Cochrane Library says HIGH certainty evidence vaping helps more people than NRT. Research finds vaping much lower in carcinogens than smoking. California flavor ban. Media botches reporting CDC youth tobacco data so CASAA releases helpful charts and more!
Scroll to the bottom of this post for a link to the audio/video versions of this post!
CALL TO ACTION UPDATE // Columbus, Ohio
“A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 9, and more conversations with small businesses like Wednesday’s meeting are set for Nov. 16 and Nov. 30.”
Remind lawmakers that it’s ALREADY ILLEGAL to sell vapor products to anyone under 21, flavored or otherwise. Enforce existing laws before taking away life saving harm reduction products from adults!
READ MORE: COLUMBUS Meeting tackles both sides of proposed Columbus flavored tobacco ban
TAKE ACTION: Columbus Ohio: Stop a Flavor Ban!
CALL TO ACTION UPDATE // Tempe, Arizona
A survey has been set up to gather community input on the FLAVOR BAN proposal. You can participate by following the link to the flavor ban survey in the Call to Action below. Take Action!
TAKE ACTION: Tempe, AZ: Stop a Flavor Ban!
CALL TO ACTION UPDATE // California Prop 31
Unfortunately, on November 8, 2022, California voters upheld SB 793 (a “tobacco” flavor ban that was mainly targeting vape products.)
For more information about what this means for THR product consumers in California, please see the Call to Action below.
READ MORE: Vote NO on Prop 31!
HEADS UP // SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE!
The first reading for a flavor ban is scheduled to take place in early December, with the goal of activating a ban in April 2023.
READ MORE: South Portland flavored tobacco ban likely to come next spring
RESEARCH // Latest Cochrane Report
Updated w/ 17 new studies, the Cochrane Library now says there is HIGH certainty evidence that nicotine vaping helps more people quit for 6 months or longer than NRT!
Unfortunately, they found little data for long-term health effects. Let’s show researchers that we’re here and want to share our experiences!
If you’ve been vaping nicotine AND haven’t smoked tobacco for 10 YEARS OR MORE, please head over to Twitter and REPLY to the the questions on this tweet:
2/3
So, if you've been vaping nicotine AND haven't smoked tobacco for 10 YEARS OR MORE, please REPLY to this tweet with:1) How long you've been vaping WITHOUT smoking.
2) How long you had smoked before you switched completely.
3) Your health changes since switching. pic.twitter.com/7fj1jBRobu— CASAA (@CASAAmedia) November 17, 2022
READ MORE: Cochrane Library: Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation
Finally, if you haven’t done it yet, please be sure to share your story with CASAA’s Testimonials Project, where over 13,400 people have already submitted their tales of success!
TAKE ACTION: CASAA Testimonial Project
RESEARCH // Burying the Lead
Study finds average level of a metabolite of a tobacco-related carcinogen was 218.3 pg/mg of creatinine for smoking subjects but just 5.1 pg/mg for vaping subjects. Strong evidence for significantly reduced health risks!
They also found that nicotine was better metabolized with more modern vapor products, which should be considered a good thing if they want people who smoke to want to make the switch to lower risk products.
Their takeaway?
“Nicotine Exposure Surges”!!
We’re at a loss for words…
Your headline doesn't accurately capture what the researchers did & said. Unwarranted activism is one of your more ugly qualities.
— Phil (@phil_w888) November 13, 2022
READ MORE: Vapers’ Nicotine Exposure Surges, Biomarkers Show
RESEARCH // Vape Study Misinformation
“Referred to as vaping, the use of e-cigarettes has increased sharply over the last several years, in large part due to the affordability and misconceptions that vaping is safer than regular cigarettes — either for young people experimenting with nicotine or adults trying to quit the habit of smoking real cigarettes.”
It is NOT a misconception. Most experts agree–including at the CDC and FDA–that vaping nicotine IS considerably safer than combustible smoking.
“The EVALI presentation was a progress report to NIH on the supplement grant studying injuries to the heart and lungs from e-cigarettes. ”
Clearly, this is yet another attempt at conflating EVALI–which has been conclusively linked to illicit THR vapor products contaminated with vitamin E acetate–with nicotine vapor products. Since vitamin E acetate was pinpointed, cases of EVALI have dropped off to almost zero. No vitamin E acetate has been found in nicotine vapor products. Additionally, e-cigarettes have not been even remotely proven to cause lung or heart injuries.
Stunningly wrong and uninformed statements by a professor who actually received a grant from NIH to study the harms of e-cigarettes (such as EVALI) because of "misconceptions that vaping is safer than regular cigarettes."https://t.co/r1HWyCavZg
— Lance Churchill (@LanceChurchill) November 17, 2022
READ MORE: UW School of Pharmacy Associate Professor Studies Dangers of E-Cigarettes
MEDIA WATCH // New York Times
The New York Times leaves out significant FACTS. For one, the main target of the CA flavor ban is low risk VAPOR products, not “tobacco” products. Plus, anti-harm reduction groups pushing Prop 31 spent FAR MORE ($47 million, mostly Bloomberg funding) than Big Tobacco.
Additionally, the article doesn’t mention the fact that cigarettes are largely grandfathered in under the Tobacco Act, while low risk vapor products have faced a hostile FDA and CDC, the two agencies that have done more fighting against a healthier world than big tobacco!
Add anti-harm reduction groups lying about nicotine & vaping to “save” 2.5 million teens from low risk vaping at the expense of 42 million adults who SMOKE or vape to NOT smoke, and it seems BT is doing a better job at providing the public with safer/healthier alternatives than “Public Health!”
The New York Times' coverage of tobacco issues has been abysmal for as long as I can remember, but it appears they finally have some reporters taking harm reduction somewhat seriously. Baby steps! https://t.co/jOyTcxDmG0
— Jacob Grier (@jacobgrier) November 6, 2022
READ MORE: Big Tobacco Heralds a Healthier World While Fighting Its Arrival
MEDIA WATCH // CDC Data Contradicting Headlines
Headline: Vaping is Reversing the Decline in Youth Tobacco Use!
CDC Data: Nope.
Headline: Teen Vaping a Gateway to Smoking!
CDC Data: Nope.
Headline: Teen Vaping On the Rise! It’s an Epidemic!
CDC Data: Nope.
Headline: Multiple Product Use Is “Particularly Concerning”
CDC: Nope.
Regulation should be based on data, not sensationalist headlines.
MEDIA WATCH // Reuters Data Mistake
Reuters reports that “Nearly 31% of the students surveyed reported using multiple products…”
This is incorrect! It’s 31% of the 11.3% of students who said they used any tobacco product in the past 30 days (even one puff,) which is actually just 3.5% of the students surveyed.
This mistake is unfortunate considering many major news outlets rely on Reuters as a reputable news source. Even more frustrating is the fact that several tobacco harm reduction advocates and even CASAA brought this error to the attention of Reuters and the reporter on Twitter, but the article still has not been corrected.
READ MORE: U.S. teen tobacco use down to 3 mln in 2022, ‘more work to be done,’ health officials say
If you see misinformation such as this, be sure to share this article by CASAA president Danielle Jones on how to correctly read the CDC youth tobacco survey data with the reporter!
TAKE ACTION: How to read the CDC’s Confusingly Presented Youth Vaping Data
TOBACCO CONTROL // WHO’s Misinformation Videos
This World Health Organization headline should read: “Health literacy videos to MISLEAD PUBLIC about e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.”
Right in the first paragraph there’s a textbook example of a STRAWMAN FALLACY: “The tobacco industry is attempting to market heated tobacco products (HTPs) and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) as less toxic and safer alternatives to conventional cigarettes. In reality, these products are not harmless.” (The tobacco industry isn’t marketing them as “harmless.” The tobacco industry is claiming X and WHO is arguing Y.)
The rest of the article gets no better, with such anti-harm reduction classics as “most vapers are dual users,” “flavors hook kids,” “no proof it helps people quit smoking” and “teen gateway to smoking.”
"Heath literacy" is an interesting term for dishonesty.https://t.co/d6uSkBxIBB
— Vaping Advocacy & Education Project (@VAEPinfo) November 10, 2022
READ MORE: Health literacy videos to evaporate confusion around e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products
TOBACCO CONTROL // ‘Experts’ In Need of Vape Education
This article not only includes misinformation (ie. “vaping specifically can increase your risk of heart disease” and “nicotine can inhibit and alter brain development,”) it also illustrates the huge gap between experts’ knowledge of smoking cessation and what they could actually learn from just talking to experienced vapers and vape shops.
There is not one mention of the fact that nicotine levels can be stepped down in open vapor systems.
This is an atrociously irresponsible article, @CNET. I'm talking hideous. Please, stick to smartphone reviews and "best of whatever" lists because you're way out of your depth here. https://t.co/8TlVAdZZL7
— Phillip Kirschberg (@RushmoreExt23) November 17, 2022
READ MORE: How to Quit Vaping: 8 Tips From Experts to Help With Nicotine Withdrawal
CASAA IN ACTION // Filter Article by CASAA’s Danielle Jones
So cool to see an article by CASAA’s president getting published in Filter Magazine!
“Over the years, I’ve noticed a fundamental misunderstanding of the NYTS data—largely due to how they’re presented—by politicians, medical professionals, media and the general public alike. This year’s release of NYTS data brought some of the worst and most inaccurate reporting I’ve ever seen…”
For more on this, see:https://t.co/4X3pLySXOb
— Danielle Jones (@DanielleTHR) November 15, 2022
READ MORE: How to Read the CDC’s Confusingly Presented Youth Vaping Data
TOBACCO HARM REDUCTION // Flavor Bans Create Missed Opportunities
Lawmakers in Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and now California (plus many municipalities) have made opportunities to help people quit smoking like this happening in their states nearly impossible. Banning low risk alternatives to smoking that are very appealing to ADULTS is BAD for public health!
A couple came in to buy HER a disposable. They knew nothing of vaping and had been using one, burnt, for weeks, until the coil parted. I found she never smoked, but HE had a 2 1/2 pk/day habit. He told me that he would never, ever quit smoking and couldn't go 5 mins w/out one 1/
— Marc and Bernie (@SeismicPirate) November 10, 2022
FDA // Company Gets Temporary Stay
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily stayed the marketing denial orders (MDOs) issued to Logic LLC for its menthol-flavored refills for Logic Pro and Logic Power devices. The court order allows Logic to continue selling its menthol refills until the court decides on a motion for a full stay pending review of the MDO.”
CASAA Director Jim McDonald reporting for Vaping360.
READ MORE: Appeals Court Grants Logic Temporary Stay of Menthol MDOs
CASAA MEDIA // Spotify
CASAA’s podcast is on Spotify! Please give us a follow here:
CASAA IN ACTION // Twitter Spaces
The week we recap the Reagan-Udall sessions with Amanda Wheeler, Tim Andrews and CASAA CEO Alex Clark, who all presented to the panel about FDA’s issues regulating reduced-harm products. What grade would you give FDA? Also available on CASAA’s Spotify channel (above.)
— CASAA (@CASAAmedia) October 26, 2022
CASAA IN ACTION // CASAA Live
If you missed the most recent CASAA Live show, check out the replay now! CASAA Live is on alternating Saturdays at 4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT/2:30 PM MT/1:30 PM PT on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter!
If you missed the last CASAA Live episode you can catch up NOW before the next show! Learn all about the vast amount of information, tools and resources on casaa.org that the CDC and FDA doesn’t want YOU or the public to know about!
TAKE ACTION // CASAA State Facebook Groups
Have you joined your CASAA State Facebook group yet? Check it out now! Click the link below, click on your state on the map, then click the “Join Now” button to go to your state’s group page. It’s as easy as that to stay updated on local happenings, meet local advocates and never miss a Call to Action in your state!
Don’t forget to also follow our official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CASAAmedia
FIND YOUR GROUP: CASAA State Locator
CASAA STORE // Apparel and More
Show your support by shopping our store! Our president (and brilliant website/swag designer) Danielle has added some awesome new designs to CASAA’s apparel shop!
VISIT: CASAA Apparel and Swag Store
CASAA MEDIA // Podcast
Catch up on past tobacco harm reduction news with Alex and Logan on the CASAA podcasts on SoundCloud every Monday and now live on YouTube and Facebook every Saturday at 3:30 PM.
SoundCloud:
Social Media Thumbnail Photo by Elsa Olofsson on Unsplash