Thinking 'bout THR News & Views
December 22-24, 2024
Using my superpowers.
Some people think because I’m AuDHD (Autistic +ADHD) that I have some magical superpowers. I don’t. I am like all people. I have strengths and weaknesses. There’s nothing magical about using what we’re good at to the best of our abilities and working on gaining skills in areas we feel are a weakness.
But let’s say for a minute I did, and I could do amazing things in the nicotine space with them. What would I do?
I’d grab my books of magic spells and make smoking go away. No one would smoke, want to smoke, or manufacture cigarettes. I would also make the very harmful oral products used in some LMICs go away.
Is that too simplistic and far-fetched for you? OK, I’m willing to dream of a Plan B. I would open that book of magic spells and find one that would help everyone #BeKind to each other.
But no one needs me to cast such a spell. Being kind is a choice. And I hope that as we dive into 2025, we all make it our mission to be kind and respectful to each other.
I look forward to helping you help our neighbors in the coming year. There’s one more News & Views to go for 2024. You can expect it between December 29-31. Do you want to guess what the topic will be? Here’s your clue:
Until next time…
PS: I had planned to send this edition out on December 26, but I have so much content already that I’m sending it early.
I am grateful for people willing to listen to consumers' concerns. Recently, Dale Staten raised a concern on X about an AHA ad he saw on a local station. Jeff Willett responded and said he’d look into it because the ad should not be in rotation. Thank you, Jeff, for doing so. Thank you, Dale, for being kind and respectful to Jeff. Thank you, Greg Conley, for reaching out to the station airing the PSA. Thank you, Charter News Maine, for being receptive to suggestions and taking action. It sounds like it was a mistake for the ad to be aired, and it has been pulled—excellent teamwork by all.
Thank you, Lindsey Stroud, for access to Canva to make the graphics for the newsletters.
I have enjoyed transforming my newsletter from a simple list of links via email to using Substack as my platform. Thank you, Eli Lehrer, for the suggestion.
I am grateful for all of you who take time out of your busy day to read my thoughts and ponder the treasures I’ve found to share.
Sound familiar? While some will be moved to argue over profit-seeking enterprises and consumers trying to get what they want, I sit here and marvel at how creative the human mind is. “Please see and circulate our newly published Letter to the Editor highlighting the concern among leading kratom researchers over the proliferation of novel, semi-synthetic 7-hydroxymitragynine (7OH) products…”
Lewis Bird. “Swindon's 'Swap to Stop' Scheme is now LIVE and residents are already taking up the offer.”
AZSenatorShamp. “Today marks 14 years since I've had any nicotine, a milestone I'm incredibly proud of. When I quit, I did it cold turkey because the options for smoking cessation were limited. But times have changed! Here's to celebrating all the amazing resources and methods now available for those looking to kick the habit…”
Derek Yach. “The latest editorial from The Lancet emphasizes the importance of harm reduction in drug policy. This approach extends to tobacco harm reduction, particularly focusing on the significance of nicotine alternatives in combating the dangers of traditional cigarettes.”
The Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at UCSF is Not Sure Smoking is Any More Hazardous than Vaping. “The reason why all of these false claims are important is because they could well deter many smokers from trying to quit smoking using e-cigarettes and therefore, block a major pathway by which millions of smokers have successfully quit smoking completely. The author of the article herself has published data showing that perceptions of the harms of e-cigarettes are related to decreased success in smoking cessation.” (Source: Dr. Michael Siegel)
Are you puffing the 'toxic dragon' this festive season? Vaping's hidden dangers may be lethal. “A recent study found that smoking cigarettes decreases the gene expression of 53 genes that play a part in fighting viruses and bacteria. Vaping affects an astonishing 358 of them. What's scary is that we have no idea what this actually means yet," said the organisation.” (Source: Independent Online (IOL), a South African online news platform.)
Dangers of Vaping. “In 2023, an estimated 238,340 people were diagnosed with lung cancer and approximately 127,070 people died from the disease according to The American Cancer Society (ACS)…“Vaping products are harmful and should not be used. E-cigarettes contain carcinogens and can cause lung damage and EVALI. The FDA does not recommend vaping be used as a method to quit smoking. Vaping products not only contain nicotine, but other harmful chemicals that can cause serious lung injury and death,” said Dr. Jesus Vera Aguilera.” (Source: Minnesota Oncology)
Community Notes is a program that aims to create a better-informed world. It empowers people on X to collaboratively add helpful notes to misleading posts. As notes are voted helpful or not helpful, they are made public or removed from public view. When I looked at the following tweets, the notes were public.
Angela Pratt. (Celebrating Vietnam’s ban on THR products.) See also this tweet.
TaraBull. (Social Media influencer using a video of someone who suffered injuries in a boating accident to claim it is someone else injured from vaping.)
Nina Totenberg. (Citing an article that leads readers to believe that a percent of a percent is the actual usage.)
The Coffee Break. (EVALI)
Kentucky vape store owners say customers buying in bulk ahead of new law taking effect Jan. 1. “The majority of e-cigarettes and vaping products will vanish from store shelves in Kentucky starting Jan. 1, leaving users and retailers scrambling to adjust. Justin Schultz, who credits vaping with helping him quit smoking, calls the impending ban disheartening. “It’s the only thing that helped me quit smoking,” Schultz said.”
"Quit Our Way or Die": Lifestyle Control in the Modern-Day Tobacco Control Movement. “I have to seriously say that I have so much respect for people who have quit smoking by switching to vaping. To do this in an environment when health authorities all around them are urging them not to and telling them how dangerous it is, but to have the wisdom and insight to discount that advice and instead rely on their own research and the experiences of friends, family members, vape shop owners, and others in the vaping community is wise, courageous, and admirable.”
A fiery Christmas Eve in Melbourne’s tobacco wars. “Firebugs have targeted two businesses early on Christmas Eve in what appears to be yet another attack in Melbourne’s ongoing tobacco wars.”
Supreme Court must end the FDA’s vaping power-grab. “The phrase “public health” is often used in political ads, op-eds, and classrooms, but it is an extremely flimsy legal standard for product approvals. The term encompasses an almost infinite range of variables, making it nearly impossible to weigh them all accurately. For instance, e-cigarettes are clearly safer than traditional cigarettes and effective at helping adult smokers quit. However, regulators must decide how to balance this reality against the potential risks of youth access. Congress provided no clear guidance to the FDA on this issue, leaving regulators to operate in a state of uncertainty.”
Harm Reduction equals public health win in Thailand. “The committee's spokesperson, Mr. Thotsaporn Thongsiri, has indicated that the study will conclude by the end of December, presenting three alternative solutions to the current e-cigarette situation in Thailand. These options range from maintaining the ban with stricter enforcement to regulating both e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.”
Maldives enforces blanket ban on vapes. “Alongside the ban on vapes, the Maldives has also hiked tobacco tariffs.”
Opinion Piece: Exposing the Hypocrisy in Anti-Tobacco Narratives—Why Vaping Deserves a Fair Chance. “It is time for organisations like ExposeTobacco.org to rethink their approach. By embracing science, supporting responsible regulation, and prioritising harm reduction, we can achieve a healthier future—one where fewer lives are lost to smoking.”
More news: Vapers Digest December 23.
RI's flavored vape ban survives legal challenge for now. Here's what to know. “A federal judge this week struck down a move to halt the looming ban on the sale of flavored vape products in Rhode Island, set to take effect Jan. 1.”
NCLA Amicus Brief Asks Supreme Court to Read Judicial Review Statute Broadly, as Congress Wrote It. (Press Release) “Even though the law allows “any person adversely affected” by an FDA order to challenge the agency’s decision in court, FDA oddly claims vaping retailers are not adversely affected by a ban on sale of vaping products. It is asking the Supreme Court to restrict that right to only parties to the agency proceedings. NCLA’s brief explains how this limit would conflict with the controlling statute as well as Supreme Court precedent.” Link to brief. Other briefs for the Reynolds case are listed on the SCOTUS Blog (there are several of them).
Notes:
I create these newsletters as a personal project. They are not affiliated with any current or past employers or groups I do volunteer work with. I receive no financial compensation for my efforts to create these newsletters.
My blog, Skip's Corner, has an X/Twitter account. My personal accounts are on BlueSky, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter).