FDA should deny renewal of PMI’s modified risk claim for Swedish Match Snus because of joint marketing with ZYN nicotine pouches

My UCSF colleagues and I submitted this public comment to FDA. It is an updated version of the one we submitted to TPSAC on June 20, 2024. A PDF is here. The Regulations.gov tracking number is lz3-50m7-es1x. FDA should consider the significant public health issues, especially for youth, created by Philip Morris International’s co-marketing ofContinue reading “FDA should deny renewal of PMI’s modified risk claim for Swedish Match Snus because of joint marketing with ZYN nicotine pouches”

FDA should not renew permission for PMI Swedish Match snus to make modified risk claims

My UCSF colleagues and I submitted this public comment to FDA last week opposing renewal of its marketing order allowing PMI’s Swedish Match Snus to make modified risk claims. (This is an updated version of the comment we submitted to TPSAC on June 10, 2024. I was backpacking when the comment was actually submitted, henceContinue reading “FDA should not renew permission for PMI Swedish Match snus to make modified risk claims”

UCSF releases 350k more Juul documents, bringing total to over 2.2 million

On July 25, 2024 the UCSF Industry Documents Library added 350,00 new JUUL Labs documents to the Truth Tobacco Industry Documents Library, bringing the total number of publicly available previously secret Juul documents to over 2.2 million. And, there is more to come.  These documents have already lead to six publications, including two recent importantContinue reading “UCSF releases 350k more Juul documents, bringing total to over 2.2 million”

The evidence that secondhand smoke causes breast cancer keeps piling up. When will Surg Gen, CDC, ACS and others start acting on this evidence?

In 2005 the California EPA found secondhand smoke caused breast cancer in younger women. (Related regulatory documents available here.) Amazingly, as of 2024 — 19 years later — neither the CDC (and the Surgeon General, who follows the CDC) nor the American Cancer Society list smoking or secondhand smoke as risk factors for breast cancer.Continue reading “The evidence that secondhand smoke causes breast cancer keeps piling up. When will Surg Gen, CDC, ACS and others start acting on this evidence?”

Criticism of our meta-analysis of e-cigarettes and disease and our response is published

NEJM Evidence has published two letters to the editor that raised questions about our meta-analysis, Population-Based Disease Odds for E-Cigarettes and Dual Use versus Cigarettes that concluded that for cardiovascular disease, stroke and metabolic disorder e-cigarette risks are similar to cigarettes and for respiratory and oral disease, while lower risk than cigarettes, the risks areContinue reading “Criticism of our meta-analysis of e-cigarettes and disease and our response is published”

DOJ and DEA should reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III to identify regulatory approaches from tobacco to apply to cannabis

My UCSF colleagues and I submitted this comment to DOJ supporting reschduling marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III ( PDF). The regulations.gov tracking number is lyx-h4jq-93z8. The Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Agency should reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III to allow consideration of the health, safety, and abuse liability impactsContinue reading “DOJ and DEA should reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III to identify regulatory approaches from tobacco to apply to cannabis”

DOJ’s proposed transfer of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III will facilitate research on cardiovascular impacts of cannabis use

My UCSF colleagues and I just submitted this public comment supporting moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III (PDF copy). The Regulations.gov tracking number is lyx-h4jq-93z8. The Department of Justice’s proposed transfer of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act will facilitate research on the cardiovascular impacts of cannabisContinue reading “DOJ’s proposed transfer of marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III will facilitate research on cardiovascular impacts of cannabis use”

New meta-analysis of e-cigs and cardiovascular disease shows increased risks

Chen Chen and colleagues recently published Assessing the association between e-cigarette use and cardiovascular disease: A meta-analysis of exclusive and dual use with combustible cigarettes that found significantly elevated cardiovascular disease risk in dual users (people who use both e-cigarettes and cigarettes) and former smokers who had switched to e-cigarettes compared to people who hadContinue reading “New meta-analysis of e-cigs and cardiovascular disease shows increased risks”

Tobacco free generation is a bad idea that should be abandoned

In the last few years the idea of a free generation in which tobacco sales would be prohibited to all people born after a certain date has gained some traction. Ever since the idea was first proposed by some Singapore researchers in 2010, I have thought it was a bad idea. Other than declining toContinue reading “Tobacco free generation is a bad idea that should be abandoned”

Smoking gun document ties Al Sharpton to Juul, efforts to protect menthol cigs

Fenit Nirappil’s comprehensive Washington Post story How Black activists became defenders of Big Tobacco (June 21, 2024) includes the 2018 smoking gun document linking Al Sharpton the African American leader who played a key role in convincing Biden to pull FDA regulations ending menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, as well as other African American andContinue reading “Smoking gun document ties Al Sharpton to Juul, efforts to protect menthol cigs”