One concern about giving smokers e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid is that doing so instantly converts them into dual users (smoking both cigarettes and e-cigarettes), which adds the risks of e-cigarette use to cigarette use. Peter Hajek’s group just published Patterns of e-Cigarette Use and Smoking Cessation Outcomes: Secondary Analysis of a Large RandomisedContinue reading “New paper by Hajek group presents misleading incomplete results about dual use when using e-cigs as cessation aid”
Tag Archives: health
National Academy of Medicine calls out CDC for misrepresenting NAM position on vaccines and autism
This blog focuses on tobacco and cannabis and public health, so I have refrained from commenting on broader public health issues. But, I am making an exception to disseminate the National Academy of Medicine’s statement pointing of that the CDC’s November 12, 2025 update to its webpage on autism misrepresented NAM’s position on vaccines andContinue reading “National Academy of Medicine calls out CDC for misrepresenting NAM position on vaccines and autism”
Plain language summary of meta-analysis of ecigs and disease available
Last year we published “Population-Based Disease Odds for E-Cigarettes and Dual Use versus Cigarettes” that showed that some disease risks of e-cigarettes are indistinguishable from cigarettes and for others they on only slightly lower. This paper continues to attract interest, so I prepared a one page plain language summary, together with some frequently asked questions.Continue reading “Plain language summary of meta-analysis of ecigs and disease available”
How e-cigarettes compromise children’s human rights
The new paper “How e-cigarettes compromise children’s human rights” by Tom Gatehouse and colleagues provides more evidence to inform e-cigarette policy making by reminding the delegates to the FCTC Conference of the Parties next week that they need to prioritize protecting kids over any “harm reduction” benefits for adults that the tobacco industry claims forContinue reading “How e-cigarettes compromise children’s human rights”
Juul’s Connection to ‘Independent’ Expert Farsalinos Revealed
Greek cardiologist Konstantinos Farsalinos has been one of the e-cigarette industry’s most consistent supporters. Despite his behavior having all the hallmarks of undisclosed industry ties, until now no one was able to prove it. Now, using the Juul documents in the UCSF Industry documents library, investigators from The Examination, Le Monde (in English, in French)Continue reading “Juul’s Connection to ‘Independent’ Expert Farsalinos Revealed”
E-cigarettes increase harm to smokers, so should not be promoted as a harm reduction strategy (in 10 slides)
The tobacco industry has used claims of reduced harm to sell its products since the 1950s with its efforts to promote “safe cigarettes.” “Harm reduction” claims have been central to marketing of e-cigarettes since they were commercialized in 2003. The tobacco industry and its allies continue to use claims of reduced harm to argue againstContinue reading “E-cigarettes increase harm to smokers, so should not be promoted as a harm reduction strategy (in 10 slides)”
People who smoke both tobacco and cannabis are even more sensitive to paying more for cigarettes than those who just smoke cigarettes
Raising the cost of a pack of cigarettes, whether because of taxes or price hikes, has long been associated with lower consumption. The new paper Differential Responsiveness to Cigarette Prices by U.S. Adults Who Do and Do Not Use Cannabis by Tingting Yao and her UCSF colleagues shows that cigarette smokers who currently use cannabisContinue reading “People who smoke both tobacco and cannabis are even more sensitive to paying more for cigarettes than those who just smoke cigarettes”
Ecig enthusiasts acting more and more like tobacco and global warming deniers
Reflecting on the problems with the paper E-Cigarettes in Historical Context—Innovation, Risk, and Regulation by Michael Pesko, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Rachel Fung and Neal Benowitz reminded me that, as the evidence continues to pile up that e-cigarettes increase harm for both adults and youth, e-cigarette enthusiasts are moving beyond legitimate scientific differences of opinion and actingContinue reading “Ecig enthusiasts acting more and more like tobacco and global warming deniers”
New Pesko et al paper supporting e-cigs ignores current science
Several people have asked me what I thought of the just-published paper E-Cigarettes in Historical Context—Innovation, Risk, and Regulation by Michael Pesko, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Rachel Fung and Neal Benowitz. Like other similar papers published by some of these people, the Pesko paper relies on the 7 year old 2018 National Academies of Science, Engineering andContinue reading “New Pesko et al paper supporting e-cigs ignores current science”
International Pediatric Association publishes position paper concluding that “e-cigarettes are not an effective harm reduction strategy for adults and pose a serious risk to nicotine naïve youth”
On October 10, 2025, the International Pediatric Association (IPA) published a landmark position paper, “E-Cigarettes and the Nicotine Epidemic: Statement From the International Pediatric Association,” in Pediatrics, the international peer-reviewed journal published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The paper concluded, “In contrast to early hopes and assumptions, e-cigarettes are not an effective harm reductionContinue reading “International Pediatric Association publishes position paper concluding that “e-cigarettes are not an effective harm reduction strategy for adults and pose a serious risk to nicotine naïve youth””
Stanton Glantz blog 