Strengthening Tobacco 21 implementation and enforcement to reduce tobacco-related health disparities: A stakeholder engagement project.

Introduction: As a part of a priority-setting stakeholder engagement project to strengthen the impact of the federal Tobacco 21 (T21) law, we conducted a qualitative study to solicit input from a nationwide sample of tobacco control stakeholders regarding the implementation, enforcement, and equity implications of the T21 law.

Methods: Following the T21 policy evaluation guidance developed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), we identified T21 experts in four domains: policy, evaluation, subject matter, and implementation from a national search of stakeholders (invitations, n=1279) to account for geographical variation. This study presents results from five focus groups conducted in December 2021 among stakeholders (n=31) with experience in T21 policy, evaluation, subject matter, and implementation.

Rural-Urban Differences in Changes and Effects of Tobacco 21 in Youth E-cigarette Use.

Background: The prevalence of current electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased dramatically among US youth. It is unknown how the impact of policies to curb e-cigarette use might differ across rural and urban areas.

Methods: Data were collected from an annual statewide survey of middle and high school students in Kansas.

Retail violations of sales to minors on e-cigarettes and cigars.

Objectives: The finalized 'Deeming Rule' extended the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate e-cigarettes, cigars, and other newly deemed tobacco products. We seek to assess the neighborhood characteristics associated with retail violations of sales to minors (RVSM) by tobacco product.

Study Design: We collected national inspection data on tobacco retailers during August 8, 2016, and May 31, 2018, from the FDA compliance check database.

Youth Knowledge of Tobacco 21 and its Association With Intention to Use Tobacco.

Background: Raising the minimum legal age (MLA) of tobacco sales from 18 to 21 (Tobacco 21 [T21]) has recently been implemented nationwide as a method to reduce tobacco use, but empirical data on youth knowledge of T21 policies and related pathways to tobacco use are limited.

Methods: Data were collected from the 2018 Kansas Communities That Care Student Survey. Knowledge of the MLA was compared between T21 and non-T21 regions using a quasi-experimental design.

Electronic Cigarettes and Future Marijuana Use: A Longitudinal Study.

Background: Cigarettes have been strongly associated with subsequent marijuana use among adolescents, but electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are now rapidly replacing traditional cigarettes among youth. This study examines associations between youth e-cigarette use and subsequent marijuana use in a national sample.

Methods: Youth (aged 12-17 years) never marijuana users at wave 1 ( = 10 364; 2013-2014) from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study were followed-up in 1 year (wave 2, 2014-2015).