Secondhand cannabis and tobacco smoke both increase cancer risk

The pro-cannabis advocacy group California NORML recently reported that it had successfully kept an exemption for cannabis use in the smokefree multiunit housing provision of the draft ordinance that the Oakland City Council approved on first reading on November 12, 2024.  Their posting includes two inaccurate statements dismissing the cancer risks of secondhand cannabis andContinue reading “Secondhand cannabis and tobacco smoke both increase cancer risk”

Oakland City Council should advance law making bar patios smoke-free and make multi-unit housing tobacco and cannabis smoke-free at November 12 hearing

On November 12, the Oakland City Council will hold a public hearing on a proposed Oakland Smoke-Free Bar Patios and Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing Ordinance introduced by Councilperson Dan Kalb.  The ordinance as proposed would close a loophole that allows smoking on outdoor bar patios and also make multi-unit housing tobacco smoke-free.  Unfortunately, the current draft ordinanceContinue reading “Oakland City Council should advance law making bar patios smoke-free and make multi-unit housing tobacco and cannabis smoke-free at November 12 hearing”

Register for free UCSF indusry documents workshop Oct 8

Registration is now open for the UCSF Annual Tobacco and Other Industry Documents Workshop. The workshop, which is a joint project of UCSF’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education and the UCSF Library will again be held virtually on October 8th from 9am-12:15pm Pacific Time. Participants will gain comprehensive knowledge of UCSF’s Industry DocumentsContinue reading “Register for free UCSF indusry documents workshop Oct 8”

Wide-ranging podcast with ProfGlantz

Douglas County Oregon Public Health recently released an hour long interview Mitchell Kilkenny conducted with me covering everything from how I got involved with tobacco control through secondhand smoke’s effects to our recent research showing that for for many diseases e-cigarettes have indistinguishable risks to smoking, why the tobacco free generation” is a bad idea,Continue reading “Wide-ranging podcast with ProfGlantz”

e-cig PG/VG and nicotine promote tumor growth and metastasis

E-cigarettes deliver nicotine to users by aerosolizing “e-liquid” that is a solution containing nicotine and flavoring agents. The solvent used to dissolve these elements usually consists of propylene glycol and glycerin (PG/VG), which is recognized by the FDA as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) for ingestion (eating), so people generally don’t worry about it. InContinue reading “e-cig PG/VG and nicotine promote tumor growth and metastasis”

Genetic evidence that e-cigarettes increase cancer (and other disease) risk among young adults

E-cigarette advocates — as well as regulators like the FDA — are fond of pointing out that nicotine is not a carcinogen (chemical that causes cancer) and noting that because they do not involve combustion, e-cigarettes do not deliver many carcinogenic chemicals produced by burning cigarettes. A new paper by Stella Tommasi , Ahmad BesaratiniaContinue reading “Genetic evidence that e-cigarettes increase cancer (and other disease) risk among young adults”

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?”

Evidence that e-cigarettes promote breast cancer

E-cigarette advocates and pro-tobacco forces generally love to point on that nicotine does not cause cancer. While they are correct that nicotine does not cause cancer, i.e., does not lead to cancer initiation, the fact is that once someone has cancer, nicotine makes it worse. In particular, nicotine promotes growth of blood vessels into tumorContinue reading “Evidence that e-cigarettes promote breast cancer”

Why does the Royal College of Physicians report on ecigs and harm reduction minimize knowledge of the adverse effects of nicotine beyond addiction?

E-cigarettes and Harm Reduction: An Evidence Review, the latest in a series of reports it has published since 2007 endorsing e-cigarettes for harm reduction.  In this report, the RCP minimizes the adverse health effects of nicotine (beyond addiction), concluding that “There is little evidence of a long-term harmful physiological effect of nicotine that is notContinue reading “Why does the Royal College of Physicians report on ecigs and harm reduction minimize knowledge of the adverse effects of nicotine beyond addiction?”

Heated tobacco products damage human lung function as much as cigarettes

Philip Morris has aggressively promoted its heated tobacco product (HTP) IQOS all over the world as a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes based on the fact that IQOS delivers lower levels of some combustion products than cigarettes. IQOS is the most populat HTP in Japan, and other tobacco companies make similar claims for their HTP.Continue reading “Heated tobacco products damage human lung function as much as cigarettes”