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Dubious Claims About Vaping and Throat Cancer and More! Tobacco Harm Reduction News

July 19, 2024 Tobacco Harm Reduction News

Roswell Park makes dubious claims about vaping and throat cancer. FDA authorizes more tobacco-flavored vaping products.  What’s behind the ZYN shortage and more!

Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the audio/video versions of this post!

CALLS TO ACTION

CALLS TO ACTION:  GET INVOLVED: Calls to Action By State

TOBACCO CONTROL

Does Vaping Cause Throat Cancer?

This article from Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center seems to just be more scaremongering – this time about the risk of throat cancer from vaping.

What they don’t tell you:

  • The only people who claim vaping is supposed to be 100% safe are those trying to ban it. Advocates and the industry never claim vaping is safe — only vastly SAFER than smoking.
  • Mr. Hyland claims vaping has “been around for only about 10 years.” In truth, vaping has been around for 21 years (introduced in 2003,) and (as the article even states earlier) has been available in the US since 2007 (17 years.)
  • Throat cancer risk is already very low. For example, the American Cancer Society estimates that around 299,010 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024, while just 10,030 will be diagnosed with laryngeal cancer (the most common type of throat cancer caused by tobacco use.)So the conjecture that vaping — with significantly lower exposures of far fewer toxins — would be a significant risk for throat cancer is illogical.
  • While it’s true that it “took decades of epidemiological evidence to show that cigarette smoking caused cancer,” what scientists learned over those decades allows them to apply that knowledge to analysis of vapor products.
  • The claim that “formaldehyde and acetaldehyde are known carcinogens found in many e-cigarette products” has been soundly debunked, yet they keep repeating this myth.
  • There’s no evidence that the “tobacco-specific nitrosamines, heavy metals like lead, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as carcinogens” identified in some products are at levels that cause cancer.
  • Dr. Hyland advises to “stop using all tobacco and vaping products right away.” If it was that easy, wouldn’t people have already quit? ‍♂️ That is the reason there is a need for safer alternatives!

READ MORE:  Does Vaping Cause Throat Cancer?

 

TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION

Nicotine Isn’t the Enemy

This is a nice article about how tobacco harm reduction is working in Sweden by Kiran Sidhu at Filter magazine.

“About one in four Swedes use nicotine products, which is comparable to the rest of Europe. But Sweden sees 44 percent fewer tobacco-related deaths per capita, according to a recent report. The difference, say the authors of “No Smoke Less Harm,” is that Sweden has embraced snus and nicotine pouches, both of which are smoke-free products that are far less harmful than cigarettes.”

 

READ MORE: In Sweden, Where Tobacco Deaths Fell Dramatically, Nicotine Isn’t the Enemy

Partnering Drug with Tobacco Harm Reduction

“SACHR’s motto is: “Lead with Empathy, Practice Mercy, and Provide Safety.” In keeping with that mission, the organization demonstrated that its pioneering spirit lives on, when it invited me to facilitate a vaping group there for participants who smoke.

Offering tobacco harm reduction services at “drug” harm reduction locations is vital, because smoking rates among people who use banned drugs are extremely high.

Access to safer nicotine products must be seen as part of people’s right to health, and harm reduction organizations are increasingly recognizing the need to integrate this into their other critical work.”

~ Helen Redmond, Filter

READ MORE: “You’ll Get That Bounce!” NY Harm Reduction Org Hosts Vaping Group

Real people. Real Stories.

“Anecdote” #13,544:  Without access to the vaping options that worked for her—such as pleasant flavors and non-nicotine liquids—Patricia would likely still be smoking today. Adults who smoke depend on these products. What happens if those products are then banned?

SHARE YOUR STORY: CASAA Testimonial Project

 

FDA

Limiting Vaping Flavors Is Bad for Public Health

The FDA authorizes tobacco-flavored vapor products because:

  1. A) They “would be appropriate for the protection of the public health” for adults who smoke; and
  2. B) tobacco control pushes the narrative that youth mainly vape because of  the non-tobacco flavors, so tobacco-flavors will reduce youth use.

However, before e-cigarettes even existed, millions of youth started with tobacco and/or menthol tobacco “flavored” cigarettes. They didn’t care about the taste.

Alarmingly, FDA doesn’t appear to consider the possibility that, in the absence of non-tobacco flavored vapes, youth who would have otherwise vaped may just smoke actual tobacco instead — just as youth of previous generations did. While it’s arguably best if they use neither, do we really want to risk pushing them towards the worst possible option for public health?

Additionally, surveys show that adults also prefer non-tobacco vape flavors, so only authorizing tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes will likely dissuade adults who smoke from switching or lead them back to smoking.

The agency has authorized 3 menthol products, but nearly 70% of the people who smoke don’t even like menthol. Many who switched to vaping say the non-tobacco flavors were better, because they didn’t remind them of smoking.

How well can vapor products protect public health if people who smoke don’t use them because of the taste? This is also something the pharmaceutical companies faced with the original nicotine gum flavor, eventually leading the FDA to approve “kid-friendly” flavors like mint, cinnamon, orange, spearmint and fruit chill.

FFDA must stop making assumptions, start looking at the real world and start authorizing appealing flavors!

READ MORE: FDA Authorizes Marketing of Vuse Alto Tobacco-Flavored E-Cigarette Pods and Accompanying Power Unit

 

INDUSTRY

Behind ZYN Nicotine Pouch Shortage

Retail stores are experiencing shortages of ZYN nicotine pouches, disrupting the fastest-growing nicotine product market segment. But despite rumors about the source of the supply issues, ZYN manufacturer Swedish Match North America says it’s simply a matter of demand for the popular nicotine pouches growing too rapidly.

CASAA director Jim McDonald reporting for Vaping360.

READ MORE: ZYN Shortage: Production Capacity Can’t Meet Demand

 

CASAA IN ACTION // CASAA Live

On this week’s episode, join Alex and Logan as they discuss hot topics in Tobacco Harm Reduction, including the recent authorization of menthol vaping products, the Supreme Court Chevron decision and the anti-nicotine “end game.”

CASAA Live will return this fall!

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