Vapor Trails - Business North Caroliina

[Vocalek]

Business North Carolina - March 2013: cover story

This was my favorite part:

Since the surgeon general’s first report on smoking and health in 1964, the war on tobacco has been waged on three fronts. First, tell people that smoking is harmful. Second, tax cigarettes to the hilt to make them expensive. Third, ban smoking in public places, making it more difficult to light up. And underpinning all of these approaches was the central tenet of the public-health community: There is no acceptable level of smoking or use of nicotine, a belief referred to simply as “Quit or Die.” Mitch Zeller used to be in that camp. He has spent most of his career in tobacco control, including a stint as the director of the FDA’s Office of tobacco Programs. The public-health profession, he says, is torn by e-cigarettes. Some health advocates see them as having enormous potential for reducing harm. Others see a stalking horse for cigarette companies, a way for smokers to keep smoking and maintain their nicotine habits. “My thinking has evolved. We have to be honest with ourselves. There’s a continuum of risk. The anchor points might be cigarettes on one end and nicotine pharmaceuticals on the other. What we want is a future when cigarettes are out there but nobody uses them.”

It is very god to hear that the new leader of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, Mitch Zeller, has moved away from "quit or die" and admits that there is a continuum of risk rather than implying all tobacco products are equally risky.

 

[Paulette]

This is one of those posts that I want to hit "like" about 100 times! Great news in addition to the news I read from Bill Godshall today in another thread!

See post #23 http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/forum/legislation-news/393525-re-april-fda-anything-specific-3.html

 

[Petrodus]

t is very god to hear that the new leader of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, Mitch Zeller, has moved away from "quit or die" and admits that there is a continuum of risk rather than implying all tobacco products are equally risky.

Well ... The evidence is overwhelming and the world wide movement
in favor of e-smoking can't be denied.

 

[Fiamma]

This is good for vapers: "Then there is the workplace, where smokers huddle outside office buildings on their breaks. Healy and his team are engaged in educating businesses and creating pilot programs with companies to allow the use of e-cigs in the office. “People don’t understand the productivity side from a business’s point of view. And instead of going, ‘We don’t hire smokers,’ which I think is wrong, hey, let’s look at some alternatives and how we can better do this.”

 

[Petrodus]

This is good for vapers: "Then there is the workplace, where smokers huddle outside office buildings on their breaks. Healy and his team are engaged in educating businesses and creating pilot programs with companies to allow the use of e-cigs in the office. “People don’t understand the productivity side from a business’s point of view. And instead of going, ‘We don’t hire smokers,’ which I think is wrong, hey, let’s look at some alternatives and how we can better do this.”

Healy mentioned in an interview last year ...
One of Blu's top priorities was to get involved with educating the public
and of course that would include businesses.

 

[2coils]

Definately some good stuff in the article. Though I still cant take Mr Zeller at his word. Lets not talk about it, just be about it!!

 

[Bill Godshall]

As a lobbyist for GSK (via Pinney Associates) for the past decade, Mitch Zeller has always acknowledged that smokeless tobacco products are less hazardous than cigarettes.

But while my continuum of risk of tobacco products has truthfully plotted all smokefree tobacco and nicotine products (including NRT) at about 99% less hazardous than cigarettes, Mitch's continuum of risk incorrectly plotted smokeless tobacco products as being 50% less hazardous as cigarettes (while NRT were plotted at 99% less hazardous).

BTW This is an excellent article.

 

[2coils]

As a lobbyist for GSK (via Pinney Associates) for the past decade, Mitch Zeller has always acknowledged that smokeless tobacco products are less hazardous than cigarettes.

Well if that is the case maybe there is some hope of REASONABLE regulation. With all the nonsense we have been reading in regard to the FDA, actions speak louder than words. I would hate for him to make acknowledgments about smokless tobacco products then drop the hammer on us.

 

[rothenbj]

Elaine, although the coninuum sounds good, he reminds me a bit like Dr Siegel who still refuses to acknowledge that other smokeless products belong on that continuum. It's as if they've bought into the propaganda that the Tobacco companies regardless of product.