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 theContinue reading “RFK Jr strongly endorses tobacco industry harm reduction argument for ecigs and nicotine pouches”
Author Archives: Stanton Glantz
FDA should not authorize marketing flavored ZYN a modified risk claim because they will harm youth
My colleagues at UCSF and Stanford have submitted this public comment to FDA opposing its approval of Swedish Match (owned by Philip Morris International) claim that ZYN is less dangerous because of particular adverse effects on youth (PDF). The TPSAC tracking number is mk4-kp68-wmg2 and the general docket tracking number is mk5-q1p5-yauh on Regulations.gov. FDAContinue reading “FDA should not authorize marketing flavored ZYN a modified risk claim because they will harm youth”
The gateway has two doors in England, too
With some notable exceptions. e-cigarettes have been embraced by British tobacco control advocates and public health authorities more enthusiastically than anywhere else in the world, including authorities at Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) and University College London (UCL). Now, Emily Banks, Andrew Bush, Charlotta Pisinger, and Sam Egger have published Signs of increased smokingContinue reading “The gateway has two doors in England, too”
FDA should not authorize marketing ZYN nicotine pouches as having lower risk because the claim is likely to be misinterpreted to mean ZYN has been approved by FDA for cessation and consumers do not understand that they need to switch completely to get the purported benefits
My colleagues at UCSF and Stanford have submitted this public comment to FDA opposing its approval of Swedish Match (owned by Philip Morris International) claim that ZYN is less dangerous because it will be misunderstood as saying FDA endorsed ZYN (PDF). The TPSAC tracking number is mk4-kxvh-7j9n and the general docket tracking number is mk5-q1p5-yauhContinue reading “FDA should not authorize marketing ZYN nicotine pouches as having lower risk because the claim is likely to be misinterpreted to mean ZYN has been approved by FDA for cessation and consumers do not understand that they need to switch completely to get the purported benefits”
FDA should not authorize marketing flavored ZYN nicotine pouches as modified risk products because Swedish Match failed to provide evidence specific to ZYN demonstrating that they will benefit the health of the population, including youth
My colleagues at UCSF and Stanford have submitted this public comment to FDA opposing its approval of Swedish Match (owned by Philip Morris International) claim that ZYN is less dangerous (PDF). The TPSAC tracking number is mk4-k6rg-rvku and the general docket tracking number is mk5-q1p5-yauh on Regulations.gov. Here is the comment: FDA’s should not authorizeContinue reading “FDA should not authorize marketing flavored ZYN nicotine pouches as modified risk products because Swedish Match failed to provide evidence specific to ZYN demonstrating that they will benefit the health of the population, including youth”
HTP attract youth, act as a gateway to cigarettes, and keep adults smoking
The cigarette companies have introduced several generations of heated tobacco products (HTP) going back to the 1960s in the hope that generating the nicotine aerosol the consumer inhales by heating rather than burning the tobacco would lower risk by avoiding the toxic combustion products created by burning tobacco. None of these earlier products were successfulContinue reading “HTP attract youth, act as a gateway to cigarettes, and keep adults smoking”
New paper by Hajek group presents misleading incomplete results about dual use when using e-cigs as cessation aid
One concern about giving smokers e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid is that doing so instantly converts them into dual users (smoking both cigarettes and e-cigarettes), which adds the risks of e-cigarette use to cigarette use. Peter Hajek’s group just published Patterns of e-Cigarette Use and Smoking Cessation Outcomes: Secondary Analysis of a Large RandomisedContinue reading “New paper by Hajek group presents misleading incomplete results about dual use when using e-cigs as cessation aid”
National Academy of Medicine calls out CDC for misrepresenting NAM position on vaccines and autism
This blog focuses on tobacco and cannabis and public health, so I have refrained from commenting on broader public health issues. But, I am making an exception to disseminate the National Academy of Medicine’s statement pointing of that the CDC’s November 12, 2025 update to its webpage on autism misrepresented NAM’s position on vaccines andContinue reading “National Academy of Medicine calls out CDC for misrepresenting NAM position on vaccines and autism”
California Enacts World’s First Thirdhand Smoke Disclosure Law
California has enacted the first law, AB455, that requires sellers of single-family homes to disclose in writing any known indoor smoking, vaping, or thirdhand smoke contamination to prospective buyers. It also also directs the California Department of Toxic Substances Control to update its Homeowner’s Guide to Environmental Hazards to include thirdhand smoke information, a taskContinue reading “California Enacts World’s First Thirdhand Smoke Disclosure Law”
Plain language summary of meta-analysis of ecigs and disease available
Last year we published “Population-Based Disease Odds for E-Cigarettes and Dual Use versus Cigarettes” that showed that some disease risks of e-cigarettes are indistinguishable from cigarettes and for others they on only slightly lower. This paper continues to attract interest, so I prepared a one page plain language summary, together with some frequently asked questions.Continue reading “Plain language summary of meta-analysis of ecigs and disease available”
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