HEADS UP - NEWS - UPDATES! (When we know, you'll know!)

[kristin]

Researchers found that e-cigs "caused the least harm to these tissues" and that overall, vapers "did not show significant differences to non-smokers in many outcomes."

That's great news!

However, it was disappointing to see one of the study authors state that part of the popularity of smoke-free alternatives is "due to the false notion of being less harmful than traditional cigarettes."

It's not a "false notion."

Even if smoke-free tobacco (they didn't state what kind was used) had a more detrimental effect on periodontal tissues, western smoke-free tobacco still has far lower risks for deadly smoking-related diseases--including oral and lung cancers--which makes it decidedly less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

https://semmelweis.hu/english/2024/06/among-nicotine-containing-products-smokeless-tobacco-harms-dental-implants-the-most-study-finds/

 

[kristin]

This past Wednesday, June 12, Senator Dick Durbin led yet another anti-vaping committee hearing in the Senate. There are more than two hours of testimony, but Durbin’s opening statement is filled with so much misinformation and misdirection that it deserves a significant response. We've broken his statement down into sections followed by our response to his claim.

https://casaa.org/debunking-senator-durbins-claims-about-vaping/

 

[kristin]

Have you been wondering why CASAA needs to have a fundraiser now? Please read our blog post explaining why this is happening:
https://casaa.org/casaa-needs-your-help/

Then join us on YouTube (link below) tomorrow, June 15th for a full day of engaging conversations with notable guests, including Clive Bates, Annie Kleykamp, Colin Mendelsohn, Greg Conley, Matt Culley, Allison Boughner, Jim McDonald, Lindsey Stroud, Charles Gardner, Skip Murray, and Joe Gitchell!

Live Stream Link: https://youtube.com/live/B7fH67j7_Dg

 

[kristin]

FDA continues its assault on US businesses that have attempted to follow impossible regulatory rules, effectively clearing the market of US-made products for unregulated disposable vapes that have been flooding the market from overseas.

Colorado-based Boosted LLC, which at one time employed more than a dozen people and has manufactured e-liquids for at least a decade, has been forced to shut down.

https://vaping360.com/vape-news/7274/fda-justice-dept-force-tiny-e-liquid-manufacturer-to-shut-down

 

[kristin]

Two separate studies from the National Bureau of Economic Research support the findings from earlier studies that banning flavors in nicotine vapor products can lead to more smoking in youth and young adults.

https://www.rstreet.org/commentary/the-dangers-of-public-health-zealotry

 

[kristin]

A study conducted in Finland by researchers at Lapland Central Hospital found that e-cigarettes were about as effective at helping people who wanted to quit smoking as varenicline (Chantix).

While some limitations were mentioned about vaping long-term, one major advantage of e-cigarettes over varenicline wasn't mentioned:
Someone who has no intention of quitting smoking never picks up varenicline at the convenience store just to give it a try and then "accidentally" quits smoking.

Vaping is just as good as Chantix at helping people quit cigarettes, new study finds

E-cigarettes are about as effective at helping people quit smoking as the gold-standard pharmaceutical drug, varenicline, a new study finds.

www.statnews.com

 

[kristin]

The @FDATobacco has finally authorized non-tobacco flavored, nicotine #vaping product. Both menthol products -- the pod-based Ace and the "cig-a-like" Daily -- are manufactured by NJoy (purchased by tobacco giant Altria in 2023.) Hopefully, this is a sign of more to come, but we're not holding our breath.

FDA claims this move is "data driven," yet the agency offers no data demonstrating why these "flavored" products are "appropriate for the protection of public health" when other non-tobacco flavors are not.

FDA has previously claimed mint and menthol also "appeal to youth" and continues to ignore surveys and studies that show flavors are critical for adults who don't want to smoke. The agency also doesn't explain how or why, even with thousands of illicit, "kid-friendly" flavored disposables being sold, youth vaping continues to decline.

Additionally, despite FDAs recently proclaimed commitment to "timely and evidence-based public health education" about relative risk, the press release continues to muddle the message by stating the authorization "does not mean these tobacco products are safe nor are they “FDA approved.” All tobacco products are harmful and potentially addictive." There's no clear message of how the products "provided a benefit for adults who smoke cigarettes."

The FDA claims to be protecting public health by authorizing 3 harm reduction brands only in cigarette flavors that can remind adults of smoking, yet between 2018 - 2022 it authorized nearly 900 deadly cigarette products. The math isn't mathing.

FDA Authorizes Marketing of Four Menthol-Flavored E-Cigarette Products After Extensive Scientific Review

Following an extensive scientific review, the FDA authorized the marketing of four e-cigarette products in the United States through the PMTA pathway.

www.fda.gov

 

[somdcomputerguy]

The @FDATobacco has finally authorized non-tobacco flavored, nicotine #vaping product. Both menthol products -- the pod-based Ace and the "cig-a-like" Daily -- are manufactured by NJoy (purchased by tobacco giant Altria in 2023.) Hopefully, this is a sign of more to come, but we're not holding our breath.

FDA claims this move is "data driven," yet the agency offers no data demonstrating why these "flavored" products are "appropriate for the protection of public health" when other non-tobacco flavors are not.

FDA has previously claimed mint and menthol also "appeal to youth" and continues to ignore surveys and studies that show flavors are critical for adults who don't want to smoke. The agency also doesn't explain how or why, even with thousands of illicit, "kid-friendly" flavored disposables being sold, youth vaping continues to decline.

Additionally, despite FDAs recently proclaimed commitment to "timely and evidence-based public health education" about relative risk, the press release continues to muddle the message by stating the authorization "does not mean these tobacco products are safe nor are they “FDA approved.” All tobacco products are harmful and potentially addictive." There's no clear message of how the products "provided a benefit for adults who smoke cigarettes."

The FDA claims to be protecting public health by authorizing 3 harm reduction brands only in cigarette flavors that can remind adults of smoking, yet between 2018 - 2022 it authorized nearly 900 deadly cigarette products. The math isn't mathing.

FDA Authorizes Marketing of Four Menthol-Flavored E-Cigarette Products After Extensive Scientific Review

Following an extensive scientific review, the FDA authorized the marketing of four e-cigarette products in the United States through the PMTA pathway.

www.fda.gov

View attachment 1014823

I do hope that something good comes from this. OTOH I think it's, for lack of a better word, ridiculous, the FDA has approved a device owned by a tobacco company.

 

[kristin]

How does the FDA weigh the benefits of adults (and teens) not smoking against the alleged risks of teens vaping? As Jacob Sullum explains:

"There is no legal formula for weighing the benefit of increased smoking cessation among adults, which entails a dramatic reduction in health hazards, against the risk of underage vaping, which entails a relatively modest increase in health hazards compared to complete nicotine abstinence.

And the FDA refuses to consider the benefit of replacing smoking with vaping among teenagers, since it deems any ENDS use by minors unacceptable, even when the long-term effect might be a reduction in tobacco-related morbidity and mortality.'

The agency is supposed to take into account 'the risks and benefits to the population as a whole, including users and nonusers.'"

But the "FDA's dubious understanding of its statutory mission is just part of the problem."

Must read!

https://reason.com/2024/06/24/the-fdas-belated-approval-of-menthol-flavored-e-cigarettes-epitomizes-its-arbitrary-edicts/

 

[kristin]

Allegedly "working to educate adults who smoke about the relative risks of tobacco products," but the recent announcement about authorizing just 2 menthol #vaping products tells adults who smoke that "it does not mean these tobacco products are safe" and "all tobacco products are harmful and potentially addictive."

FDA also stated "the strength of evidence of benefits to adult smokers from completely switching to a less harmful product was sufficient to outweigh the risks to youth."

Exactly which part of those statements educates adults who smoke about the relative risks of tobacco products and convinces them of the benefits of switching?

 

[kristin]

CALL TO ACTION: NORTH CAROLINA
H900 is now in the hands of Governor Cooper!

If enacted, this law would put independent vape shops out of business, hundreds of workers out of jobs, and thousands of people at risk of returning to smoking, or delaying attempts at quitting.

Please take a minute to send an email to @NC_Governor urging him to VETO H900!

TAKE ACTION NOW: https://casaa.org/call-to-action/north-carolina-stop-a-big-tobacco-protection-act/

 

[kristin]

"I guess I said something wrong because she prescribed me a 3 month script of 25mg nicotine patches and suggested I come back in a month to discuss further options if necessary, like acupuncture or hypnosis.

I knew the prescription vapes were a last-resort option. But wasn’t I at my last resort? Did my doctor not believe me? Was it something I said? Does she just not like to prescribe the vapes? Or was I just radiating 'I don’t really want to quit and frankly haven’t really tried.'" ~ Arielle Richards

I Tried Getting A Vape Prescription and Was Prescribed Star Jumps Instead

My 2024 Wishlist included Botox, a taser, and a government-issued vape. This week, nearing the end of my 13th “my last vape I will ever purchase”, I decided to conquer the easiest and cheapest of my wishes.

www.vice.com

 

[kristin]

Using biweekly retailer scanner sales in NJ convenience stores for e-cigarettes, cigarettes, and cigars in the 36 weeks before and 36 weeks after a statewide ban on flavored #vaping products, researchers found sales of unflavored e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes "significantly increased."

https://academic.oup.com/ntr/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ntr/ntae151/7697906

 

[kristin]

"Critics have long complained that Chevron deference allowed bureaucrats to usurp a judicial function and systematically disadvantaged "the little guy" in disputes with an overweening administrative state. The Supreme Court endorsed that critique by a 6–3 vote today." ~ @jacobsullum

SCOTUS repudiates a doctrine that gave agencies a license to invent their own authority

The U.S. Supreme Court says 'Chevron' deference allows bureaucrats to usurp a judicial function, creating "an eternal fog of uncertainty" about what the law allows or requires.

reason.com

 

[kristin]

"Today’s decision could affect current and future legal challenges to the FDA’s interpretation of the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA), which granted the agency broad powers to regulate nicotine and tobacco products. The TCA did not specifically make reference to vaping products, which had not reached the U.S. market when the law was being crafted."

The FDA, however, used a provision in the TCA to issue its 2016 Deeming Rule, which granted the agency regulatory authority over vapes"
~ CASAA Director Jim McDonald (@whycherrywhy) reporting for Vaping360

https://vaping360.com/vape-news/7283/supreme-court-chevron-ruling-could-impact-fda-vaping-rules/

 

[kristin]

CASAA News Updates
FDA arbitrarily authorizes menthol vape, but muddles message on reduced risk. How Supreme Court ruling on Chevron could impact vaping. Studies show flavor bans increase smoking/cigarette sales & more!

https://casaa.org/fda-arbitrarily-authorizes-menthol-vaping-products-and-more-tobacco-harm-reduction-news/

 

[kristin]

️CASAA Live️
TODAY at 4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT!
On this episode, join Alex and Logan as they discuss hot topics in Tobacco Harm Reduction, including the recent authorization of menthol vaping products and the anti-nicotine "end game."

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtube.com

 

[kristin]

Do vape bans work?

"Brazil banned the sale, manufacture and importation of vaping devices in 2009.

Despite stringent vaping laws, Brazil has seen an increase in vaping rates over the past couple of years. Some Brazilian states have seen over 100% increase in vape usage between 2022 and 2023. Approximately 4 million Brazilians vape regularly. There has been an approximate 600% increase in e-cigarette consumption since 2018.

Brazil has made attempts to ramp up enforcement of vaping laws, but it has done little to dampen the burgeoning black market for e-cigarettes. E-cigarette sales have increased “fourfold” between 2018 and 2022."

https://tobaccoreporter.com/2024/06/29/the-wrong-answer/

 

[kristin]

R.J. Reynolds is introducing nicotine-free disposable vapes branded as SENSA. The company believes the products fall outside FDA jurisdiction, because the agency has admitted in the past that a sealed, nicotine-free device—like a disposable or pod—probably wouldn't fall under the agency’s authority.

https://vaping360.com/vape-news/7285/reynolds-launches-nicotine-free-flavored-disposable-line/

 

[kristin]

More lazy journalism on #vaping - this time coming from the AP.

The reporter tells readers how the FDA says e-cigarettes pose a “serious, well-documented risk of enticing more young people to pick up a nicotine habit" and how "in 2020, nearly 20% of high school students and almost 5% of middle-school students used e-cigarettes."

However, just a little more digging would have revealed that those rates dropped to 10% and 4.6% respectively in 2023, despite the continuing availability of "the sweet flavored e-liquids."

Additionally, since 2020, cigarette smoking for both groups has dropped to just 1.6% and all tobacco use has dropped from 16.2% to just 10% (this is including vaping.)

Where is this "well-documented" evidence that non-tobacco flavors have enticed more young people to pick up a nicotine habit?

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/supreme-court-weigh-regulators-heavy-handed-flavored-cigarette-111609455