The FDA continues to telegraph that it is going to authorize the sale of menthol e-cigarettes. The first strong indication was not acting on the Vuse Solo menthol PMTA, which has allowed RJ Reynolds to continue selling menthol Vuse side-by-side (screen capture below) with the authorized tobacco flavor. Now, the FDA press release announcing itsContinue reading “FDA sends another signal that it will authorize menthol ecigs despite high youth use”
Category Archives: youth
Higher nicotine content and flavors increase e-cig abuse liability
As debates over nicotine and flavors in e-cigarettes continues to heat up, Mari Gades, Aleksandra Alcheva, Amy Riegelman, and Dorothy Hatsukami just published “The role of nicotine and flavor in the abuse potential and appeal of electronic cigarettes for adult current and former cigarette and electronic cigarette users: A systematic review” in Nicotine and TobaccoContinue reading “Higher nicotine content and flavors increase e-cig abuse liability”
Study claiming SF flavor ban increased youth smoking dissolves; it is not based on any data collected after enforcing the ban
The research letter, “A Difference-in-Differences Analysis of Youth Smoking and a Ban on Sales of Flavored Tobacco Products in San Francisco, California” Abigail Friedman published in JAMA Pediatrics in May 2021 concluded that “San Francisco’s ban on flavored tobacco product sales was associated with increased smoking among minor high school students relative to other schoolContinue reading “Study claiming SF flavor ban increased youth smoking dissolves; it is not based on any data collected after enforcing the ban”
Now the usual “international experts” have shown up supporting industry efforts to weaken regulation of e-cigs and HTP in the Philippines
Under pressure from industry, the Philippine Congress has passed a retrograde bill that would roll back regulation of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Medical and health groups, as well as the government’s own Department of Health, are urging President Rodrigo R. Duterte to veto the bill, known as the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act. TheContinue reading “Now the usual “international experts” have shown up supporting industry efforts to weaken regulation of e-cigs and HTP in the Philippines”
AT&T makes Colin Farrell’s Penguin in The Batman smokefree
GeekTyrant reported that Colin Farrell’s Penguin in the new The Batman film being released by AT&T‘s Warner Bros. will be smokefree. Farrell’ wanted Penguin to smoke, but AT&T said “no.” Farrell’s view: “Big studios make big decisions around such things as the presence of cigarettes in films. I fought valiantly for a cigar. At oneContinue reading “AT&T makes Colin Farrell’s Penguin in The Batman smokefree”
Why I voted for the SF School Board recall
The national media has been talking a lot about the larger message of the fact that liberal San Francisco just recalled 3 school board members. As someone who lives in the City and has two grandsons in the SF public schools, I can say that the overwhelming rejection of the School Board’s behavior was notContinue reading “Why I voted for the SF School Board recall”
E-cig science has marched on; it is important that decision making and education be based on the current state of knowledge
In January 2021, I published a blog post making the point that the 2018 National Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) report on e-cigarettes was out of date. Now, Physicians for a Smoke Free Canada has published an extensive update detailing specifically how the science on e-cigarettes has advanced since then 2018, noting thatContinue reading “E-cig science has marched on; it is important that decision making and education be based on the current state of knowledge”
Ecig enthusiasts respond to criticism that they selectively cited the science by ignoring the conclusions of the papers they do cite
In addition to the excellent paper by Samet and Barrington-Trimis the American Journal of Public Health recently published two letters to the editor — one from Wasim Maziak and one from me — criticizing the paper “Balancing consideration of the risks and benefits of e-cigarettes.” That paper argues that concerns over youth e-cigarette use needsContinue reading “Ecig enthusiasts respond to criticism that they selectively cited the science by ignoring the conclusions of the papers they do cite”
Researchers write Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock asking FDA to withdraw marketing authorization for RJR Vuse Solo ecig
Colleagues at UCSF and Stanford and I wrote FDA Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock raising concerns that FDA’s October 12, 2021 Marketing Granted Orders for Vuse Solo failed to substantiate its determination that authorizing the marketing of Vuse Solo will provide a net improvement to public health. In particular, FDA failed to quantify the benefits vs.Continue reading “Researchers write Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock asking FDA to withdraw marketing authorization for RJR Vuse Solo ecig”
Industry easily adapts to FDA’s limited action on e-cig flavors
In response to skyrocketing youth e-cigarette use, driven largely by Juul removable pod flavored e-cigs, in January 2020, FDA said they would “prioritize enforcement” against most flavored pod e-cigs. Not surprisingly, youth and young adults have shifted to menthol and disposable flavored e-cigs that FDA is not prioritizing. Now Shivani Gaiha and her colleagues atContinue reading “Industry easily adapts to FDA’s limited action on e-cig flavors”
Stanton Glantz blog 