Smoking among MN high schoolers drops to lowest-ever levels as e-cig use increases

[Nate760]

Cigarette use among MN high school students drops, e-cig use up | Northland's NewsCenter: News, Weather, Sports | NBC, CBS, MyNetworkTV, and The CW for Duluth MN / Superior WI | Local News

Naturally, the state health commissioner chooses to play the "this decline is due to the fantastic success of our anti-smoking efforts, and those gains are now being jeopardized by these evil, insidious vapor products" card. As the data continue to pile up that show their "think of the children" arguments have no basis in any form of reality, the members of the "public health" gestapo respond by telling bigger lies.

 

[DrMA]

Of course, this follows the ANTZ tactics and junk science manual rule #1 aka The Big Lie method: "everything supports your predetermined conclusion." IOW, if you tell a lie, make it a big one and repeat it loud and often. By this method, eventually every claim or piece of evidence may be boldly and directly construed (thru the Big Lie method) to support your position.

Pay close attention and you'll notice the 'Big Lie' sneak attack: «E-cigarettes are having an impact in high schools that though the percent of high school students using any of the conventional tobacco products in the past 30 days fell from 25.8 percent in 2011 to 19.3 percent in 2014, the overall rate of tobacco use including e-cigarettes stayed about the same at 24.2 percent.» With this one phrase, the desk murderer sneakily conflates vaping with smoking and vapor products with tobacco products, such that the "statistics" appear to support the ANTZ message (or should I say "stANTZistics"?).

 

[Nate760]

Of course, this follows the ANTZ tactics and junk science manual rule #1 aka The Big Lie method: "everything supports your predetermined conclusion." IOW, if you tell a lie, make it a big one and repeat it loud and often. By this method, eventually every claim or piece of evidence may be boldly and directly construed (thru the Big Lie method) to support your position.

Pay close attention and you'll notice the 'Big Lie' sneak attack: «E-cigarettes are having an impact in high schools that though the percent of high school students using any of the conventional tobacco products in the past 30 days fell from 25.8 percent in 2011 to 19.3 percent in 2014, the overall rate of tobacco use including e-cigarettes stayed about the same at 24.2 percent.» With this one phrase, the desk murderer sneakily conflates vaping with smoking and vapor products with tobacco products, such that the "statistics" appear to support the ANTZ message (or should I say "stANTZistics"?).

It's the #1 ANTZ commandment: "If the statistics don't say what you want them to, invent new statistics."

 

[Kent C]

«E-cigarettes are having an impact in high schools that though the percent of high school students using any of the conventional tobacco products in the past 30 days fell from 25.8 percent in 2011 to 19.3 percent in 2014, the overall rate of tobacco use including e-cigarettes stayed about the same at 24.2 percent.» With this one phrase, the desk murderer sneakily conflates vaping with smoking and vapor products with tobacco products, such that the "statistics" appear to support the ANTZ message (or should I say "stANTZistics"?).

And also proves beyond any doubt that ecigs are replacing cigarette smoking - iow, a 'gateway OUT of cigarettes' and that their own cessation efforts have failed.

 

[Nate760]

Another thing worth noting is that these surveys on teen vaping seemingly make no effort to determine what nicotine level the positive respondents are using, or indeed whether they're vaping nicotine at all. As I've mentioned before, according to the anecdotes I've heard from my adolescent kid and my post-adolescent kid, there are some young never-smokers who enjoy vaping, but they seem almost invariably to use zero-nic liquid when they do it. But, as this detail is potentially inconvenient to the "e-cigs are hooking a new generation on nicotine" narrative, it's easy to see why our friends in "public health" would rather not ask this highly pertinent question.

 

[TyPie]

OMG!!! Smoking among MN high schoolers drops to lowest-ever levels as e-cig use increases. WHAT a COMPLETE SHOCKER!!!!!
(Now, where the hell is that 'snooze' emoticon when you need it.......damn......)

 

[Bill Godshall]

The 2014 MN Youth Tobacco Survey/propaganda is at
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/tobacco/teentobaccoexecsumm110614.pdf

The updated MN Dept of Health webpage on e-cigarettes repeats many false and misleading fear mongering claims, denies existence of health benefits for smokers who switch.
Tobacco Prevention and Control: E-Cigarettes

 

[DrMA]

Dr. Siegel's perspective: http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/11/new-state-study-shows-dramatic.html

 

[Nate760]

Dr. Siegel's perspective: http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/11/new-state-study-shows-dramatic.html

He was doing really well until he decided throw in the "we must ban menthol cigarettes" potshot at the end. It was totally incongruous and had nothing to do with the subject at hand.

 

[Bill Godshall]

I spoke to Scott Smith today inquiring about the claims made about e-cigarettes in his press release at
News release: Cigarette use among high school students drops to 10.6 percent

He kept responding to my questions and comments by falsely accusing me of promoting e-cigs to youth, and by claiming that the MN Health Dept doesn't want youth to use ANY tobacco or nicotine products.

I also sent an e-mail to Peter Rode, who I strongly suspect wrote the 2014 MN Youth Tobacco Survey at
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/tobacco/teentobaccoexecsumm110614.pdf
inquiring about the critically important percentages of "current smokers", "former smokers" and "never smokers" who reported use of an e-cig in the past 30 days (which weren't included in the survey).

The survey contained the following paragraph, which of course wasn't mentioned in the press release (because it contradicted claims made in the press release).

The fact that so many youth have tried or are using e-cigarettes in 2014 represents dramatic growth in
the six or seven years since these products first came on the market. However, it would be premature to
equate the use of e-cigarettes with the use of conventional cigarettes and other tobacco products.
When a new product like e-cigarettes is spreading so rapidly, it is possible that some of the users in the
past 30 days were just trying it out and may not continue using it. The 2014 MYTS unfortunately does
not provide the same detailed information about e-cigarettes as we have about conventional tobacco.
We know little, for example, about how often and how regularly these students are using e-cigarettes,
and we need more complete information.

 

[Bill Godshall]

ACSH: MN stats show astounding decline in teen smoking. E-cigs may be one reason.
MN stats show astounding decline in teen smoking. E-cigs may be one reason. - American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)

 

[Nate760]

ACSH: MN stats show astounding decline in teen smoking. E-cigs may be one reason.
MN stats show astounding decline in teen smoking. E-cigs may be one reason. - American Council on Science and Health (ACSH)

"Cigarette smoking goes down in every population group in which the use of vapor products increases. Therefore, e-cigs lead to smoking."

You have to be a really firmly committed liar in order to make some of these assertions with a straight face.