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A growing share of the U.S. population uses e-cigarettes but the optimal regulation of these controversial products remains an open question. We conduct a discrete choice experiment to investigate how adult tobacco cigarette smokers ' demand for e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes varies by four attributes: (1) whether e-cigarettes are considered healthier than tobacco cigarettes, (2) the effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a cessation device, (3) bans on use in public places, and (4) price. We find that adult smokers' demand for e-cigarettes is motivated more by health concerns than by the desire to avoid smoking bans or higher prices. (JEL C35,112,118), I. INTRODUCTION E-cigarettes are relatively new products in U.S. tobacco markets; they were developed in China in 2003 and entered the United States in 2007 (Riker et al. 2012). Since [...]

Objective: To examine attitudes towards and compliance with the recent Australian bans on smoking in licensed venues, and to explore effects on smoking behaviour. Methods: Three Australian states (QueensLand, Tasmania and Western Australia) implemented a total ban on smoking in all enclosed licensed premises in 2006, and two others (Victoria and New South Wales) did so in mid-2007. We used data from smokers residing in these states for each of the six waves of the ITC-4 country survey (2002-2007; average n=1,694). Results: Consistent with the majority of international findings, observed compliance was reported by more than 90% of smokers from a pre-ban situation of indoor smoking being the norm. Attitudes became more positive in the year before the ban, but more than doubled in the year the bans were implemented. The associations found for the leading states were replicated by the lagging states a year later. We found no evidence for any increase in permitting smoking inside the home after the bans took effect. Further, we were unable to find any evidence of reductions in daily cigarette consumption or any increase in quitting activity due to the bans. Implications: These results add to a growing body of international research that suggests that smokers are readily able to comply with, and increasingly support, smoke-free bars, though the bans may have limited effect on their smoking habits. Key words: Licensed venues, smoke-free policy, tobacco use, policy compliance, smoking restrictions in the home. Aust NZ J Public Health. 2010; 34:379-85 doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00570.x

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is a known cause of disease among nonsmokers, contributing to lung cancer, heart disease, and sudden infant death syndrome, as well as other diseases. In response to the growing body of scientific literature linking SHS with serious diseases, many countries, states, and cities have established policies mandating smoke-free public spaces. Yet thousands of children remain unprotected from exposure to SHS in private homes and cars. New initiatives targeting SHS in these spaces have raised ethical questions about imposing constraints on private behavior. We reviewed legislation and court cases related to such initiatives and used a principlist approach to analyze the ethical implications of policies banning smoking in private cars and homes in which children are present. doi:10.2105/ AJPH.2007.130856

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.05.020 Byline: Stacey J. Anderson (a), Richard W. Pollay (b), Pamela M. Ling (a) Keywords: Cigarettes; Low-tar; Advertising; Psychology; Tobacco industry; Corporate documents; USA; Canada Abstract: We explored the evolution from cigarette product attributes to psychosocial needs in advertising campaigns for low-tar cigarettes. Analysis of previously secret tobacco industry documents and print advertising images indicated that low-tar brands targeted smokers who were concerned about their health with advertising images intended to distract them from the health hazards of smoking. Advertising first emphasized product characteristics (filtration, low tar) that implied health benefits. Over time, advertising emphasis shifted to salient psychosocial needs of the target markets. A case study of Vantage cigarettes in the USA and Canada showed that advertising presented images of intelligent, upward-striving people who had achieved personal success and intentionally excluded the act of smoking from the imagery, while minimal product information was provided. This illustrates one strategy to appeal to concerned smokers by not describing the product itself (which may remind smokers of the problems associated with smoking), but instead using evocative imagery to distract smokers from these problems. Current advertising for potential reduced-exposure products (PREPs) emphasizes product characteristics, but these products have not delivered on the promise of a healthier alternative cigarette. Our results suggest that the tobacco control community should be on the alert for a shift in advertising focus for PREPs to the image of the user rather than the cigarette. Global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control-style advertising bans that prohibit all user imagery in tobacco advertising could preempt a psychosocial needs-based advertising strategy for PREPs and maintain public attention on the health hazards of smoking. Author Affiliation: (a) Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California, San Francisco, 530 Parnassus Avenue, Suite 366, Box 1390, San Francisco, CA 94143-1390, USA (b) University of British Columbia, USA