Publications by authors named "Brion Fox"

Introduction: The secondary, sometimes unintended effects of smoke-free ordinances have not been thoroughly evaluated. In this observational study, we evaluated the association of a local ordinance implemented in Madison, Wisconsin, with changes in public disturbances; smoking, drinking, and bar-going behaviors in the general population; and smoking and drinking behaviors among university students.

Methods: We obtained data from 4 sources: police records, key informant interviews, a community survey, and an undergraduate survey.

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Article Synopsis
  • Four common arguments for using smokeless tobacco (ST) to reduce harm include: reducing health risks when switching from cigarettes, aiding in smoking cessation, and serving as a nicotine maintenance product.
  • Despite these claims, there's limited evidence supporting them, along with indications that ST may actually lead to increased cigarette smoking.
  • Ethical issues arise from promoting ST, as those advocating for its use must provide substantial evidence to back their claims, which is currently insufficient.
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Although the use of over the counter (OTC) nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is effective for smoking cessation, many concerns and misunderstandings persist that may reduce the effectiveness of NRT. Clinical practice and public health experts responded to a questionnaire that explored challenges associated with promoting proper NRT use and gathered recommendations on overcoming these challenges. Two predominant themes emerged including the identification of policies and practices that hinder NRT use, and smokers' views regarding NRT use.

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The 2001 Institute of Medicine report Clearing the Smoke: Assessing the Science Base for Tobacco Harm Reduction has helped to focus attention on the scientific basis for assessing tobacco harm reduction products. As the tobacco research and policy communities tackle the challenges of evaluating harm reduction, there are ethical issues that must also be addressed. There has, however, been very little writing on the ethics of this field.

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