Establishing a standard measure of blunt and cigar use for U.S. national surveys.

Background: Researchers have drawn attention to the need for modifying survey questions on cigars for distinguishing use intended for tobacco versus cannabis (i.e. blunt) consumption.

Young adult retail purchases of cannabis, product category preferences and sales trends in California 2018-21: Differences compared with older adults.

Aims: The aim of this study is to identify cannabis products according to their appeal among young adults and measure product sales trends.

Design, Setting And Participants: This was a retrospective comparative study using point-of-sale data from licensed recreational cannabis retailers that include buyer age with birth year entered by retailers, set in California, USA. Cannabis purchases by young adults (aged 21-24, GenZ) were compared with older adults (age 25+) over 4 years (2018-21).

A Qualitative Assessment of Blunt Smokers' Perceptions and Receptivity to Non-Tobacco Blunt Wraps.

Objective: The recent debut of the non-tobacco blunt wrap (N-TBW) for smoking cannabis has received little attention from the tobacco control community. The present study is intended to assess blunt smokers' perceptions and receptivity to N-TBWs, which are being marketed as an alternative to cigarillos and other tobacco products used for making blunts.

Method: Current blunt smokers ( = 41) were recruited from social media platforms to participate in one of nine 2-hour focus groups held between October 2022 and May 2023.

The Marketing and Perceptions of Non-Tobacco Blunt Wraps on Twitter.

Objective: Non-tobacco blunt wraps (N-TBWs), which entered the marketplace in 2017, are being promoted as an alternative to traditional TBWs (e.g., cigarillos) for blunt smoking.

Cannabis Vape Product Sales in California Following CDC's Initial Advisory About Lung Injuries.

The 2019 outbreak of e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) is believed to have been caused by vitamin E acetate, an additive used in some cannabis vaporizer products. Previous studies have primarily focused on changes in sales of electronic nicotine delivery systems following the initial advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on August 17, 2019. The present study is intended to examine variation by age groups in sales of regulated cannabis vape products in the state of California before, during, and after the outbreak.

Variation in adults' use of flavored tobacco products by sales restrictions in California jurisdictions.

Background: State and local policies prohibiting the sales of flavored tobacco have been effective in curtailing retail availability and sales of products across the United States. Less is known about the use of flavored tobacco which could vary as a function of type of ordinance, product category, policy implementation, and other factors.

Methods: The 2019-2020 California Health Interview Surveys were used to estimate flavored and non-flavored tobacco use among adults (n = 43,681) residing in a California jurisdiction with a comprehensive (n = 48), partial (n = 35), or no flavored tobacco sales restriction (FTSR) (n = 427).

Concentration of Cannabis and Tobacco Retailers in Los Angeles County, California: A Spatial Analysis of Potential Effects on Youth and Ethnic Minorities.

Objective: Cannabis and tobacco retailers are believed to cluster in areas with more racial/ethnic minorities, which could account for the disproportionate use of blunts in Black and Hispanic communities. The current study examined the spatial relationship between cannabis and licensed tobacco retailers in Los Angeles County, California, and assessed whether various neighborhood and business factors influenced the spatial patterning.

Method: Generalized additive models were used to test the association between the location of cannabis retailers ( = 429) and their accessibility potential (AP) to tobacco retailers ( = 8,033).

Reframing the banning of flavored tobacco in unprecedented times- an example from California's Senate bill 793.

Several cities, but only two U.S states, have passed a law banning the sales of flavored tobacco products. It has been suggested that framing tobacco control policy solely in terms of the youth could send the erroneous message that tobacco use is an acceptable behavior for adults.

Do smokers' harm perceptions of cigarillos differ by modified use of the tobacco product? Findings from waves 3 and 4 of the PATH study.

Objective: The harm perceptions of individuals who smoke either blunts or the Black & Mild (B&M) brand, which is often "freaked," have seldom been investigated. Since these practices could affect users' perceived health risks of the cigarillo, this study was intended to compare such risks among cigarillo users by modified use of the tobacco product.

Method: Adult cigarillo and blunt smokers were selected from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study for cross-sectional (Wave 4; = 3,331) and longitudinal (Waves 3-4; = 1,898) analyses of predictors of general and relative harm perceptions of cigarillos.

Impact of California's tobacco and cannabis policies on the retail availability of little cigars/cigarillos and blunt wraps.

Background: Recent changes in California's tobacco and cannabis policies could impact the retail availability of little cigars/cigarillos (LCCs) and blunt wraps that are used for blunt smoking. This study was intended to test whether tobacco flavor bans and minimum pack sizes of LCCs have reduced tobacco availability in California jurisdictions, whereas, permissive policies on sales and marketing of cannabis increased availability.

Methods: Measures of retail availability of LCCs and blunt wraps were obtained from the 2016-2019 longitudinal sample of licensed tobacco retailers (LTRs, n = 4062) from California's Healthy Stores for Healthy Communities campaign.

Use of internal documents to investigate a tobacco company's strategies to market snus in the United States.

Introduction: Prior studies indicate that cigarette manufacturers have been interested for decades in developing a smokeless tobacco (SLT) product for smokers and non-users of SLT. The current study aims to assess a tobacco company's use of novel marketing strategies and intent to promote snus in the US as either a replacement or situational substitute for the cigarette.

Methods: A Boolean search string was used to search R.

Severity of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients with and without atopic disease.

Background: Data from the 2009 influenza pandemic suggested asthma might protect from severe disease in hospitalized patients. Asthma does not appear to increase risk for hospitalization or mortality with COVID-19.

Objective: This study was undertaken to see if atopy actually protected those hospitalized with COVID-19.

Lost in Translation: Lack of CD4 Expression due to a Novel Genetic Defect.

CD4 expression identifies a subset of mature T cells primarily assisting the germinal center reaction and contributing to CD8+ T-cell and B-cell activation, functions, and longevity. Herein, we present a family in which a novel variant disrupting the translation-initiation codon of the CD4 gene resulted in complete loss of membrane and plasma soluble CD4 in peripheral blood, lymph node, bone marrow, skin, and ileum of a homozygous proband. This inherited CD4 knockout disease illustrates the clinical and immunological features of a complete deficiency of any functional component of CD4 and its similarities and differences with other clinical models of primary or acquired loss of CD4+ T cells.

Asthma, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 and coronavirus disease 2019.

Purpose Of Review: In December 2019, a novel respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first described and named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although the knowledge base surrounding COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 has grown rapidly, significant gaps in our knowledge remain and inaccurate information continues to circulate. This review will discuss the interaction between asthma and COVID-19 to provide a comprehensive understanding based on the currently available published data.

Broadcast reach and self-reported exposure to court-ordered corrective statements on cigarette harms.

In August 2006, U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler ordered four tobacco companies to disseminate court-approved corrective statements on five topics pertaining to health hazards of cigarette smoking.

Smokers' Receipt of Cessation Advice from Healthcare Professionals in National Samples of People Diagnosed with HIV and the General Population.

The high prevalence of smoking in persons living with HIV (PLWH) warrants an accurate estimation of smokers' receipt of advice on smoking cessation. Prior studies on the topic have been limited by convenience samples. This study aims to be the first to estimate PLWH smokers' receipt of cessation advice from a healthcare professional in a nationally representative sample.

Examining retail purchases of cigarettes and nicotine replacement therapy in Finland.

Introduction: Finland's success in achieving the goal of its tobacco endgame largely depends on rectifying deficiencies in the delivery of smoking cessation services. One such weakness, which has not been documented with empirical data, is misuse of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). This study's objective was to examine purchase patterns of NRT for estimating improper use of the medication.

Nicotine matters in predicting subsequent smoking after e-cigarette experimentation: A longitudinal study among Finnish adolescents.

Background: Several studies indicate an association between e-cigarette use and subsequent smoking among youth. However, most previous studies lack measures of the nicotine content of e-liquid and have not usually measured regular smoking.

Methods: We tested the association between e-cigarette use, with and without nicotine, and subsequent daily use of conventional cigarettes and nicotine e-cigarettes among study population of 3474 students.

Strategies and barriers to achieving the goal of Finland's tobacco endgame.

Objectives: Finland boldly legislated the end of tobacco use in its 2010 Tobacco Act, and subsequently expanded the goal in 2016 to eradicate other nicotine-containing products. This study explored stakeholders' perceptions about the strengths, barriers, solutions and rationale for Finland's comprehensive but conventional strategy to achieve its nicotine-free goal.

Design: Study participants were selected based on expertise in policy or practice of tobacco control (n=32).

Adolescents notice fewer tobacco displays after implementation of the point-of-sale tobacco display ban in Finland.

Introduction: Finland implemented a point-of-sale (POS) display ban for tobacco products and their trademarks in 2012, and for electronic cigarettes in 2016. In this study we examine whether noticing tobacco products changed among adolescents after the implementation of the display ban and describe the noticing of e-cigarette displays post-implementation.

Methods: Repeated cross-sectional national survey data of 12-to 16-year-olds from years 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 were used.

Arguments for amending smoke-free legislation in U.S. states to restrict use of electronic nicotine delivery systems.

The uneven diffusion of local and state laws restricting the use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in the United States may be a function of inconclusive scientific evidence and lack of guidance from the federal government. The objective of this study was to assess whether the rationale for amending clean indoor air acts (CIAAs) is being conflated by issues that are not directly relevant to protecting the health of ENDS non-users. Online sources were used in identifying bills ( = 25) that were presented in U.

Characterizing Blunt Smokers by Their Acquisition of Cannabis.

Background: Ethnographers have reported that young, urban males embraced blunt smoking in response to the crack cocaine epidemic that ravaged their neighborhoods in the 1980s. But, recent survey data has indicated high rates of other illicit drug use among blunt smokers.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the association between blunt smoking and cannabis acquisition as a potential explanation for the correlation with other illicit drug use.

Linking the content to demographic reach of online advertising of electronic nicotine delivery systems.

Introduction: Recent studies have separately examined the content and demographic reach of the advertising of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). No study to our knowledge has linked the two in investigating whether racial/ethnic groups are differentially exposed to the comparative messages conveyed in online ENDS advertisements.

Methods: 932 unique ENDS advertisements (6311 total), which were posted on 3435 websites between December, 2009 and October, 2015, were categorized as either comparative or non-comparative with respect to the traditional cigarette.