While snus has been the focus of increasing public health interest, twin studies have examined neither sources of individual variation for its use nor the sources of resemblance between snus and cigarette use. Twins from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Panel were assessed by self-report questionnaire for the initiation of regular use and maximal quantity used for snus and cigarettes. Twin modeling was performed using OpenMx on data from 2767 twins including 856 complete pairs. Fitting univariate twin models produced similar results for cigarette initiation and quantity with estimates of additive genetic, shared environmental and unique environmental effects of approximately 77%, 0% and 23%, respectively. Estimates of snus initiation and quantity were, respectively, approximately 53%, 26% and 21%. Joint analyses suggested that the genetic, shared environmental and unique environmental correlations between cigarette and snus initiation and quantity were +.82, 0 and +.42, respectively. However, these results could not be statistically distinguished from a model which postulated that resemblance between cigarette initiation and quantity resulted from genetic and unique environmental correlations of +.47 and +.43. Compared with cigarette initiation and quantity of use in Norwegian twins, the role of genes was less prominent and shared environment more prominent for initiation and quantity of use of snus. Joint analyses of both tobacco phenotypes suggested, but did not confirm definitively, that genetic risk factors for cigarette and snus use were similar but not identical, while shared environmental factors existed that were specific to snus use.

Although cross-sectional twin studies have assessed the genetic and environmental etiologies of substance use during adolescence and early adulthood, comparisons of results across different samples, measures, and cohorts are problematic. While several longitudinal twin studies have investigated these issues, few corroborating adoption studies have been conducted. The current study is the first to estimate the magnitude of genetic, shared environmental, and non-shared environmental influences on substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana) from ages 14 to 18 years, using a prospective longitudinal adoption design. Adoptive and control sibling correlations provided substantial evidence for early genetic effects on cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana use/no use. Shared environmental effects were relatively modest, except for alcohol use, which showed increases in late adolescence (age 17 to 18 years). Sibling similarity for quantity/frequency of use also support additive genetic influences across adolescence, with some shared environmental influences for all three substances. To test the stability of these influences across time, a series of independent pathway models were run to explore common and age-specific influences. For all substances, there were minimal age-specific additive genetic and shared environmental influences on quantity/frequency of use. Further, there was a trend toward increasing genetic influences on cigarette and alcohol use across ages. Genetic influences on marijuana were important early, but did not contribute substantially at age 17 and 18 years. Overall, the findings indicate that genetic influences make important contributions to the frequency/quantity of substance use in adolescence, and suggest that new genetic influences may emerge in late adolescence for cigarette and alcohol use.

Focusing on the cultural influence of the cigarette, this paper synthesizes a wide range of evidence to argue that the cigarette was a fundamental primer for Iran's encounter with modernity, especially as understood in the context of western influence. Applying the dramaturgical theories of sociologist Erving Goffman, it is argued that the cigarette is an instantiation of the “sign-equipment” of modernization used to refashion the identity and subjectivity of Iranian men and women. This refashioning has occurred in three distinct periods. In the first period (1860–1930), cigarette smoking was a habit adopted by the Persian elite in an attempt to mediate the encounter with European colonial figures. In the second period (1930–70), cigarettes were leveraged by Iranians who wished to be seen as upwardly mobile. In the final and contemporary period (1970–present), cigarettes have become ubiquitous among the adult population, but smoking itself has become the act of youth rebellion as experimentation occurs at increasingly young ages.

Environmental and consumer groups have called for mandatory labeling ofgenetically engineered (GE) food products in the United States, stating thatconsumers have the “right to know.” Herein, we use a nonhypothetical fieldexperiment to examine the willingness to pay for GE-labeled products, usingthe only second-generation GE product currently on the U.S. market—GEcigarettes. Our results suggest consumers pay less for GE-labeled cigaretteswhen marketing information is absent. But, when presented with marketinginformation on the attributes of the cigarette, we find no evidence thatconsumers pay less for GE-labeled cigarettes.

A framework was developed in order to specify a model for annual U.S. per capita consumption of cigarettes. Three separate time related variables were utilized to measure the effects of health related information regarding smoking. The empirical results from the post World War II data set reveal that while prices and income are important determinants of cigarette consumption, the estimates for both were in the inelastic range. The age distribution of the adult population is also an important variable. While the development of the filter tip has been successful in stimulating smoking, the low tar and nicotine innovation has not had a statistically significant effect. Health information has repeatedly produced substantial short and long run effects. Current consumption is falling at an annual rate of between 3 to 4 percent.

Information about cigarettes can help smokers come to an informed decisionabout what cigarettes to purchase. Countermarketing information can helpsmokers make informed decisions, but little is known about the value of thisinformation to smokers. In this article, we use data from experimentalauctions to estimate the value of countermarketing information that countersindustry claims about reduced-risk cigarettes. We find that this informationhas significant value to smokers who have been exposed to marketinginformation from tobacco companies touting reduced-risk cigarettes, but wefind no evidence it provides value to smokers not exposed to this marketinginformation.

Research studies indicate that smoking cigarettes is related to a premature development of facial wrinkles. Given that facial wrinkles may act as motivation for people to quit smoking, it is crucial that smoking cessation professionals be able to accurately inform clients about research concerning smoking and wrinkles. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to provide an updated overview of the literature which can be used by cessation clinicians as a practical reference on smoking and facial wrinkles. Databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles that study the association with smoking and wrinkles. In all, 17 articles were located and reviewed for research methods and results. Although facial wrinkles and smoking were measured inconsistently between studies, the overall literature indicates that those who smoke have a higher risk of developing premature facial wrinkles as compared to those who do not smoke. The implications of this review for smoking cessation professionals are described.