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“disappointing” tobacco control in 2022 despite some progress

In the United States, on the 21th annual report “State of Tobacco Control” from the American Lung Association takes stock of a “disappointing” year 2022 in the fight against tobacco and calls on the US authorities to strengthen measures to curb the tobacco epidemic and nicotine, both at the state and federal levels. The report highlights the differences in prevention policies between the different states and proposes a series of measures aimed at reducing smoking, especially among the younger generations.

2020 data on tobacco use in the US, published in March, shows good results, with the lowest prevalence ever recorded at 12.5% ​​of smokers among adults, while the use of electronic cigarettes has also decreased compared to 2019. Despite these figures, tobacco remains the leading cause of death and preventable disease, killing 480,000 people in the country each year. In addition, more than 16 million Americans are living with a tobacco-related disease.

The ban on menthol in the US, an encouraging step forward

At the federal level, the American Lung Association report supports Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations released in 2022 to remove menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from the market. As the association mentions, such a measure would be beneficial for public health, and especially for certain categories of the population, such as African Americans. In fact, the level of consumption of these types of products contributes to increasing health inequalities in the country and to the development of the tobacco epidemic. In this way, the American Lung Association, like the Biden administration, urges the FDA to close the case as soon as possible.

Electronic cigarettes and synthetic nicotine, a major public health problem

In 2022, Congress expanded the FDA’s authority over new nicotine products, including both e-cigarettes and products containing synthetic or non-tobacco nicotine. This decision allowed the FDA to respond to the arrival on the market of new products such as the PuffBar containing synthetic nicotine, whose very rapid commercial development was supported by a marketing strategy aimed at younger generations. But, as the report notes, although the FDA has set clear deadlines to remove illegally sold nicotine products from the market, the deadlines have not been met, leaving a large number of products still on sale, despite their recognized appeal to teenagers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2.55 million American middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in 2022.

A development of the legislative framework to highlight

For the American Lung Association, several positive developments are noteworthy, such as the permanent injunctions by the Department of Justice aimed at preventing six manufacturers of electronic cigarettes from marketing their products in the country. Furthermore, the association notes that the FDA’s initial rejection of a pre-marketing application for a menthol electronic cigarette is an encouraging decision for the coming years. However, according to the NGO, additional measures at the federal level are needed to curb the vaping epidemic in the United States. Among these measures are lawsuits brought by the Department of Justice against manufacturers who sell illegal products, but also halting the importation of illegal products by customs to ensure that no unauthorized product enters the US market.

The US had a “disappointing” year in 2022, according to the American Lung Association

However, the American Lung Association points to the “disappointing” nature of the year 2022 in terms of the fight against tobacco, both at the state and federal levels. With the exception of significant increases in funding for tobacco prevention and reduction programs, the report recalls that a number of measures have been completely absent over the past year. Thus, no state has increased taxation on tobacco products in 2022, even though this measure is one of the most effective tools in terms of public health. There are large tax differences between the various states, with a tax of 17 cents per package in Missouri versus $4.50 in the District of Columbia. In the United States, a pack of cigarettes is taxed at an average of $1.91.

A call for restrictions on tobacco shops in the country

The report claims that the number of retailers of tobacco products remains too high in the United States. In fact, a 2021 study in 30 cities across the country found that the concentration of tobacco shops was 31 times greater than McDonald’s and 16 times greater than Starbucks. Furthermore, the study showed that these tobacco dealers were concentrated in the most deprived neighbourhoods. In light of these conditions, the association calls on the public authorities to regulate in favor of limiting the number of tobacconists, and a ban on the establishment of shops near places frequented by young people, in similar schools.

Keywords: USA, American Lung Association

©Tobacco-free generation

FT

National Anti-Smoking Committee |

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