Tobacco Center Faculty Blog

August 29, 2023

On Friday, August 25, 2023 UCSF TCORS submitted six public comments following the FDA’s Public Meeting and Listening Session for Developing their Center for Tobacco Products' Strategic Plan.

August 29, 2023

Several people have asked us to collect all the public comments that we have submitted to the FDA.  We have also added comments submitted to other agencies on tobacco issues.  We will update this posting as new comments are submitted.  This post is current as of August 29, 2023.

Developing FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products’ Strategic Plan

CTP should finalize its updated list of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents by December 2023

CTP should finalize the proposed rules prohibiting menthol in cigarettes and prohibiting characterizing flavors in cigars, and the rules should include menthol analogs with cooling agents that mimic menthol

August 3, 2023

HHS’s proposed Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation is an important first step to addressing health disparities among populations disproportionately impacted by smoking-related illness and death. In particular, the framework focuses on closing the gap in culturally tailored cessation treatments and programs available, improving accessibility to these disproportionately impacted populations, and acknowledging the importance of policies and programs at the population level that will support an individual’s successful attempts to quit smoking. While we generally support the proposed framework’s goals, cross-cutting principles, and broad strategies, we offer some suggestions to strengthen the framework and increase impact on preventing cancer deaths and other smoking-caused deaths.

May 12, 2023

The UCSF TCORS submitted the following public comment to the FDA on April 13, 2023. The Comment Tracking Number is lgf-ds2n-iuvbClick here to download the PDF.

FDA’s proposed regulation establishes reasonable tobacco product manufacturing practice requirements that could help minimize the risks of products, especially to youth and young adults

Docket No. FDA-2013-N-0227

 Requirements for Tobacco Product Manufacturing Practice

Lauren Kass Lempert, JD, MPH; Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD; Stanton A. Glantz, PhD; 
Neal L. Benowitz, MD; Carolyn S. Calfee, MD MAS; Benjamin W. Chaffee, DDS MPH PhD; Jennifer Fung, PhD; Stuart Gansky, DrPH; Wendy Max, PhD;
Vira Pravosud, PhD, MPH, MS; Matthew L. Springer, PhD;
Pamela M. Ling, MD, MPH

UCSF TCORS

April 13, 2023

April 26, 2023

The use of vape products (e-cigarettes) to consume nicotine and cannabis (marijuana) has become a significant public health concern, especially use by adolescents.  A new study conducted by Benjamin Chaffee and colleagues at UCSF and the California Tobacco Control Program gives further evidence to suggest that having flavors in those vapes may increase adolescents’ willingness to try them, regardless of whether the vape contains nicotine or cannabis.

The study was part of the 2021-2022 California Teens Nicotine and Tobacco Project and was based on a statewide online survey of 2,342 adolescents aged 12-17. As part of a discrete choice experiment within the survey, teens were shown two hypothetical vape products and asked to select which one they would be willing to use (or neither) if offered by a best friend. The hypothetical products differed in their flavor, what they contained (nicotine, cannabis, or “just vapor”), and other characteristics.

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