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Vaping, Nicotine, Coffee and More! Tobacco Harm Reduction News

July 14, 2023 Tobacco Harm Reduction News

Vaping, nicotine and coffee. Good news from 2022 NHIS survey. Bad economics are bad for health. More evidence bans don’t work. New York City anti-vaping lawsuit. Nicotine hysteria. Why we started vaping and more!

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

HEADS UP! // Utah Nicotine Limits

The more choices that adults who smoke have, the more likely they are to make the switch. Support this change! The deadline to submit comments is Monday, July 17, the day of the Department of Health and Human Services public hearing!

READ MORE: Monday is deadline to submit comments on proposed increase of nicotine in e-cigarettes

RESEARCH  // The Truth About Nicotine and Caffeine

Funny how both nicotine and caffeine are stimulants that inhibit certain receptors in the brain, increase the release of dopamine and can create a dependency with minor withdrawal symptoms, yet only nicotine dependency is stigmatized as an “addiction.”

Matt Myers, former leader of anti-vaping Tobacco Free Kids, even once told columnist Joe Nocera, “The challenge to me is not to eliminate smoking, but the death and disease from smoking. That should be the end goal. If you had a product that addicted 45 million people and killed none of them, I would take that deal. Then you’d have coffee!”

READ MORE: What to know about nicotine vs. caffeine

RESEARCH // Bad Economics

They “forgot” the part where people would SWITCH if given access to appealing, affordable and safer alternatives. Meaning, rather than “add” $42 billion in economic loss, it would REDUCE the economic loss from $420 billion to $42 billion – a $378 billion economic GAIN. (If there is even any economic loss at all, as no harm has yet been proven from vaping or other harm reduction products.)

READ MORE: Diverse e-cigarette regulations in the Asia Pacific: A health economic perspective

FDA // Bans Don’t Work

“The real problem wasn’t the disposable exemption but the flavor ban itself…”

“CTP reported internally in March 2020 that 75 percent of adult users vape flavored products. Banning the myriad flavors these millions of people rely on guaranteed that a black market would sprout up to meet the demand.”

~ Alli Boughner

https://twitter.com/VaporAmerican/status/1679547850601148416

READ MORE: FDA’s Disposable Vape Crackdown Threatens Public Health

FDA // Smoke-Free or Nicotine-Free

The idea seems simple enough.

Preserve the rituals of smoking: Hand to mouth, inhale a puff of vapor then exhale. But remove all of the nasty smoke that can kill you.

Instead they want to keep the smoke & remove the one thing that DOESN’T kill you.🤦‍♂️

READ MORE: As low-nicotine cigarettes hit the market, anti-smoking groups press for wider standard

LEGAL BATTLES // New York City Lawsuit

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday that the city has filed a lawsuit charging four vape distributors and six company officers with violating federal, state and city laws.  Magellan Technology/Demand Vape has responded to the lawsuit.

READ MORE: New York City Lawsuit Accuses Vape Distributors of Racketeering

REGULATION // Where’s the Harm?

“The real purpose of this is to protect people, whether they’re adults or children…from secondhand smoke…”

Please show us the scientific evidence to back up the claim that anyone needs “protection” from SMOKE-FREE vapor when OUTSIDE.

We’ll wait.

READ MORE: Westport puts new rules on cannabis, tobacco use

REGULATION // Irrational Fear of Vaping

When you exaggerate and lie about the risks of vaping to the point that lawmakers are so irrationally afraid of it that they ban using them even OUTSIDE without any scientific basis, this will keep happening – over & over.

Is anyone really “protected” by these laws that seem more effective at creating conflict and resulting in injuries?

READ MORE: ‘It was just brutality’ | Parents upset after seeing son get punched by officer during vaping arrest

MEDIA MISINFORMATION // Doctor Who?

Strangely, the “doctors” who supposedly stated the misinformation in this article aren’t named in the article.

There’s no evidence that higher concentrations of nicotine in vapes makes them “more addictive” than vapes with lower concentrations. Studies show that people self-titrate both with cigarettes and vapor products. Meaning, they smoke/vape more with lower nicotine levels and smoke/vape less with higher nicotine levels. Other studies show that people who have switched to vaping find they are less dependent on them than they were cigarettes, according to the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence.

Additionally, even a pod containing 50 mg/mL is less nicotine than the 200-240 mg of nicotine typically found in a pack of cigarettes.

READ MORE: WHY VAPING IS SO ADDICTIVE, ACCORDING TO DOCTORS

MEDIA MISINFORMATION // Nicotine Hysteria

It’s ridiculous to claim 4.7% nicotine (47 mg/mL) is “the equivalent of 500 cigarettes-worth of nicotine.” A cigarette contains 10-12 mg of nicotine (“yield” and “puffs” aren’t the same thing,) so 500 cigs would be over 5,000 mg in ONE vape pen. Just…no.

READ MORE: Illegal vape on sale in Luton had ‘500 cigarettes-worth of nicotine’

MEDIA MISINFORMATION // Close But No Cigar

Anti-vaping UK “news” outlet, The Guardian, is getting a bit closer to telling the truth when comparing cigarettes vs. vapes, but still ignores the fact that just because it “offers thousands of puffs and is the equivalent of hundreds of cigarettes” doesn’t mean that the consumer is going to use the entire contents in 1 day.

CASAA IN ACTION //  Why We Started Vaping: Kristin Noll-Marsh

CASAA Member Coordinator Kristin Noll-Marsh, who was also a founding director of CASAA, explains how her husband’s struggles with vaping impacted her views on CASAA’s mission.

To hear more stories and learn about the CASAA Testimonial Project, watch the full episode here:

CASAA Live is now on summer hiatus, but we’ll be back in September!

COMMENTARY // NHIS 2022 Survey Data and More Good News

New National Health Interview Survey data from the CDC reveals we are close to seeing a young adult generation that is smoke-free and that will be smoke-disease free.”

 

“Imagine how fast sales and use of combustible cigarettes would disappear if public health leaders simply told smokers the tobacco truth – that vaping is 95% safer than smoking.”

~Dr. Brad Rodu

READ MORE:  Astounding Smoking & Vaping Statistics in New CDC Data

READ MORE: More Good News From the 2022 NHIS… But You Won’t Hear It from U.S. Health Authorities

TOBACCO CONTROL // The Truth About the ‘Endgame’

If the problem is SMOKING, as this states, then why does the “Endgame” seek to eliminate SMOKE-FREE tobacco & nicotine use? And why must they LIE that vaping has “not accelerated adult quitting rates” when smoking declines accelerated across ALL ages since vaping became popular?

READ MORE: Gamechanger: Shifting from Tobacco Control to Ending the Industry’s Influence for Good

TOBACCO CONTROL // Just Blame Vaping

A pediatric surgeon in the UK shockingly suggests that smoking is lower risk than vaping, falsely claiming it can result in “lung bleeding, lung collapse and air leak, the lungs filling up with fat.”

Then he inexplicably says he can’t “think of any other explanation” for a teenage girl suffering from what appears to have been a spontaneous pneumothorax? Spontaneous pneumothorax is a risk typically associated with tall and thin young people.🤦‍♂️

Misinformation like this leads to a public that believes this:

READ MORE: E-cigarettes: Primary school age children are ending up in hospital due to excessive vaping

TOBACCO CONTROL // It’s Not For the Flavors…Seriously

“Both…come in flavors known to appeal to youth, including bubblegum and cotton candy.”

They persistently claim youth vape because of flavors, but the flavors are apparently NOT why they use bubblegum and cotton candy-flavored cannabis and alcohol? And if youth are sensitive to price increases, why would they buy vapes instead of much cheaper bubblegum and cotton candy? 🤔

READ MORE: Feds ban most popular vape among teens

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 IN ACTION // CASAA Live

On this episode of CASAA Live, join CASAA CEO Alex Clark and CASAA Member Coordinator Kristin Noll-Marsh as they reveal why they started vaping and discuss the importance of consumer testimonials!

If you missed the last CASAA Live episode you can catch up NOW before the show comes back in September after the summer hiatus!

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: