Tobacco Center Faculty Blog

APOL1 Risk Variants Associate With the Prevalence of Stroke in African American Current and Past Smokers

December 19, 2023

Jelena Mustra Rakic, PhD

African Americans face a higher stroke risk than other racial groups in the U.S., which is not fully accounted for by traditional risk factors or socioeconomic differences. Tobacco smoking, a well-established independent risk factor for stroke and responsible for one-fifth of all strokes in the US, has only recently been evaluated in this population. The 2.5 times higher risk for African American smokers compared to non-smokers, is even greater when contrasted with non-Hispanic Whites, highlighting the need to investigate the underlying reasons for this disparity.

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Public Comments on FDA Public Meeting and Listening Session for Developing FDA's Center for Tobacco Products' Strategic Plan

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.
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Draft HHS 2023 Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation

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.
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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

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-iuvb. Click 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

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Flavors Increase Adolescents’ Willingness to Try Nicotine and Cannabis Vape Products

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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