World Heart Federation highlights cardiovascular risks of e-cigs, calls for strict regulation, supports countries with bans

On October 18, 2021 the World Heart Federation released a policy brief “E-cigarettes: A new threat to cardiovascular health,” (press release) that provides an overview of the evidence that e-cigarette use has a wide range of adverse effects on the cardiovascular system that are reflected as an increased risk of heart attack at a populationContinue reading “World Heart Federation highlights cardiovascular risks of e-cigs, calls for strict regulation, supports countries with bans”

Science FDA (and everyone else) needs to actively engage as they think about whether to authorize Juul and the other ecigs

When I read the FDA’s Technical Project Lead summary of its scientific justification for authorizing the sale of RJ Reynolds’ Vuse Solo e-cigarette, I was struck by the fact that it ignored the broad scientific literature on e-cigarettes and seemed to accept industry-framed arguments. For example: They ignored the evidence that as consumer products, e-cigarettesContinue reading “Science FDA (and everyone else) needs to actively engage as they think about whether to authorize Juul and the other ecigs”

“Big Vape” is well worth reading

As I said in my review of Lauren Etter’s history of Juul, The Devil’s Playbook, my definition of a good book on tobacco is that I learn things I didn’t already know from reading it. Even after reading Etter’s book, Jamie Ducharme’s Big Vape is a good book. While all the key major events appearContinue reading ““Big Vape” is well worth reading”

Menthol: Two wrongs won’t make a right

After refusing to authorize the sale of over a million e-cigarette flavors, the FDA still has not dealt with menthol (or tobacco flavored) e-cigarettes. As detailed in an earlier blog post, I remain concerned that FDA will authorize the sale of menthol e-cigarettes using the incorrect logic that menthol e-cigarettes need to remain available asContinue reading “Menthol: Two wrongs won’t make a right”

California rushes to further weaken cannabis regulation

Last week the California Department of Cannabis Control released 391 pages of draft emergency regulations to “combine the three [existing] sets of cannabis regulations into one. It consolidates, clarifies and makes consistent licensing and enforcement requirements for cannabis businesses.” The Department gave the public just 5 days to comment on this massive rewrite of theContinue reading “California rushes to further weaken cannabis regulation”

Even more evidence that youth who start with e-cigs triple the odds that they will later smoke cigarettes

As more studies are published on the link between youth e-cigarette use and subsequent cigarette smoking youth, people continue publish meta-analyses summing up the results. The latest such meta-analysis, recently published in PLOS One by Sze Lin Yoong and colleagues, “Association between electronic nicotine delivery systems and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems with initiation of tobaccoContinue reading “Even more evidence that youth who start with e-cigs triple the odds that they will later smoke cigarettes”

“Move Fast and Vape Things” is worth watching

The New York Times just released its new one hour documentary on the origins of Juul, Move Fast and Vape Things. (You can watch a trailer and some clips from the film and link to Hulu, where the full film is available, here.) The film includes interviews with an addicted teen, the two men whoContinue reading ““Move Fast and Vape Things” is worth watching”

FDA can and should prioritize youth over Juul and other e-cigs sales while it ponders the long term

After years of delays and deadline extensions that allowed thousands of e-cigarettes to remain on the market without any FDA premarket review and millions of kids to become nicotine addicts, health groups successfully sued FDA to force action. As a result, on July 11, 2019 Judge Paul Grimm ordered FDA to require premarket tobacco product applications (PMTAs) forContinue reading “FDA can and should prioritize youth over Juul and other e-cigs sales while it ponders the long term”

e-cigs are a gateway to cannabis too: evidence from Germany

In addition to the sizable literature showing that e-cigarettes are attracting many kids at low risk of initiating nicotine use with cigarettes to nicotine, many of whom go on to smoke cigarettes, there is strong consistent evidence that e-cigarettes are a gateway to the cannabis use in the USA. Now Ann-Kathrin Seidel and her colleaguesContinue reading “e-cigs are a gateway to cannabis too: evidence from Germany”

An unbalanced consideration of the risks and benefits of e-cigarettes

Several people have asked me what I thought of the recent essay by Balfour et al and a group of former presidents of the Society for Nicotine and Tobacco Research, “Balancing consideration of the risks and benefits of e-cigarettes,” that argues that concerns over youth e-cigarette use needs to be “better balanced” against the valueContinue reading “An unbalanced consideration of the risks and benefits of e-cigarettes”