Menthol & Addiction

"No Menthol Sunday

Highlighting the Problem of Menthol and Tobacco Addiction in Communities

Tiffany R. knows what it’s like being addicted to menthol cigarettes. When she was 16 years old, her mother, who smoked cigarettes, died of lung cancer. Still, Tiffany started smoking menthol cigarettes in her late teens because she wanted to be like other kids in her school. What started out as a youthful desire to fit in became an addiction to cigarettes, and soon she was smoking about a pack of menthol cigarettes a day. Tiffany’s story is all too common in African American communities, which have been disproportionately targeted by menthol cigarette marketing and advertisements, especially in cities.

Tobacco companies use advertisements, giveaways, and cheaper prices for menthol cigarettes to increase appeal. Menthol products are given more shelf space in retail outlets in neighborhoods that have more residents who are African American and are from other racial and ethnic minority groups. Targeted marketing from tobacco companies puts African American people at higher risk of smoking and becoming addicted to nicotine, as well as the risk of smoking related disease and death. Now, there is an opportunity to do something about it.

This year, on May 15th, national organizations and faith communities are marking the day as No Menthol Sunday to educate people who smoke menthol cigarettes about their harmful effects and encourage them to quit.,,"
Menthol addiction 

FTC Report Finds Annual Cigarette Sales Increased for the First Time in 20 Years

"The number of cigarettes that the largest cigarette companies in the United States sold to wholesalers and retailers nationwide increased from 202.9 billion in 2019 to 203.7 billion in 2020, according to the most recent Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report. This represents the first time annual cigarette sales have increased in 20 years.

According to the 2020 Smokeless Tobacco Report, smokeless tobacco sales increased from 126.0 million pounds in 2019 to 126.9 million pounds in 2020. The revenue from those sales rose from $4.53 billion in 2019 to $4.82 billion in 2020. For the first time, the Commission is reporting sales of nicotine lozenges or nicotine pouches not containing tobacco. In 2020, the companies sold 140.7 million units of such products in the United States, for $420.5 million.

The amount spent on cigarette advertising and promotion increased from $7.62 billion in 2019 to $7.84 billion in 2020. Price discounts paid to cigarette retailers ($6.07 billion) and wholesalers ($876 million) were the two largest expenditure categories in 2020. Combined spending on price discounts accounted for 88.5 percent of industry spending.

Spending on advertising and promotion by the major manufacturers of smokeless tobacco products in the U.S. decreased from $576.1 million in 2019 to $567.3 million in 2020. As with cigarettes, price discounts made up the two largest spending categories, with $296.6 million paid to retailers and $83.5 million paid to wholesalers. Combined spending on price discounts totaled $380.1 million – or 67.4 percent of all spending in 2020, up from the $376.0 million spent in 2019.

For the first time, the 2020 data include information on the flavors of the companies’ smokeless tobacco products. Menthol flavored smokeless tobacco products comprised more than half of all sales revenues (54.5 percent); tobacco flavored products (that is, no added flavor) comprised 43.4 percent; and fruit flavored smokeless tobacco products comprised 2.5 percent.."
Cigarette sales

Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report for 2018

"This report is the latest in a series on cigarette sales, advertising, and promotion that the Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) has prepared since 1967. The tables appended to this report provide information on domestic cigarette sales and advertising and promotional activity by the largest manufacturers.

1. The 2018 sales and expenditure information in the tables was compiled from data contained in special reports submitted to the Commission pursuant to compulsory process by the parent companies of the major manufacturers of cigarettes sold in the United States: Altria Group, Inc.; ITG Holdings USA Inc.; Reynolds American, Inc.; and Vector Group Ltd.2

II. TOTAL SALES AND ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL EXPENDITURES

The total number of cigarettes reported sold by the major manufacturers, 216.9 billion in 2018, decreased by 12.2 billion units (5.3 percent) from 2017. Advertising and promotional expenditures decreased during that same period, from $8.637 billion to $8.401 billion. The largest single category of these expenditures in 2018 was price discounts paid to cigarette retailers in order to reduce the price of cigarettes to consumers, which accounted for $6.155 billion (73.3 percent of total advertising and promotional expenditures)..."
Cigarette report

Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report for 2017

"1. INTRODUCTION
This report is the latest in a series on cigarette sales, advertising, and promotion that the Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) has prepared since 1967. The tables appended to this report provide information on domestic cigarette sales and advertising and promotional activity by the largest manufacturers.1 The 2017 sales and expenditure information in the tables was compiled from data contained in special reports submitted to the Commission pursuant to compulsory process by the parent companies of the major manufacturers of cigarettes sold in the United States: Altria Group, Inc.; ITG Holdings USA Inc.; Reynolds American, Inc.; and Vector Group Ltd.

2 II. TOTAL SALES AND ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONAL EXPENDITURES
The total number of cigarettes reported sold by the major manufacturers, 229.1 billion in 2017, decreased by 11.4 billion units (4.7 percent) from 2016. Advertising and promotional expenditures decreased during that same period, from $8.706 billion to $8.637 billion. The largest single category of these expenditures in 2017 was price discounts paid to cigarette retailers in order to reduce the price of cigarettes to consumers, which accounted for $6.189 billion (71.7 percent of total advertising and promotional expenditures)..."
Cigarettes

E-Cigarettes and Young People: A Public Health Concern

"Talk with teens and young adults you know about the dangers of e-cigarette use.

E-cigarettes, devices that typically deliver nicotine, flavorings, and other additives to users through an inhaled aerosol, are a rapidly emerging trend, and are especially popular among youth and young adults. These devices are referred to by a variety of names, including "e-cigs," "e-hookahs," "mods," "vape pens," "vapes," and "tank systems." E-cigarettes can also be used to deliver other drugs besides nicotine, such as marijuana.

Scientists are still learning more about how e-cigarettes affect health. However, there is already enough evidence to justify efforts to prevent e-cigarette use by young people. We know that the vapor from e-cigarettes is harmful because it contains harmful ingredients, including nicotine. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can cause addiction and can harm the developing brain..."
E-cigarettes and Teens

Cigarette smoking among U.S. high school students at an all-time low, but e-cigarette use a concern

"Cigarette smoking among high school students dropped to the lowest levels since the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) began in 1991, but the use of electronic vapor products, including e-cigarettes, among students poses new challenges according to the 2015 survey results released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Although current cigarette use decreased significantly from 28 percent in 1991 to 11 percent in 2015, new data from the 2015 survey found that 24 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes during the past 30 days..."
Cigarette smoking

Electronic Cigarettes a Safety Issue on Aircraft

"DOT is determined to keep America’s airlines the safest in the world.  It is with that thought in mind that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration, issued a final rule on May 13, 2016, prohibiting the carriage of battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices (e.g. e-cigarettes, e-cigs, e-cigars, e-pipes, personal vaporizers, electronic nicotine delivery systems) in checked baggage.  This includes prohibiting the charging of such devices and batteries aboard aircraft...: 
Electronic cigarettes

Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Re[prt for 2013

"This report is the latest in a series on cigarette sales, advertising, and promotion that the Federal Trade Commission (“Commission”) has prepared since 1967. The statistical tables appended to this report provide information on domestic sales and advertising and promotional activity by the largest U.S. cigarette manufacturers. The tables were compiled from data contained in special reports submitted to the Commission pursuant to compulsory process by: Altria Group, Inc.; Commonwealth Brands, Inc.; Lorillard, Inc.; Reynolds American, Inc.; and Vector..."
Cigarettes

E-cigarette use triples among middle and high school students in just one year

"Current e-cigarette use among middle and high school students tripled from 2013 to 2014, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) in today’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). Findings from the 2014 National Youth Tobacco Survey show that current e-cigarette use (use on at least 1 day in the past 30 days) among high school students increased from 4.5 percent in 2013 to 13.4 percent in 2014, rising from approximately 660,000 to 2 million students. Among middle school students, current e-cigarette use more than tripled from 1.1 percent in 2013 to 3.9 percent in 2014—an increase from approximately 120,000 to 450,000 students.

This is the first time since the survey started collecting data on e-cigarettes in 2011 that current e-cigarette use has surpassed current use of every other tobacco product overall, including conventional cigarettes. E-cigarettes were the most used tobacco product for non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic other race while cigars were the most commonly used product among non-Hispanic blacks..."
E-cigarette

Reports on Cigarette and Smokeless Tobacco Advertising and Promotion

"The amount spent on cigarette advertising and promotion by the largest cigarette companies in the United States declined from $9.94 billion in 2008 to $8.53 billion in 2009, and again to $8.05 billion in 2010, according to a report released today by the Federal Trade Commission.
The Commission has issued the Cigarette Report periodically since 1967, and another one, the Smokeless Tobacco Report, periodically since 1987...
http://ftc.gov/opa/2012/09/tobacco.shtm

View full reports: Federal Trade Commission Cigarette Report for 2009 and 2010
Federal Trade Commission Smokeless Tobacco Report for 2009 and 2010
 

Consumption of Cigarettes and Combustible Tobacco — United States, 2000–2011

"From 2000 to 2011, total cigarette consumption declined from 435.6 billion to 292.8 billion, a 32.8% decrease (Table 1). Per capita cigarette consumption declined from 2,076 in 2000 to 1,232 in 2011, a 40.7% decrease. Conversely, total consumption of noncigarette combustible products increased from 15.2 billion cigarette equivalents in 2000 to 33.8 billion in 2011, a 123.1% increase, and per capita consumption increased from 72 in 2000 to 142 in 2011, a 96.9% increase. Total consumption of all combustible tobacco decreased from 450.7 billion cigarette equivalents to 326.6, a 27.5% decrease from 2000 to 2011, and per capita consumption of all combustible tobacco products declined from 2,148 to 1,374, a 36.0% decrease..."

Raising Excise Tax on Cigarettes: Effects on Health and the Federal Budget

"The federal government spends roughly $1 trillion on health care programs each year, so it is easy to imagine
that policies that promote a healthier population could have a significant impact on the federal budget. Such policies might include initiatives that discourage smoking or excessive alcohol consumption, that promote better eating habits and physical activity to reduce obesity, or that encourage compliance with medical and dietary regimens for chronic conditions such as diabetes. In this study, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzes a policy involving smoking—a hypothetical increase of 50 cents per pack in the federal excise tax on cigarettes and small cigars (adjusted each year to keep pace with inflation and, in the long term, with the growth of people’s income)— to demonstrate the complex links between policies that aim to improve health and effects on the federal budget..."

Smokefree.gov

"Smokefree.gov is intended to help you or someone you care about quit smoking.

Different people need different resources as they try to quit. The information and professional assistance available on this Web site can help to support both your immediate and long-term needs as you become, and remain, a nonsmoker.

Smokefree.gov allows you to choose the help that best fits your needs. You can get immediate assistance in the form of:

A step-by-step quit smoking guide
Information about a wide range of topics related to smoking and quitting
An interactive U.S. map highlighting smoking information in your state
LiveHelp, National Cancer Institute's instant messaging service
National Cancer Institute's telephone quitline, 1-877-44U-QUIT
Local and state telephone quitlines, 1-800-QUIT-NOW
Publications to download, print, or order"

FTC Releases Reports on Cigarette and Smokeless Tobacco Advertising and Promotion
"The amount spent on cigarette advertising and promotion by the largest cigarette companies in the United States declined from $12.49 billion in 2006 to $10.86 billion in 2007, and again to $9.94 billion in 2008, according to a report released today by the Federal Trade Commission.

The largest spending category in both 2007 and 2008 was spending on price discounts
paid to cigarette retailers or wholesalers in order to reduce the price of cigarettes to consumers. This category accounted for $7.70 billion, or 70.9 percent of total spending on advertising and promotion in 2007, and $7.17 billion, or 72.1 percent of that total, in 2008.

The number of cigarettes sold or given away to wholesalers and retailers in the United States declined from 350.5 billion in 2006 to 342.8 billion in 2007, and to 322.6 billion in 2008..."

Cigarette Health Warnings
"Beginning September 2012, FDA will require larger, more prominent cigarette health warnings on all cigarette packaging and advertisements in the United States. These warnings mark the first change in cigarette warnings in more than 25 years and are a significant advancement in communicating the dangers of smoking.

View Final Warnings

The final set of cigarette health warnings contains nine different text warnings and accompanying color graphics to

* increase awareness of the specific health risks associated with smoking, such as death, addiction, lung disease, cancer, stroke and heart disease;
* encourage smokers to quit; and
* empower youth to say no to tobacco."

Cigarette Package Health Warnings and Interest in Quitting Smoking --- 14 Countries, 2008--2010
"The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) requires health warnings on tobacco product packages sold in countries that ratified the WHO FCTC treaty (1). These warnings are expected to 1) describe the harmful effects of tobacco use; 2) be approved by the appropriate national authority; 3) appear on at least 30%, and ideally 50% or more, of the package's principal display areas; 4) be large, clear, visible, and legible in the country's principal language(s); 5) have multiple, rotating messages; and 6) preferably use pictures or pictograms. To assess the effects of cigarette package health warnings on interest in quitting smoking among smokers of manufactured cigarettes aged ≥15 years, this report examines 2008--2010 data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in 14 WHO FCTC countries. Among men, the prevalence of manufactured cigarette smoking ranged from 9.6% in India to 59.3% in Russia. Among men in 12 of the countries and women in seven countries, >90% of smokers reported noticing a package warning in the previous 30 days. The percentage of smokers thinking about quitting because of the warnings was >50% in six countries and >25% in men and women in all countries except Poland. WHO has identified providing tobacco health information, including graphic health warnings on tobacco packages, as a powerful "best buy" in combating noncommunicable disease (2). Implementing effective warning labels as a component of a comprehensive approach can help decrease tobacco use and its many health consequences..."

Proposed Cigarette Product Warning Labels
"Overview
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) requires that cigarette packages and advertisements have larger and more visible graphic health warnings.

FDA issued a proposed rule, Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements, proposing to modify the required warnings that appear on cigarette packages and in cigarette advertisements. These new required warnings would consist of nine new textual warning statements accompanied by color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking.

Timeline for Final Regulations
The Tobacco Control Act requires FDA to issue final regulations requiring these color graphics by June 22, 2011. It also specifies that the requirement for the new health warnings on cigarette packages and advertisements will take effect 15 months after issuance of this final rule..."

FDA acts against 5 electronic cigarette distributors
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued warning letters to five electronic cigarette distributors for various violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) including unsubstantiated claims and poor manufacturing practices.

Also today, in a letter to the Electronic Cigarette Association, FDA said the agency intends to regulate electronic cigarette and related products in a manner consistent with its mission of protecting the public health. The letter outlines the regulatory pathway for marketing drug products in compliance with the FDCA.

For a drug product to gain FDA approval, a company must demonstrate to the agency that the product is safe and effective for its intended use. The company must also demonstrate that manufacturing methods are adequate to preserve the strength, quality and purity of the product.

“FDA invites electronic cigarette firms to work in cooperation with the agency toward the goal of assuring that electronic cigarettes sold in the United States are lawfully marketed,” the letter to the association read.

FDA has determined that the electronic cigarette products addressed in the warning letters to the distributors, and similar products, are subject to FDA regulation as drugs. Under the FDCA, a company cannot claim that its drug can treat or mitigate a disease, such as nicotine addiction, unless the drug’s safety and effectiveness have been proven. Yet all five companies claim without FDA review of relevant evidence that the products help users quit smoking cigarettes.

The companies receiving warning letters today are: E-CigaretteDirect LLC, Ruyan America Inc., Gamucci America (Smokey Bayou Inc.), E-Cig Technology Inc. and Johnson’s Creek Enterprises LLC..."

Decline in US Adult Smoking Rate Stalled
"Despite the known dangers of tobacco use, 1 in 5 American adults continues to smoke cigarettes, and 4 in 10 nonsmokers were exposed to cigarette smoke during 2007-2008, according to reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among children between the ages of 3 and 11 years old, 54 percent were exposed to secondhand smoke. Nearly all (98 percent) children who live with a smoker are exposed and have measureable levels of toxic chemicals from cigarette smoke.

According to the report, the number of adult smokers dropped between 2000 and 2005, but smoking has remained at about 20-21 percent since 2005. In 2009, more men (nearly 24 percent) than women (about 18 percent) smoked and about 31 percent of those living below poverty level smoked. Less than 6 percent of adults with a graduate degree smoke compared to more than 25 percent of adults with no high school diploma. Further, nearly 90 million non-smoking Americans are exposed to secondhand smoke and have measurable levels of toxic chemicals from cigarette smoke. Black non-smokers are one-third more likely than white smokers, and twice as likely as Mexican-American smokers, to have measurable exposure to tobacco.

"Smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death in this country," said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. "But progress is possible. Strong state laws that protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke, higher cigarette prices, aggressive ad campaigns that show the human impact of smoking and well-funded tobacco control programs decrease the number of adult smokers and save lives.".."

Vital Signs: Current Cigarette Smoking Among Adults Aged ≥18 Years --- United States, 2009
"Background: Cigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States, causing approximately 443,000 premature deaths annually.

Methods: The 2009 National Health Interview Survey and the 2009 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System were used to estimate national and state adult smoking prevalence, respectively. Cigarette smokers were defined as adults aged ≥18 years who reported having smoked ≥100 cigarettes in their lifetime and now smoke every day or some days.

Results: In 2009, 20.6% of U.S. adults aged ≥18 years were current cigarette smokers. Men (23.5%) were more likely than women (17.9%) to be current smokers. The prevalence of smoking was 31.1% among persons below the federal poverty level. For adults aged ≥25 years, the prevalence of smoking was 28.5% among persons with less than a high school diploma, compared with 5.6% among those with a graduate degree. Regional differences were observed, with the West having the lowest prevalence (16.4%) and higher prevalences being observed in the South (21.8%) and Midwest (23.1%). From 2005 to 2009, the proportion of U.S. adults who were current cigarette smokers did not change (20.9% in 2005 and 20.6% in 2009).

Conclusions: Previous declines in smoking prevalence in the United States have stalled during the past 5 years; the burden of cigarette smoking continues to be high, especially in persons living below the federal poverty level and with low educational attainment. Sustained, adequately funded, comprehensive tobacco control programs could reduce adult smoking..."