RFK Jr strongly endorses tobacco industry harm reduction argument for ecigs and nicotine pouches

In a video interview circulated by Danny Gillis owner of SevierVapor and Executive Director Tennessee Smoke Free Association, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr strongly endorses e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches for “harm reduction.” He also cites industry arguments that nicotine helps people with Alzheimer’s disease and dimentia (at 50 seconds in the video).

And, of course, the video ignores the devastating effects these products on kids.

Way back in 2010 Janine Cataldo, Jodi Prochaska and I published “Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s Disease: an analysis controlling for tobacco industry affiliation” showing that, while studies conducted by people with associations with the tobacco industry did show such an effect, studies conducted by investigators independent of the tobacco industry found the opposite: cigarette smoking as associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Kennedy’s position makes it very unlikely that the FDA will express any skepticism of these products regardless of what the growing evidence base (ZYN nicotine pouch public comment 1, comment 2, comment 3; IPA statement on e-cigarettes) shows.