SRNT Statement of Policy

The American Psychological Association (APA), the College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD), the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) and the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) are working with the ENACT (Effective National Action to Control Tobacco) Coalition to promote a strong public health agenda within comprehensive tobacco control legislation.

Collectively our groups represent academic researchers, clinical psychologists, physicians and other health care providers who have unique roles to play in informing Congress on issues relevant to understanding how to prevent tobacco use, how and why individuals become addicted to nicotine and how to treat the 50 million Americans who are already nicotine-dependent.

Rationale for Promoting a Research Agenda

The public health benefits of research related to prevention of tobacco use, addiction to tobacco products, and treatment of tobacco dependence have paid off:

Through research we now understand the power of advertising; very young children readily identify commercial industry logos with cigarettes.

Through research we now know that price increases have the most dramatic effect in reducing underage smoking.

Through research we have carefully characterized the nicotine withdrawal syndrome leading to a better understanding of why tobacco users relapse when they try to quit.

Through research we have identified behavioral and pharmacological treatment interventions that have dramatically improved cessation efforts.

However, the use of tobacco products by youth is increasing, our understanding of nicotine addiction remains incomplete; and the vast majority of those addicted to tobacco products can't quit.

Collectively these findings suggest that we need to learn more about prevention, addiction and treatment of nicotine dependence.

How to Fund Research

Tobacco use research funds should supplement rather than supplant existing research appropriations, should be tied in a broad but meaningful way to tobacco use research be distributed with a focus on prevention of tobacco use, understanding the nature of tobacco dependence, and treatment of tobacco dependence.

Current funding for tobacco use research is woefully inadequate. For example, while smoking plays a role in 20% of all deaths in the United States, only 1% of the NIH budget is allocated to tobacco research.

Further that research is weighted toward the medical consequences of tobacco-use rather than toward understanding prevention of tobacco use, nicotine addiction and treatment of tobacco dependence. Although, research on the health consequences associated with chronic tobacco use should also receive support, it would be sensible to focus the bulk of new monies toward preventing, rather than treating tobacco related diseases.

How to Administer a Research Fund

Monies should be administered via a trust fund to provide for flexible, incremental spending to allow, among other considerations, an adequate period of time to expand the limited pool of scientists currently engaged in tobacco use research. A committee should be formed to oversee the trust fund consisting of individuals with expertise in relevant areas of tobacco use research both from within and outside federal government.

Such a committee should be charged with providing sustained oversight of, and responsibility for, programmatic coordination, review and revision of an overall tobacco use research agenda. Such a committee should be charged with ensuring that funds are distributed across a full-range of federal, state and local agencies so as to promote research in any venue that is likely to increase our understanding of nicotine dependence, or improve the delivery of, and access to, effective prevention and treatment services.

What Type of Research to Fund

Multidisciplinary biobehavioral research needs to be expanded. Tobacco dependence most certainly results from interactions between nicotine and the central nervous system but starting, continuing and quitting smoking are fundamentally behavioral processes. Scientists should take full advantage of emerging opportunities to combine the best research methodologies of all relevant scientific disciplines.

What to Do With Research Results

The results of basic and clinical research need to be disseminated to promote the broadest possible access to effective prevention and treatment programs. Every effort should be made to ensure that incentives are in place to put research results into practice and scientists should be encouraged to partner with clinicians to achieve that goal.

Implementation of prevention and treatment programs will be critical to minimizing the health, social and economic consequences of tobacco addiction. Additionally, publicly funded prevention and treatment programs must be amenable to rigorous, objective, evaluation.

In closing, we believe that the membership of our organizations have a unique role to play in informing Congress on issues relevant to understanding how to prevent tobacco use, how and why individuals become addicted to nicotine and how to treat the 50 million Americans who are already nicotine-dependent. We hope that you will help our community by ensuring that the science we conduct is appropriately funded and rationally applied in the formulation of public health policy.