My colleagues and I just submitted this public comment to FDA opposing its proposal to allow sales of flavored e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) on the grounds that benefits to adults would outweigh harms to kids. It also presents evidence that two-way communication between ENDS and external agencies (that could include ENDSContinue reading “FDA should drop its draft guidance to allow some sales of flavored e-cigs because it ignores evidence that harm to youth outweighs theoretical benefits to adults”
Category Archives: public health
I surprised Michael Smerconsih when he interviewed me about UK generational smoking ban
On April 23, 2026, Michael Smerconsih interviewed me about the UK Generational Smoking ban. I surprised him by arguing that generational smoking bans are bad public policy because they divert resources from more effective tobacco control policies that had faster public health benefits. I am also skeptical that they will be maintained in the longContinue reading “I surprised Michael Smerconsih when he interviewed me about UK generational smoking ban”
Local flavor bans followed by big drops in youth e-cig use
The evidence that comprehensive flavor bans are followed by drops in tobacco consumption keeps piling up. A new study by Giovanni Appolon, and colleagues, Local Flavored Tobacco Bans and Youth Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Use, of 2.8 million California middle and high school students across 483 local jurisdictions found that local flavored tobacco bans thatContinue reading “Local flavor bans followed by big drops in youth e-cig use”
MAHA claims that nicotine is good for you echo decades of tobacco industry propaganda
The New York Times recently highlighted how many “Make America Healthy Again” influencers are promoting the benefits of nicotine, including reversing Alzheimer’s Disease and improving cognition. While we don’t know what role the tobacco companies are playing in this latest resurgence of claims that nicotine is a beneficial substance that poses little or no risk,Continue reading “MAHA claims that nicotine is good for you echo decades of tobacco industry propaganda”
FDA adds 18 chemicals to list of harmful constituents in tobacco products, including propelyene glycol and vegetable glycerine
The FDA is required to maintain a list of “Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents” (HPHC) in tobacco products. The original list was released in 2012 and was mostly toxicants in cigarette and other tobacco smoke and smokeless tobacco. In particular, this list did not include important compounds in e-cigarettes and other “new” tobacco products. InContinue reading “FDA adds 18 chemicals to list of harmful constituents in tobacco products, including propelyene glycol and vegetable glycerine”
Nicotine pouches maintain the nicotine market for tobacco companies
Nicotine pouches (like ZYN and on!) are being touted by some advocates as a “harm reduction” alternative to smoking cigarettes. Kelvin Choi and colleagues examined whether this happens in real life in their new paper “Patterns of tobacco product use among US adults who use nicotine pouches and the association between nicotine pouch use andContinue reading “Nicotine pouches maintain the nicotine market for tobacco companies”
Broad evidence implicates e-cigarettes as a cause of cancer
Bernard Stewart and colleagues from Australia just published “The carcinogenicity of e-cigarettes: a qualitative risk assessment” in Carcinogenesis. This review (summary) of the literature cites 116 papers, 15 of which were published in 2025. The fact that so many of the citations are recent is important because the evidence on the health risks of e-cigarettesContinue reading “Broad evidence implicates e-cigarettes as a cause of cancer”
California’s “Unflavored Tobacco List” will improve compliance with and enforcement of flavored tobacco ban
Last year California passed AB 3218 to tighten up and simplify compliance with and enforcement of California’s ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products. Part of this was to have the Attorney General establish and maintain an Unflavored Tobacco List (UTL) that included those tobacco products that could be sold legally in California. toContinue reading “California’s “Unflavored Tobacco List” will improve compliance with and enforcement of flavored tobacco ban”
E-cigarettes are nearly as risky as cigarettes; dual use is worse: The evidence continues to pile up
Using e-cigarettes (vaping) has been promoted as a much safer alternative to smoking cigarettes. However, a new head-to-head comparison of actual disease in e-cigarette users compared to cigarette smokers published in Public Health Reports shows that this assertion is wrong. This new analysis of 124 studies on the association of e-cigarette use with disease outcomesContinue reading “E-cigarettes are nearly as risky as cigarettes; dual use is worse: The evidence continues to pile up”
What the BAT chief scientist had to say about causality half a century ago
E-cigarette advocates, global warming deniers and social media companies continue to sidestep the implications of research showing dangers of their products by, among other things, retreating behind the high walls of claims that the evidence is not “causal.” To put these claims in context, it is worth re-reading the last couple paragraphs from our bookContinue reading “What the BAT chief scientist had to say about causality half a century ago”
Stanton Glantz blog 