Solicitude and Solitude: Care, Ethics, and the Vulnerability of Front-Line Social Work in the US.

The moral terrain of caring in a social work context is often treacherous. During ethnographic fieldwork with front-line workers at an organization providing services for unhoused individuals in a U.S.

US State Recreational and Medical Cannabis Delivery Laws, 2024.

To provide a legal epidemiology review of state-level policies that regulate the direct delivery of recreational and medical cannabis in the United States. We conducted a comprehensive review to identify all relevant policies as of July 1, 2024. Specifically, we developed a coding scheme to capture laws governing (1) direct delivery of recreational cannabis, (2) licensing for direct delivery of recreational cannabis, (3) direct delivery of medical cannabis to qualifying patients, and (4) medical cannabis delivery solely from caregivers to qualified patients.

Examining the pathways from adverse childhood experiences to substance use.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events that occur early in life and can have lasting effects on health and well-being. Previous research has linked ACEs to substance use in adulthood, but there is limited research on the underlying mechanisms or pathways of this relationship. This study explores whether depression mediates the relationship between ACEs and current substance use among U.

An Association Between State Laws Limiting Local Control and Community Smoke-Free Indoor Air in the United States.

This study examines the association between state laws limiting local control (preemption laws) and local smoke-free policies. We utilized policy data from the American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation. The primary outcome variable is the presence of a "100% smoke-free policy," across any of 4 indoor settings: workplaces, restaurants, bars, and gaming venues.

Disposable e-cigarette use: Factors, frequency and cigarette smoking among United States high school students.

Background And Aims: Disposable e-cigarette use has increased among United States (US) high school students in recent years. However, there is limited research on the profile of these users, how often they use these products, and whether they displace cigarette smoking. This study aimed to measure how disposable e-cigarette use among US youth varies according to demographic characteristics and whether there is any association between e-cigarette use and reduced use of traditional cigarettes.

Social media use and mental health indicators among US adolescents: A population-based study.

Social media use among young people has raised concerns about its potential impact on mental health. However, research is limited regarding whether certain subgroups may be differently affected. This study uses data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a nationally representative sample of middle and high school students aged approximately 11-18 years (n = 23,366).

Beyond the smoke: Historical analysis of the revenue implications of state cigarette tax policies, 1989 to 2019.

Introduction: While cigarette taxes are a vital tobacco control tool, their impact on cigarette tax revenue has been largely understudied in the extant literature. This study examines how the level of cigarette taxes affects the revenue generated from cigarettes in the United States over a thirty-year period.

Methods: We obtained the Tax Burden Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1989-2019).

Treatment Referrals Post-prohibition of Alcohol Exclusion Laws: Evidence from Colorado and Illinois.

Background: Individuals with alcohol-related disorders often encounter barriers to accessing treatment. One potential barrier is the state alcohol exclusion laws (AELs) that allow insurers to deny coverage for injuries or illnesses caused by alcohol intoxication. Several states have repealed AELs by prohibiting them completely, including banning exclusions in health and accident insurance policies, limiting their scope, or creating exemptions.

Health claims denial for alcohol intoxication: State laws and structural stigma.

Background: Some alcohol exclusion laws (AELs) allow health insurers to deny coverage to individuals injured due to being intoxicated. Evidence has shown that such AELs disincentivize health-care providers to screen for alcohol while they deter treatment utilization by people with an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Certain states have changed AELs to enhance the health of people with an AUD, but these changes are not well documented in the extant literature.

Social media and e-cigarette use: The mediating role of mental health conditions.

Background: In recent years, youth social media use, youth e-cigarette use, and youth mental health conditions have become major public health concerns. We examined the role of mental health condition indicators in the link between youth social media use and e-cigarette use.

Methods: We used data from the 2022 National Youth Tobacco Survey (N = 23,445) to measure social media use by time spent, anxiety and depression symptoms by the Patient Health Questionnaire-4, and past-30-day e-cigarette use.

Loopholes for Underage Access in E-Cigarette Delivery Sales Laws, United States, 2022.

To comprehensively catalog and review state e-cigarette delivery sales laws as well as capture their scope and dimensions. We conducted an in-depth review to determine whether states had at least 1 form of e-cigarette delivery sales law. We coded laws for 5 key policy domains: (1) delivery terminology used in laws, (2) age verification requirements, (3) packaging label requirements, (4) permit or registration requirements, and (5) fines and penalties for violations.

E-cigarette preemption laws: Limiting local communities from protecting youth.

E-cigarette use is prevalent among youth in the United States. Historically, local communities have been a catalyst for adopting evidence-based tobacco control policies. However, some states have ceiling preemption laws that prevent more stringent statutes from being enacted at the city or county level and inhibit tobacco control efforts.

Is socioeconomic status related to youth e-cigarette use? Examining family affluence and sexual identity.

There is limited evidence about the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and youth electronic cigarette use, particularly among sexual minorities. This study investigates whether family affluence is significantly associated with e-cigarette use among youth, including sexual minority youth. Data came from the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (N = 10,515).

Sexual Minority Youth E-Cigarette Use.

Background And Objectives: There is consistent evidence that sexual minority youth (SMY) use more traditional cigarettes than their non-SMY counterparts. However, there is relatively less information on e-cigarettes and, importantly, differences between and within SMY populations by race and ethnicity and sex. This study examines e-cigarette use by sexual orientation status and the intersection of race and ethnicity and sex.

Does state repeal of alcohol exclusion laws increase problem drinking?

Background: For decades, alcohol exclusion laws (AELs) have allowed insurance companies to reject claims for physical injuries caused by alcohol consumption, including injuries from impaired driving. A central premise of AELs is that they function as a deterrent to risk-taking behaviors, such as excessive drinking. If this assumption is correct, state repeal of these laws should result in increased drinking.

A double disparity: Rural sexual minorities and tobacco use among U.S. adults.

Background: Marginalized groups continue to face an uneven distribution of the risks and consequences of smoking cigarettes, with rural/urban geography and sexual orientation status examined independently. However, little is known about the intersection of rural/urban geography and sexual orientation regarding tobacco use disparities. This study examined rural-urban sexual minority differences in tobacco use in the United States.

Mental health condition indicators and e-cigarette use among sexual minority youth.

Background: Sexual minorities face mental health disparities compared to heterosexual people. There is limited research on the possible connections between mental health and e-cigarette use among sexual minority youth. This study examines anxiety, depression, and e-cigarette use for sexual minority youth only and between sexual minorities versus straight youth.