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

[kristin]

"In the case of menthol cigarettes, we also know that such cigarettes are the tobacco product of choice for Black American smokers. The negative consequences of prohibition of menthol cigarettes, then, will fall disproportionately on Black American smokers. This is a peculiar policy choice for a Democratic president to consider."

Plus the fact that studies suggest a menthol ban would be most effective IF low-risk alternatives (like vapor products) were available in menthol flavor for adults who smoke to switch to. Unfortunately, FDA refuses to authorize menthol vapes.

https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/30/biden-should-keep-menthol-ban-shelved/

 

[kristin]

"These are just the latest examples of so-called PMTA registry bills, which are spreading around the United States in the name of protecting consumers from unregulated products.

tobacco harm reduction advocates have long condemned the PMTA process as excessively onerous and opaque. They point out that it’s easier to bring new cigarettes to market than it is to gain authorization for vastly safer vapes that can replace them.

The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association (CASAA) has dubbed it 'A Big tobacco Protection Act'."
~ Kiran Sidhu, @Filtermag_org

Banning tobacco harm reduction products "in the name of protecting consumers," while deadly cigarettes remain widely sold (and, in fact, AUTHORIZED by the FDA,) is akin to banning seat belts in cars "in the name of protecting consumers" from Seatbelt Syndrome (injuries caused BY seatbelts,) while ignoring the far greater risks to life from NOT wearing a seatbelt.

In effect, government officials sponsoring and voting for these PMTA bills are doing more harm than good. As the saying goes, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, 'I'm from the government, and I'm here to help'."

PMTA Registry Bills, Which Ban Flavored Vapes, Are Spreading

Bills like those in Virginia and Iowa limit legal sales to FDA-authorized (or pending) products—when the agency has authorized no flavors.

filtermag.org

 

[kristin]

"The number of statehouse lobbyists on tobacco company payrolls is a testament to the amount of [anti] smoking and [anti] vaping-centric legislation that has moved through statehouses over the past six months. Much of that activity centers around state lawmakers’ attempts to pass [PMTA vape registry] bills....

The legislative push has split the tobacco industry. Large tobacco companies, most publicly Altria, which sells both Marlboro-brand cigarettes and NJOY-branded vapes, have been actively lobbying for vaping registries. Vaping advocates have dubbed the bills 'Big Tobacco Protection Acts'."

Note: STAT’s coverage of chronic health issues is supported by a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Statehouses are a hotbed of tobacco lobbying and legislation

Lobbying registrations tied to tobacco companies jumped over 10% from 2023 to 2024, and lobbyists are busy pushing and opposing laws in statehouses.

www.statnews.com

 

[kristin]

CASAA NEWS UPDATE
Researchers scaremonger over vaping chemicals. Maine flavor ban tabled. FDA proud of cracking down on small businesses. Questions Tobacco COntrol doesn’t want you to ask. The case against the menthol ban. Anti-vaping PMTA registry bill spreading across country. WHO has wrong priorities. Urgent Calls to Action and more!

https://casaa.org/researchers-scaremonger-over-vaping-chemicals-and-more-tobacco-harm-reduction-news/

 

[kristin]

️CASAA LIVE️
TODAY at 4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT!

The FDA recently launched a web page about the relative risks of tobacco products. Does this mean FDA has changed its tune? Join Logan Evans and Kristin Noll-Marsh as they discuss what the FDA is now saying about vaping (and other low risk alternatives to smoking.)

What the FDA Says (Now) About Vaping

The FDA recently launched a web page about the relative risks of tobacco products. Does this mean FDA has changed its tune? Join Logan Evans and Kristin Noll...

www.youtube.com

 

[kristin]

After the White House tabled a national menthol ban, there is a new push to ban the sale, and advertising of, menthol cigarettes in portions of New York State.

We can predict that this isn't going to go the way they think it is.

https://wyrk.com/its-over-for-these-cigarettes-in-new-york-state

 

[kristin]

Statements suggesting that you may be Tobacco-Free Generation (TFG) law delulu:

"As the legal purchase age climbs year after year, tobacco use will lose its allure for underage adolescents."

"Young people will be less attracted to tobacco use when only older people use it."

"[It] won’t create an alcohol Prohibition scenario...because TFG does not affect people who can legally buy tobacco today. Demand for illegal sales, coming from a small market of youth who experiment with tobacco, will shrink as the allure of tobacco use fades."

"After more than a century of devastation, the dawn of the tobacco endgame has finally arrived."

https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/tobacco-endgame-begins

 

[kristin]

While research into possible risks from flavors is a good thing, based on this study, it's woefully premature for the study author to claim it's "plausible that we are on the cusp of a new wave of chronic diseases that will emerge 15 to 20 years from now due to these exposures" and for media headlines to proclaim the study found there are "hazardous health risks from flavoured vapes."

First of all, there are already hundreds of thousands of adults who have already been nicotine vaping for 15 - 20 years in the U.S., without any sign of a "new wave of chronic diseases." Why don't researchers want to speak to any of those folks?

Secondly, the paper leaves a LOT of unanswered questions:
- At what temperature did the models given to the AI result in decomposition? Are those temperatures common in real-life vaping?

- Was the fact that the flavors are typically diluted in a base liquid of vegetable glycerin and/or propylene glycol factored into the models? People aren't vaping the flavor chemicals at full-strength, yet a word search of the study didn't find any reference to base liquids containing "vegetable glycerin" or "propylene glycol." It would be good to know what effect, if any, the base liquid has on the decomposition of the flavor chemicals.

- Is this modeled on real-life vaping practices? It generally takes time for chemicals to "break down" from being heated, yet "puff" times are typically just 3-5 seconds long.

It seems, once again, that the media and anti-vaping researchers are irresponsibly stoking the flames of hysteria over scant evidence and risking the lives of millions of people who might be convinced by the scaremongering to just keep smoking.

RCSI research warns of hazardous health risks from flavoured vapes

The research team in RCSI’s Department of Chemistry used artificial intelligence (AI) to simulate the effects of heating e-liquid flavour chemicals found in nicotine vapes. Lead author Professor Donal O’Shea, RCSI Professor of Chemistry and Head of Department, said the findings are very...

www.rcsi.com

 

[somdcomputerguy]

I'm surprised that it took this long for anti-vapers to start using AI to further their agenda.

 

[kristin]

CASAA vice president Logan Evans on the FDAs new "Blah Blah Blah" messaging about "continuum of risk."



Watch the full episode at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcmw5NyQaEk