising bans and smoke-free environments), the tobacco industry claims that tobacco farmers will be negatively affected and that no viable, sustainable alternatives exist. This book, based on original research from three continents, exposes the myths behind these claims.

Tobacco use by adolescents and young adults poses serious concerns. Nearly all adults who have ever smoked daily first tried a cigarette before 26 years of age. Current cigarette use among adults is highest among persons aged 21 to 25 years. The parts of the brain most responsible for cognitive and psychosocial maturity continue to develop and change through young adulthood, and adolescent brains are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of nicotine. At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Public Health Implications of Raising the Minimum Age of Legal Access to Tobacco Products considers the likely public health impact of raising the minimum age for purchasing tobacco products. The report reviews the existing literature on tobacco use patterns, developmental biology and psychology, health effects of tobacco use, and the current landscape regarding youth access laws, including minimum age laws and their enforcement. Based on this literature, the report makes conclusions about the likely effect of raising the minimum age to 19, 21, and 25 years on tobacco use initiation. The report also quantifies the accompanying public health outcomes based on findings from two tobacco use simulation models. According to the report, raising the minimum age of legal access to tobacco products, particularly to ages 21 and 25, will lead to substantial reductions in tobacco use, improve the health of Americans across the lifespan, and save lives. Public Health Implications of Raising the Minimum Age of Legal Access to Tobacco Products will be a valuable reference for federal policy makers and state and local health departments and legislators.

The U.S. scientific community has long led the world in research on such areas as public health, environmental science, and issues affecting quality of life. These scientists have produced landmark studies on the dangers of DDT, tobacco smoke, acid rain, and global warming. But at the same time, a small yet potent subset of this community leads the world in vehement denial of these dangers. Merchants of Doubt tells the story of how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades. Remarkably, the same individuals surface repeatedly-some of the same figures who have claimed that the science of global warming is "not settled" denied the truth of studies linking smoking to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole. "Doubt is our product," wrote one tobacco executive. These "experts" supplied it. Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway, historians of science, roll back the rug on this dark corner of the American scientific community, showing how ideology and corporate interests, aided by a too-compliant media, have skewed public understanding of some of the most pressing issues of our era.