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FDA Rejects JUUL Vaping and More! Tobacco Harm Reduction News

June 24, 2022 Tobacco Harm Reduction News

FDA shockingly rejects JUUL PMTA. Senator Dick Durbin lies about youth vaping – again. Call to Action for synthetic nicotine (AVM Citizen’s Petition.) Snus study results announced at 2022 Global Forum on Nicotine. Sweden rejects vaping flavor ban and more!

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

CALL TO ACTION // National – Synthetic Nicotine Citizen’s Petition

A Citizens’ Petition on behalf of the American Vapor Manufacturers Association (AVM) has been posted to Regulations.gov and is open NOW for comments/support!

The petition is asking FDA to do the following:

  • Use its enforcement discretion to allow the continued marketing of open system products that use synthetic nicotine for which a premarket application (PMTA) has been submitted, through July 13, 2022, and until FDA completes its scientific review; and,
  • Allow for these manufacturers to continue submitting additional data and amendments for their application.

LEAVE A COMMENT: Support a citizens’ petition to keep safer, open-system synthetic nicotine products legally available for people who smoke

CALL TO ACTION //  National – Menthol Ban

Starting on May 4, 2022, the FDA is accepting comments on two proposed rules banning the use of flavors other than tobacco in combustible tobacco products.

Whether you’re supporting the rule or opposed, one thing we can all agree on is that people who smoke need safer alternatives to cigarettes — mentholated or not!

While the FDA is moving ahead with banning more tobacco products, it is failing to authorize a meaningful variety of e-liquids and devices that are responsible for recent accelerated declines in smoking.

In addition to sharing your views on banning menthol cigarettes and other flavored combustible products, take this opportunity to urge FDA to ensure that people have access to safer forms of nicotine delivery that are enjoyable and affordable–like vaping, nicotine pouches, and smokeless tobacco products.

TAKE ACTION: FDA Menthol Ban – Submit Your Comments

REGULATION // FDA Rejects JUUL PMTA

“The agency based its decision on the flimsiest of grounds…” then “went on to admit that the FDA has no real-world evidence to suggest an immediate hazard associated with the use of the JUUL…”

– CASAA’s Jim McDonald reporting for Vaping360

READ MORE: Toxic Politics: FDA’s Flimsy JUUL Denial Will Send Many to Cigarettes

REGULATION // Politics Over Science?

FDA has already authorized another pod-style device. Is this the agency prioritizing politics over science?

“The agency has been under intense pressure from Democrats in Congress to reject Juul Labs’ applications and remove the products from the market.”

READ MORE: FDA Will Reject JUUL PMTA, Insiders Say

IN THE NEWS // Senator Dick Durbin Lies (Again) About Youth Vaping

Senator Durbin states in Politico that “4% of adults in this country use vaping products & 14% of kids. That’s where the danger lies, & that’s where vaping products fall on their face when you try to defend them.”

This appears to be a disingenuous attempt to convince the public that more youth vape than adults.

The 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey found 11.3% high school and 2.8% middle school students vaped, which Sen. Durbin seems to have just added together to come up with his 14%. According to the FDA report, it’s actually 7.6% or 2.06 million.

If only 4% of the 18+ US population vapes, that’s 10.3 million–5 times as many adults who vape than teens.

Note that Sen. Durbin’s statement also could easily mislead the public to believe that 14% of all of the nearly 73 million children under the age of 17 in the US (about 5.5 million) vape daily. In truth, it’s 7.6% (2.06 million) middle and high school students who vaped “even 1 puff in the past 30 days.”

READ MORE: Durbin tallies new youth vaping following FDA’s missed deadline

READ 2021 NYTS REPORT: Results from the Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey

RESEARCH // Possible Bias?

Funded by the NIH and FDA, researchers are looking at the “impacts of flavors” in vapor products. There seems to be a presumption of harm here, but most revealing will be how FDA decides to treat those flavors NOT found to have any adverse effects.

READ MORE: UofL to use $3.6 million federal grant to study the effects of flavorings in e-cigarettes

RESEARCH // Snus As Harm Reduction

New research launched at this year’s Global Forum on Nicotine found that switching to smoke-free tobacco harm reduction products—in this case Swedish snus– is a more effective strategy to reduce harm than WHO’s prohibitionist tobacco control measures.

READ MORE:  Research launched at Global Forum on Nicotine shows WHO’s tobacco control measures are failing – and that harm reduction works

RESEARCH // Smoking and Mental Health

A new study claims to have proven smoking “causes” depression and schizophrenia, but per usual, many limitations and weasel words (ie. “could,” “may,” “suggest”) indicate the actual findings are far less concrete than the headlines make them out to be.

READ MORE: New report finds smoking is a cause of depression and schizophrenia

REGULATION // Smoke-free Alternatives

Consumers are embracing alternative sources of safer nicotine, but city/state lawmakers have started rolling the products into flavor bans and higher taxes, too–despite the fact that underage use of tobacco “is at historic lows and continues to decline.”

READ MORE: Smokeless Tobacco Faces Local Regulatory Pressure

TESTIMONIAL // Anecdote # 13,457

Ben smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day for 15 years, but quit smoking with French Vanilla-flavored liquid. One of the millions of “anecdotes” proving adults like flavors!

What’s YOUR real story? Submit your testimonial today!

SUBMIT YOUR STORY: CASAA Testimonial Project

COMMENTARY // Marc Gunther

“For many of you, I imagine that it must be hard to fight this uphill battle against powerful forces. I’ve been writing about this for less than two years and there are days when I wonder why I have to say the same things over and over, and why so few seem to listen.”

READ MORE: The unchecked power of philanthropy

TOBACCO CONTROL // Misleading the Public

What Dr. Henderson DOESN’T tell readers is that those “approximately half a million deaths per year” from “nicotine addiction” are from SMOKING. Instead, he focuses on relatively safe nicotine vaping, further confusing the public about the TRUE risks.

READ MORE: Brandon J. Henderson: Impact of menthol, flavors on e-cigarette addiction are not cool

TOBACCO CONTROL // Debunking 3 more lies from the AHA

– Youth vaping is DECLINING, not rising.
– Nicotine effects on the cardiovascular system are known to be TEMPORARY, as with caffeine.
– Most vapers are ADULTS who cannot or will not quit nicotine, not never-smokers.

READ MORE: Action needed to reduce e-cigarette use among adolescents to lower lifetime CVD risk

THE WORLD // Dutch Flavor Ban Postponed (For Wrong Reason)

Even with rising vaping rates, Dutch smoking has declined from 26.10% in 2012 to 20.2% in 2020. But using outdated data and claiming (without evidence) vaping leads to smoking, flavors other than “tobacco” were banned–for people who have finally QUIT tobacco.

READ MORE: Ban on e-cigarette flavors postponed, pulmonologists are concerned

AROUND THE WORLD // Swedish Parliament Gets It Right

“We want a harm reduction perspective embedded in our national tobacco policy. Limiting flavors in an alternative product, which can reduce the proportion of smokers, is not in line with this.”
~ Swedish parliament committee member

READ MORE: Swedish Parliament Rejects Prohibition on Vape Flavors

LEGISLATION // Heads Up New York!

As if the state’s harmful anti-harm reduction laws (and record-low youth smoking rates) weren’t enough, Assemblyman Keith Brown thinks your state now needs an 1984-esque “Tobacco, Nicotine and Vaping Authority.”

READ MORE: Republican Proposes Tighter Regulation Of Tobacco, Vaping

 

CASAA IN ACTION // Twitter Spaces with Amanda Wheeler

If you missed the excellent CASAA Twitter Space this week, catch the replay now! The panel speaks with @amandawheeler32 from AVM about their latest efforts to keep safer nicotine products available and the news leak about the FDA actions against JUUL.

https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1MYGNnVQovOGw?s=20

https://twitter.com/CASAAmedia/status/1539684651609886720

CASAA IN ACTION // CASAA Live

NOTE: CASAA Live will be on hiatus for the summer and will be returning in September. In the meantime, replay audio from the CASAA Twitter Spaces will be broadcast on our YouTube channel in the same Saturday timeslot.

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!

This week the CASAA panel discussed the FDA proposal to mandate VLNC (Very Low Nicotine Cigarettes.) Will it really happen? Is it backed by science? Would it be “harm reduction?” The CASAA Live team will try to find out the answers to those questions!

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: