US vapor prohibitionists, not vaping advocates, invited to speak at 2016 E-cigarette Summit

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Bill Godshall

Executive Director<br/> Smokefree Pennsylvania
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Please note that 2016 E-cigarette Summit organizer Amanda Strange (from Smooth-Events) has invited four Americans (Neil Benowitz, David Abrams, Tom Miller, Scott Leischow) who have
NOT opposed FDA's vapor deeming ban (nor any vaping ban, vapor tax or vapor regulation) to
speak at tomorrow's conference in London.

While Tom Miller and David Abrams have recently (in the past year) acknowledged that vapor products are far less harmful than cigarettes, have helped many smokers quit smoking, are primarily consumed by smokers and exsmokers, and have not addicted nonsmoking teens to nicotine, Tom Miller is chairman of Legacy's Board of Directors (whose board is comprised of outspoken vapor and vaping prohibitonists)
Bios
while David Abrams works at Legacy, has endorsed FDA's deeming regulation, and urged FDA to impose enormous financial burdens on all tobacco (including vapor) manufacturers who choose to submit MRTP and PMTA applications to FDA.
About Us

And of course, Legacy (now called the truth initiative, but which I've been calling the Legacy lies initiative) urged the FDA to unlawfully ban e-cigs in 2009, filed multiple briefs with the DC Court (along with CTFK, ACS, AHA, ALA, AAP) in support of FDA's unlawful e-cig ban (when I submitted a brief in support of SE/NJOY), has aggressively lobbied FDA to impose the vapor deeming ban since 2011, and has issued false and misleading fear mongering claims about vaping daily since 2009.

Neil Benowitz, who has also advocated FDA's Vapor Deeming ban, who continues to claim there is no evidence vaping has helped smokers quit smoking, and who served on FDA's TPSAC for many years to endorse virtually everything FDA proposed or requested, was also invited to present at tomorrow's E-cigarette Summit.

And recently, Amanda invited Scott Leischow to also speak at tomorrow's conference. Scott worked as a tobacco controller at US DHHS for more than a decades opposing Tobacco Harm Reduction products and policies (in 2003 he falsely claimed that smokeless tobacco wasn't less harmful than cigarettes), and he continues to claim that there is no evidence vaping can help smokers quit smoking.

Earlier this week, the new DHHS funded NCCN smoking cessation guidelines (see pages 1460-61) claims there's no scientific evidence that vaping helps smokers quit smoking, and recommends that physicians discourage cancer patients who smoke from using vapor products. Benowitz and Leischow signed their names on that document.
NCCN Tobacco
NCCN-Tobacco.pdf
Smoking Cessation, Version 1.2016, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology

BTW, the chair of that DHHS funded NCCN smoking cessation guideline committee was/is
Peter Shields, who recently said about e-cigarettes: "We have no idea where in the spectrum these are, in terms of safety. Are they like cigarettes, or nothing like cigarettes? Do they affect people the same if they've never smoked, or a lot worse? We need to figure this out."
Millennials Think E-Cigarettes Are Safer - Ohio State Does Not
Survey: Most Americans under age 35 believe e-cigarettes cause less harm than traditional cigarettes

Since I won't be attending tomorrow's 2016 E-cigarette Summit, I would hope that somebody(ies) who do attend could ask (challenge) the four invited American speakers how they can both claim to endorse vaping (at tomorrow's conference), while they have simultaneously advocated and/or refused to oppose FDA's vapor deeming ban (even after I repeatedly informed them it would ban sales of all vapor products) and/or why they continue to claim there's no evidence vaping can help smokers quit smoking.

Back in the summer, I informed Amanda Strange that Benowitz and Abrams (who were listed as Summit speakers) had both advocated FDA's vapor ban, and urged her to invite some real vapor advocates from the US to speak. But after informing me that she shared my concerns, Amanda subsequently invited Miller and Leischow (in recent months) to also speak tomorrow (without inviting any real vaping advocates from the US to speak).

After I sent Amanda several more e-mails expressing my concerns that she had invited vaping opponents from the US, but no real vaping advocates from the US, to speak at the Summit, Amanda blocked her e-mail system from accepting my e-mails (including my weekly THR Updates).
 

Bill Godshall

Executive Director<br/> Smokefree Pennsylvania
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How will that happen unless we talk to the enemy?

I've been regularly communicating with most enemies of THR for the past 15 years, and I've sent them virtually every study and other data confirming that smokeless tobacco and vapor products are far less harmful than cigarettes, have helped millions of smokers quit smoking, and are not gateways to smoking for teens.

They've always responded by doubling down on their false fear mongering claims about vaping, their lobbying to ban the sale of vapor products, dissolvables and all other new low risk smokefree nicotine/tobacco products (except for those sold by Big Pharma), and their demonization of flavorings, nicotine, vaping industry, tobacco companies and all other things tobacco.

My concern is that the E-cigarette Summit organizer(s)
didn't invite even one real vaping advocate from the US to speak at their so-called Summit.

I don't think UK vapers would have been pleased if all the invited speakers from the UK were opposed to vaping and had aggressively lobbied to ban the products.
 

Kent C

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My concern is that the E-cigarette Summit organizer(s) didn't invite even one real vaping advocate from the US to speak at their so-called Summit.

This is the point I attempted to make on another thread. Where junk science is used to support a political position, then anyone who dissents or disagrees are labeled 'deniers' and are not allowed as part of the discussion. Where 'comments' are deleted or where comments are not allowed. Or IF they are allowed, they are not addressed.
 

Oliver

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Hi @Bill Godshall . I had horrible wifi connectivity.

I'll write up my thoughts. I think you should probably bear in mind that the UK is now overwhelmingly pro-vaping. US pro-vaping advocates would be preaching to the choir a little, no?

FYI, I had no part to play in the editorial content of the Summit and think Amanda has done an extraordinary job.

The entire content of Tom Miller's speech was him telling the assembled crowd that the CDC is lying to the US public and asking that UK colleagues come to the US and help turn things around.
 
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Bill Godshall

Executive Director<br/> Smokefree Pennsylvania
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Apr 2, 2009
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The entire content of Tom Miller's speech was him telling the assembled crowd that the CDC is lying to the US public and asking that UK colleagues come to the US and help turn things around.

That's Interesting.

It would have been far more helpful had Miller (during his years as Chairman of Legacy's Board of Directors) simply told Legacy's board and staff that they (in collusion with CDC and FDA) have been lying to the US public, and had Miller told Legacy board and staff to start telling the truth about vaping, and to begin collaborating with US vaping activists to turn things around (especially since Legacy has probably spent more money than any other organization since 2009 lying to the US public about vaping and lobbying FDA to ban vapor products).

Nothing like presiding over a lengthy and well funded campaign to ban the sale of vapor products in the US, then telling foreigners that he opposes the very prohibition and lies that his organization championed.
 
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Oliver

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