Show Me The Money!
Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter June 15 - 24, 2025
Money - even more controversial than nicotine
Some people involved with tobacco control put a lot of focus on the “tobacco industry” and how they make and spend their money. The tobacco harm reduction side finds itself concerned about how unbalanced the financial side of the “fight” is, mainly due to the influx of Bloomberg dollars.
We tend to think mainly of those two extremes, but actually, a significant amount of money is involved in this space, in many ways. From the source of nicotine - be it from agriculture or a lab - to manufacturers of packaging, shipping companies, distributors, retailers, researchers, regulators, consultants, advertising agencies, lawyers, public health groups, public relations firms, journalists, and more, a lot of people earn their income from this space.
That made me think of the saying, “money makes the world go round.” Is there anything else more capable of bringing both good and evil to society? I had to sit and think about that, and while I was thinking this morning, my love of music entered the picture (sorry, I have no control over where my brain wanders!), and I wondered how many songs are about money. A quick Google search yielded several websites featuring songs with “money” in their titles.
Thinking about money and music triggered a memory from the 1980s. It seems like a lifetime ago that I worked in the hospitality industry. I started as a waitress and worked my way up to become a member of the management team. Becky was my friend when we both worked as servers, and she continued to work there when I became her manager.
As a child, Becky needed a kidney transplant. Her Mom donated one of her kidneys. As an adult, Becky’s kidney and liver began to fail. She needed a transplant of both organs to survive. She became too ill to work.
I helped organize a spaghetti dinner as a fundraiser for her. We utilized the high school kitchen and cafeteria, serving over 500 meals on the night of the benefit. So many people volunteered to help cook, serve, and clean. Our local businesses donated all the supplies to prepare and serve the meal.
Becky used the money to catch up on rent and utilities, buy groceries and supplies, and had a little bit of cash left. It was lonely and boring being homebound, so she picked up a cheap, used guitar from the pawnshop and asked me to give her guitar lessons to help pass the time.
While there is a saying that money can’t buy happiness, it did buy Becky a smidgeon of joy. But more importantly, it bought her hope. She was facing a life-or-death situation, and taking up playing the guitar was symbolic that she would live long enough to play it.
I believe that music is a wonderful therapy to soothe the heart, mind, and soul, and I gladly agreed to help her learn how to play. Our joy was soon clouded in controversy as some people nearly lost their minds in outrage that she had bought a guitar with benefit money.
There was no compassion for the weeks she had already been homebound while waiting for an organ donor to match with her. No empathy for how awful it must have been sitting day after day, alone and afraid, knowing she could die soon. There was only harsh judgment on how the money should be spent.
Ironically, smoking was still prevalent back then, and while some people were very vocal about the purchase of a guitar, no one questioned the purchase of cigarettes. It was as accepted as her grocery purchase.
While the love and support that surrounded Becky as we raised money to help her survive were a blessing, the money also put a sour note on the last chapter of her life. Everyone believed a donor would be found and she’d be back to serving customers, complete with her amazing smile. But, due to her rare blood type, a donor was not found in time, and she passed away.
Those who freaked out about the money, instead of considering her quality of life, live today knowing that their treatment of her in those last few weeks diminished some of the joy she could have experienced. They regret seeing dollar signs instead of the person.
What could be accomplished in the nicotine space if there were more focus on people instead of on dollar signs?
Until next time…
P.S.: As I think about interactions with family, friends (current and former), co-workers, fellow advocates, people I disagree with, and even a screaming lady at the gas station, I think it’s a good time to focus on the words from people wiser than I…
“You are never responsible for the actions of others; you are only responsible for you.” Don Miguel Ruiz
“Everybody is responsible for their own actions. It's easy to point the finger at somebody else, but a real man, a real woman, a real person knows when it's time to take the blame and when to take responsibility for their own actions.” Marcus Smart
Why Building Bridges Is Worth It, Even Now. “Not because it’s easy. But because it works. We are not trying to directly change minds in one conversation. Instead, we aim to communicate in ways that increase the likelihood of our message actually being heard. Research shows that empathy-driven, dialogue-based approaches can reduce polarization, increase trust in science, and make people more open to accurate information.”
Reflections on adversarial collaboration from the adversaries: was it worth it? “Although ACs have promise as a tool for advancing understanding, that promise remains largely underutilized, with few trials to learn from. By applying the lessons from this study, we hope to make ACs more accessible and impactful, encouraging scholars and journals to embrace their potential so we can better learn how to maximize their benefits and minimize the worst experiences and outcomes. We leave the final word to two of our participants, who provide advice for those considering this method: “Go for it,” and “Do it—and with an open mind!”.”
What we misunderstand about 'doing your own research'. “But this dysfunctional dynamic misses the bigger picture of what’s happening. For many, this phrase represents a sincere effort to find answers they’re struggling to get elsewhere. And when that genuine search for information is met with an expert’s scorn, it can push people away from trustworthy sources.”
Daniel Lakens: “Very excited to publicly share news about a new tool, Papercheck, that Lisa DeBruine and me started to develop more than a year ago! In an introductory blog post, we explain our philosophy to automatically check scientific papers for best practices…”
“The comprehensive report Power in a Pouch, which has been unveiled on 17 June 2025, reveals for the first time that nicotine pouches have been a key catalyst behind Sweden’s extraordinary public health achievement – and have played a decisive role in how women are quitting smoking faster and more successfully than ever before.”
‘E-cigarette smoking’ is a misleading term: a critical review of its use in academic literature. “The inaccurate use of the term “e-cigarette smoking” and its variants in academic literature has significant implications for addiction science, public health, and policy. Conflating vaping with smoking undermines efforts to understand the unique mechanisms of nicotine dependence, distorts harm reduction strategies, and risks misinforming public perceptions.”
2Firsts | Dialogue Over Dogma: GFN Co-founder Paddy Costall Lauds Diversity of Voices at 2025 Event. “2Firsts: What are the most persistent myths about THR? Costall: The short answer? When people claim that “it’s all just a plot by industry to undermine tobacco control.” But this is oversimplistic. Harm reduction is a concept that calls for compromise and working with individuals and communities in ways that are acceptable to them, with the aim of enabling them to change behaviors and improve health.”
A HOSTILE ATTITUDE TO NICOTINE. “Ross said: "There are unintended consequences with the legislation that may mean people continue to smoke. We hear from the stop smoking service now that people think vaping is more harmful than smoking."…”She continued: "My biggest fear with this bill is that because it lumps vapes in with smoked tobacco, people think they are equally bad and so it doesn't really matter whether people smoke or vape. I'd much rather some clarity be brought to the subject and people realised vaping was much less harmful than smoking."
Global Forum on Nicotine Videos can be found here and here.
Global Panel Urges Rapid Reform of WHO and FCTC.
Jonathan Foulds PhD - “Michael Bloomberg with the Prime Minister of Ireland at the World Conference on Tobacco Control, in Dublin (the conference is largely funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies). I wish this conference had more solid science to back up the policies being proposed.”
Dr. Moira Gilchrist - “Bragging about canceling a COVID vaccine is a very weird public health flex. #WCTC2025” (her comment about this tweet here)
Jonathan Foulds PhD - “Prime Minister Michael Martin did a great thing in banning smoking in Irish workplaces 20 years ago. His recent statements on non-smoked nicotine products demonstrate that he has been misinformed about the relative risks from different nicotine products.”
Jeffrey Willett - “…Finally, I firmly believe that by attuning tobacco control strategies to the nicotine product continuum of risk, smoking in the United States can largely be eliminated by 2035.”
Concerns are being raised about e-cigarettes. We lack knowledge. “We are concerned that the incorrect description of misery from Solberg and colleagues scares smokers into remaining in their life-threatening smoking habits instead of switching to a less dangerous nicotine product…Furthermore, we are concerned that the bans on the least dangerous nicotine products (e.g. nicotine pouches) give the most dangerous products (cigarettes) the best market conditions in the nicotine market.”
Governments “Hate” Big Tobacco—Yet Hand Them the Nicotine Market. “They do this by systematically eliminating meaningful competition to the traditional cigarette—the disruptive technologies that have helped millions of people switch to safer alternatives. Where those safer products aren’t outright banned, governments skew the new-nicotine market against smaller manufacturers, reducing the range and effectiveness of legally available smoking-cessation options.”
Mónica García Wants to Ban What Works. Literally, "Spain’s Ministry of Health claims it wants to protect minors. So far, so good. The problem lies in how. The new draft Royal Decree currently under EU notification proposes two radical measures: capping nicotine concentration in pouches at 0.99 mg and banning all flavors except tobacco. In practice, this amounts to a de facto ban on a product that hundreds of thousands of Spaniards use to reduce or quit smoking traditional cigarettes…Perhaps the most alarming finding in the study is this: if the regulation is implemented as proposed, one-third of users say they would go back to smoking cigarettes, while another third would seek to bypass the rule through online or cross-border purchases. Only 6% would quit nicotine altogether.”
Tobacco Cessation as a Profit Center. “An increasing fraction of care is provided through value-based contracts. Although smoking cessation is among the few preventive services that is cost-effective, that value has been difficult to estimate until now. A recent study shows how to estimate returns for the first year of investment in hiring Tobacco Treatment Specialist for your medical group or ACO.”
Should scientific journals publish science that has been funded by the tobacco or nicotine industries? “Funding sources are of course relevant as source of potential bias, whether from industry or from special interest/advocacy groups - and these always need to be accurately disclosed. Disclosures, rather than blanket bans, are the proper gatekeeping method for scientific journals.
As for such disclosures, the lead authors for the publication ban article include individuals from “The Investigative Desk,” whose funding sources (both direct and indirect) are associated with strident anti-tobacco harm reduction advocacy – and this ban effort is an obvious component of that advocacy. But serious journals concerned with scientific truth would do well to steer clear of fights over ideological purity, while taking all necessary steps to ensure that financial interests are properly disclosed.”
Study finds pregnant women who vape face fewer toxins than smokers. “Compared with the women who exclusively smoked, urine levels of 10 VOCs were significantly lower in those who exclusively vaped, ranging from a 44% to 97% reduction. They also found that levels of 13 VOCs were similar among women who exclusively vaped compared with those who had never used nicotine or tobacco products.”
Not Everything Was Taken by the Smoke. “One was a teenager when she lit her first cigarette. Another smoked in the hospital corridors with a lung that barely worked. The third carried the guilt of smoking even while pregnant. None of them found a clear way out through the healthcare system. What saved them wasn’t a prescribed medicine, but a self-taught decision: to vape. In an interwoven chronicle, three women recount with rawness and clarity how they learned to breathe again. What they inhale today is not just vapor — it’s freedom.”
More News: Vapers Digest June 16, 18, 20, and 23.
Maximizing CTP's Public Health Impact Through Targeted Health Provider Education. “To ensure health care professionals are equipped with accurate, evidence-based information, the FDA should implement a targeted program that educates health care providers—physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and behavioral health professionals—on the potential role of FDA-authorized reduced-risk tobacco products in smoking cessation and harm minimization. A targeted communication campaign would address key knowledge gaps, promote evidence-based clinical care, and provide people who have become disillusioned with traditional cessation approaches an effective alternative.”
Prioritizing the Biggest Threat to Public Health: How the FDA’s New Voucher Program Can Help Make Cigarettes Obsolete. “Now, those energizing winds of change need to reach all corners of the agency, including the Center for Tobacco Products. In doing so, Commissioner Makary can accelerate progress toward perhaps the most meaningful public health win that is within his power to deliver during the course of his tenure: moving America quickly and irreversibly toward becoming one of the world’s handful of smoke-free countries.”
Supreme Court sides with vaping industry in rejecting FDA venue challenge. “The 7-2 decision authored by Justice Amy Coney Barrett enables R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company to proceed in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, regarded as the nation’s most conservative appeals court, in the company’s bid to market its “Vuse Alto” flavored e-cigarette products by suing alongside retailers.” (Read the ruling here.)
A Victory for Rule of Law and Evidence-Based Policy Making. “Today's Lahore High Court, Pakistan's ruling ordering the immediate de-sealing of vaping shops across Punjab marks a critical moment for public health policy and the rule of law.”
Why is Harm Reduction such a Hard Sell? “The WHO is spreading wrong, confusing misinformation on non-combustible nicotine products and is relying on these blatant lies in their guidance to policymakers to not authorize reduced harm alternatives to tobacco. They are not acting in the interest of public health as their misinformation spreads and leads to fewer smokers switching to vaping or pouches.”
A Thought-Provoking Take on Global Health Advocacy. “…This selective advocacy raises questions. Are we witnessing a genuine public health crusade or a convenient alignment with political and economic interests?…”
The Silencing That Prolongs Combustion. “The COP claims to defend science and protect youth. But its systematic refusal to consider harm reduction as a legitimate public health strategy ends up — ironically — perpetuating the very thing it seeks to eliminate: combustion.”
Fanning the flame: analysing the emergence, implications, and challenges of Australia’s de facto war on Nicotine. “The current state of Australian nicotine control leaves policymakers in a deeply uncomfortable situation. This commentary has outlined how the government’s current approach to restricting the supply of nicotine has facilitated the growth of a dangerous black market. Along with it, this shift brings significant costs including systemic violence, loss of government revenue, and threats to the safety of both consumers and the wider public.”
How middlemen funnel illegal Chinese vapes into the United States. “Reuters used FDA and U.S. customs data, interviews with vape and tobacco industry insiders, and information from U.S. regulators and law enforcement to build a picture of how unauthorized vapes make their way onto U.S. shelves.”
Nicotine Vaping and Youth Mental Health: New Evidence from E-Cigarette Regulations. “The confluence of a youth mental health crisis and high rates of teenage nicotine vaping has led some U.S. tobacco control advocates to argue that reducing access to electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) — through policies such as ENDS taxation — may improve youth and young adult mental health. Using data from several nationally representative surveys (Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health) and a generalized difference-in-differences approach, we find no evidence that ENDS taxation improves youth and young adult mental health.”
The Tobacco Policy Own Goal Nobody’s Talking About. “Everyone’s out here clutching their pearls over kids vaping…But we’re quite happy for massive billboards, TV advertising, and glossy marketing showing everyone having a fabulous time getting merry on alcohol - with whatever brand - so long as there's a tiny, ignorable "Drink Responsibly" warning slapped on the end.”
Adverse Childhood Experiences Impact Teens' Ability to Quit Vaping. “Research led by Dr. Amanda Graham, Chief Health Officer at Truth Initiative — the nation's largest public health nonprofit dedicated to preventing youth and young adult nicotine addiction and empowering quitting for all — is the first of its kind to examine the impact of ACEs on e-cigarette cessation outcomes among adolescents. The findings show that teens with a history of trauma face significantly greater challenges when trying to quit vaping nicotine.”
2Firsts Talks with Nancy Loucas, Asia-Pacific THR Leader: Giving a Voice to the Overlooked Consumer. “2Firsts: What challenges do consumers face in communicating their positions? Loucas: The main challenge is being listened to. The Machine, as I like to call tobacco control, likes to denigrate and dehumanize consumers and their lived experiences by labeling them as “anecdotes,” as opposed to scientists, experts or researchers. They do this by calling us names, accusing us of nefarious activities to the benefit of tobacco companies, and [by] excluding us from a seat at the table.”
Why Have Health Leaders Rejected Vaping? “Like the opioid debate in the US, addiction experts rather than public health experts are advising regulators on vaping policies. If nicotine is addictive, then it is seen as a harm regardless of the level of reduced risk compared to tobacco…But are all addictive substances the same and should we stop such behavior without reflection? When does an addiction become identified as an addiction? When it becomes a problem (to one’s health or to those around them)? When it becomes a dependence? As a boomer, I wonder now if I am becoming addicted to my mobile phone. How much more must Gen Z phone addicts be “suffering”?”
Happy National Candy Month! I’m looking forward to attending the County Fair in a few weeks to enjoy some Cotton Candy. Despite what the anti-vape crowd claims, adults like flavors, and they are not a devious plan to hook the next generation of children to become addicted to nicotine.
Jun 23-29, 2025 is Love Your Lungs Week
And while June is PTSD Awareness Month, June 27 is PTSD Awareness Day.
Final thoughts…
I’m grateful for people who resist the urge to take sides when no side needs to be taken. There is enough polarization and division in the world. The last thing we need is more of that kind of poison.
Notes:
I create these newsletters as a personal project. They are not affiliated with any current or past employers or groups with which I volunteer. I receive no financial compensation for my efforts to create these newsletters.
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