Godshall Chronicles 02/25/16

War on Vaping
You are being lied to: A Billion Lives
Documentary exposes the dirty truth about the War on Vaping
www.churnmag.com/news/you-are-being-lied-to-documentary-exposes-the-dirty-truth-about-the-war-on-vaping/

THR Education
UK National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training issues 48 page report with accurate and objective information on nicotine and health benefits of vapor products; Electronic Cigarettes: A briefing for stop smoking services www.ncsct.co.uk/usr/pub/Electronic%20cigarettes.%20A%20briefing%20for%20stop%20smoking%20services.pdf
www.ncsct.co.uk/publication_electronic_cigarette_briefing.php

Most e-cigarette use  to help smokers quit (UK)
www.webmd.boots.com/news/20160218/most-e-cigarette-use-to-help-smokers-quit

E-cigarettes could be behind sharp rise of successful attempts to quit smoking (UK)
dailycaller.com/2016/02/16/e-cigarettes-could-be-behind-sharp-rise-of-successful-attempts-to-quit-smoking/

New Nicotine Alliance s Sarah Jakes: The Pleasure Priniciple (UK)
nnalliance.org/blog/815-the-pleasure-principle

Vape shop provides less harmful alternatives for smokers (OR)
www.nrtoday.com/news/20780277-113/a-tobacco-alternative

US Budget
Obama s budget proposal would increase cigarette tax from $1.01 to $1.95/pack, increase tax for low risk smokeless tobacco by 800% and for pipe tobacco by 1,500% (so they are taxed at same rate as far more harmful cigarettes), double cigar tax.
halfwheel.com/obamas-proposed-budget-includes-near-doubling-of-federal-cigar-tax/107731

US Congress
Joel Nitzkin: HR 2058 and the regulation of e-cigarettes
www.rstreet.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/RSTREETSHORT17.pdf

CASAA urges vapers to contact their US Representative urging support for HR 2058
blog.casaa.org/2015/05/call-to-action-support-hr-2058-which.html

Representative Tom Cole s (R-OK) HR 2058 is gaining political support for vaping (now has 48 cosponsors) us.blastingnews.com/opinion/2016/02/representative-tom-cole-r-ok-h-r-2058-bill-is-gaining-political-support-for-vaping-00788215.html

US Politics
Grover Norquist on C-Span: Vaping and the Changing Electorate in 2016
www.atr.org/grover-norquist-c-span-vaping-and-changing-electorate-2016

US FDA
US Senate confirms Robert Califf as FDA Commissioner
www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/02/24/senate-confirms-robert-califf-as-new-fda-commissioner/
www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/02/24/us/politics/ap-us-fda-commissioner.html?_r=1

DHHS Secretary Burwell falsely claims the FDA (whose cigarette protecting Deeming Regulation would ban >99.9% of lifesaving vapor products) has an  unsurpassed record of protecting public health while encouraging innovation  in press release praising US Senate confirmation of Dr. Robert Califf as FDA Commissioner.
www.hhs.gov/about/news/2016/02/24/statement-by-hhs-secretary-on-senate-confirmation-of-dr-robert-califf-as-fda-commissioner.html

FDA announces so-called workshop on Waterpipes and Waterpipe Tobacco March 17/18 (but note that February 25 is deadline for registering to attend, to speak during public comment period or to listen/watch webinar online; public comment deadline April 29).
www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=FDA-2016-N-0173-0001

FDA funded and dominated 2016 SRNT Conference Abstracts at
c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.srnt.org/resource/resmgr/Conferences/2016_Annual_Meeting/Program/FINAL_SRNT_Abstract_WEB02171.pdf

DHHS funded lobbying for FDA vapor product Deeming ban

Brad Rodu: Imaginary hobgoblins from e-cigarette liquid lab tests
rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com/2016/02/imaginary-hobgoblins-from-e-cigarette.html

News artile touts NIH funded Ilano Jaspers junk science, claims about vaping at AAAS
arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/e-cigs-shut-down-hundreds-of-immune-system-genes-regular-cigs-dont/

Mike Siegel: Scientist tells AAAS convention that electronic cigarettes are just as dangerous as real ones tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/02/scientist-tells-aaas-convention-that.html

NCI funded study deceitfully equates lethal cigarettes with and lifesaving vapor products, low risk cigars and hookah to lobby for FDA s cigarette protecting Deeming ban
tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/25/2/174.full

US and Florida funded activists tell news media waterpipes are gateways to cigarettes to lobby for FDA deeming ban, but their study found no evidence as questions merely asked participants if they might smoke cigarettes in the future www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2016/15_0505.htm
www.medpagetoday.com/PrimaryCare/Smoking/56285

Carl Phillips: Serious ethical concerns about public health research conduct; the case of vape convention air quality measurement
antithrlies.com/2016/02/19/serious-ethical-concerns-about-public-health-research-the-case-of-vape-convention-air-quality-measurement/

Clive Bates: What was unethical about snoopers measuring particulates at a vape convention
www.clivebates.com/?p=3719

US Government Financed Cigarettes
22nd Century, which sold millions of low nicotine cigarettes to the US government and is relying on FDA for future revenue and profits, reports $11 million loss in 2015, and $15.6 million loss in 2014
www.journalnow.com/business/business_news/local/the-briefcase/article_7df31bf1-5649-52f3-95d3-537452971a59.html
www.buffalonews.com/business/22nd-century-group-cuts-losses-as-cigarette-sales-rise-20160219

US Tobacco Business
Are surging cigarette sales putting burn on MST? What s really going on in the smokeless catagory www.cspnet.com/category-news/tobacco/articles/are-surging-cigarette-sales-putting-burn-mst

Litigation
MA judge awards $4.9 million plus interest to a class of nearly 200,000 Marlboro Lights smokers (the plaintiffs were seeking $600 million)
www.law360.com/articles/761355/philip-morris-hit-with-4-9m-judgment-in-mass-false-ad-trial

New York Court rules that vaping is not smoking (duh), confirming that NY state s smoking ban does NOT ban vaping law.justia.com/cases/new-york/other-courts/2016/2016-ny-slip-op-26033.html
motherboard.vice.com/read/new-york-court-rules-vaping-is-not-the-same-as-smoking-ecigarettes-vape-news-cigarettes-law
www.churnmag.com/news/new-york-court-rules-that-vaping-is-not-smoking/

Taxation
Boehm: States reach for cigarette taxes to ease budgetary worries, but problems loom
watchdog.org/256838/states-reach-cigarette-taxes-ease-budgetary-worries-problems-loom/

WV Senate approves bill (SB 420) to impose $.075/ml tax on all e-liquid (i.e. $2.25 for a 30ml bottle) including nicotine-free e-liquid, increase cigarette tax from $.55 to $1.55/ pack, and increase OTP tax from 7% to 12%.
www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB420%20SUB1%20ENG.htm&yr=2016&sesstype=RS&i=420
www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_history.cfm?INPUT=420&year=2016&sessiontype=RS
www.herald-dispatch.com/_recent_news/w-va-senate-approves-tobacco-tax-hike/article_8460197c-da5f-11e5-b54e-172808c54acb.html
www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/article61914577.html
www.huntingtonnews.net/130856

CASAA urges Utah vapers to oppose proposed 86.5% tax on vapor products
blog.casaa.org/2016/02/ut-take-action-to-oppose-vapor-taxes-hb.html

Previously untaxed e-cigarettes may face 86.5% tax in Utah
www.sltrib.com/news/3532259-155/e-cigarettes-may-face-an-865-tax

Utah politician Paul Ray slammed for claiming e-cigarettes cause cancer
dailycaller.com/2016/02/19/utah-politician-slammed-for-claiming-e-cigarettes-cause-cancer/

Utah SFATA s Shilo Pitts: Vaping industry shares Utahn s goals for reducing youth tobacco use
www.sltrib.com/opinion/3544742-155/op-ed-vaping-industry-shares-utahns-goals

CASAA urges Alaska vapers to oppose Gov. Walker s proposed 100% tax on lifesaving vapor products (AK House public hearing February 24)
blog.casaa.org/2016/02/ak-take-action-to-oppose-dangerous.html
cqrcengage.com/casaa/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=170533

CASAA urges Hawaii vapers to oppose bill (SB 2961) to impose 80% tax on vapor products
blog.casaa.org/2016/02/hawaii-call-to-action-take-action-to.html

Note that Hawaii Vapers United on FB closely tracks anti vaping legislation in HI
www.facebook.com/groups/HawaiiVapersUnited/permalink/1693440347562550/

Maryland bill (HB 861) would impose 30% tax on vapor products, ban vaping in workplaces, deceitfully redefine a smokefree vapor products as  smoking devices , public hearing scheduled March 2.
mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?pid=billpage&stab=02&id=hb0861&tab=subject3&ys=2016rs
mgaleg.maryland.gov/2016RS/bills/hb/hb0861F.pdf

CASAA urges Maryland vapers to oppose bill to ban vaping and tax vapor products
blog.casaa.org/2016/02/md-take-action-to-oppose-indoor-vaping.html

Small businesses and Chicago Aldermen criticize Mayor Rahm Emanuel s bill to increase tobacco taxes, increase minimum age for tobacco and vapor product sales to 21, and impose $10,000 fines for selling single cigarettes.
progressillinois.com/quick-hits/content/2016/02/23/debate-heats-over-proposed-chicago-tobacco-ordinance
chicago.suntimes.com/business/7/71/1347341/small-business-owners-marshal-opposition-emanuels-anti-smoking-plan

Thomas Briant: Chicago s tobacco ordinance about small business, not Big Tobacco
www.cspnet.com/category-news/tobacco/articles/chicago-tobacco-ordinance-about-small-business-not-big-tobacco

Vaping Ban
CASAA urges Vermont vapers to oppose bill (H 171) to ban vaping in workplaces
blog.casaa.org/2016/01/vt-take-action-to-oppose-indoor-vaping.html
cqrcengage.com/casaa/app/onestep-write-a-letter?0&engagementId=164433

Vaping/Smoking Ban

NJ Assembly Cmte approves bill (A 893) cosponsored by Legacy board member Herb Conaway to ban vaping and smoking on all state and local forests, parks and beaches, criticize Gov. Christy for wisely vetoing same bill last year www.njleg.state.nj.us/2016/Bills/A1000/893_I1.PDF

Beach Smoking Ban Bill Returns, Clears State Assembly Panel


www.app.com/story/news/politics/new-jersey/chris-christie/2016/02/22/christie-beach-smoking-ban/80759954/
www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2016/02/19/jersey-beaches-smoking/80614970/

Minimum Age Laws
CASAA urges Utah vapers to oppose bill (HB 157) that would increase the minimum age for sales of lifesaving vapor products from 19 to 21 (and would also apply to deadly cigarettes and low risk OTP).
blog.casaa.org/2016/02/ut-take-action-to-oppose-misguided.html

NJ Assembly Cmte approves bill (A 2320) (sponsored by Legacy board member Herb Conaway) to increase minimum age for sales of lifesaving vapor products, deadly cigarettes and low risk OTP from 19 to 21 years (to deceive public to believe vapor, smokeless tobacco and OTP are just as hazardous as cigarettes).
www.njleg.state.nj.us/2016/Bills/A2500/2320_I1.HTM

Illinois bill (SB 3011) would raise legal minimum age for vapor and tobacco sales to 21
rockrivertimes.com/2016/02/18/bill-would-raise-illinois-smoking-age-to-21/

American Heart Association deceitfully claims teen smoking is increasing, makes many other false claims to lobby for legislation to raise San Francisco s legal minimum age for sale of lifesaving vapor products, deadly cigarettes and low risk OTP to 21.
www.sfexaminer.com/s-f-raise-tobacco-buying-age/

More Government Funded Lobbying
South Carolina gives Big Pharma shill ALA $10,000 to demonize vapor products and OTP, lobby to ban vaping and smokeless tobacco use throughout the state
www.charlestonchronicle.net/103476/2152/american-lung-association-receives-$10000-smokefree-grant

NY government financed program Reality Check organizes youth to lobby to ban smoking in movies, claim doing so would reduce smoking (despite no evidence).
www.mytwintiers.com/news/local-news/effort-to-ban-film-smoking-scenes

Health Board Accountability
WV bill (HB 4472) would allow County Commissions to revoke local Health Board Rules (including unwarranted vaping bans)
www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20160221/bills-would-allow-wv-counties-to-repeal-smoking-bans

WV House Cmte rejects 12-10 a bill (HB 4472) that would have allowed County Commissions to revoke Health Board rules (including unwarranted vaping bans)
www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20160222/house-panel-rejects-smoking-ban-repeal-bill

UK

UK Advertising Standards Authority, which has banned truthful vapor product ads, defends false and gruesome anti-smoking ad by Public Health England
www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/top-ten-most-controversial-adverts-revealed-a6889726.html

Study finds UK tobacco display ban, that created longer waiting times for customers, did NOT reduce cigarette smoking (as law s advocates had previously insisted would occur)
tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2016/02/22/tobaccocontrol-2015-052724.full

EU TPD
Keller and Heckman attorneys Azim Chowdhury and Marcus Navin-Jones will host a complimentary webinar for complying with EU TPD e-cigarette regulations on February 29th from 12:00-1:00 EST; to register go to cc.callinfo.com/cc/s/registrations/new?cid=14wtkbtmghr4s

Clive Bates: Totally Wicked case: Advocate General s flawed reasoning would protect the cigarette trade
www.clivebates.com/?p=3711

E-Quits Limited s David Extance says EU TPD could devastate vapor industry (UK) www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/business/14295827.Warning_that_e_cigarette_firms_could_face_ruin_under_EU_rules/

ASH-UK defends, downplays EU TPD s cigarette protecting regulations for e-cigarettes
ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_1011.pdf

Australia
South Australian Vapers petition parliamentary committee to legalize sale of lifesaving vapor products
www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/ecigarette-users-petition-parliamentary-committee-over-possible-regulations-of-vaporisers/news-story/a0237e3f0c0a054d95057d4e8af918a6

South Australia Parliamentary Cmte denies scientific evidence, protects cigarettes by proposing laws to ban vaping, and to ban ads and promotions for vapor products
www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/ecigarettes-face-restrictions-in-sa/news-story/9039e5662809de7049a1a47ff1d3b125
www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-24/regulations-on-e-cigarette-recommended-in-sa/7197802
www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/parliamentary-committee-delivers-20-recommendations-on-ecigarettes/news-story/3801de5dc4984fcad271524f7a81116b

Scientific Research on Vapor Products
Mayo Clinic: E-cigarettes mitigate risks of smoking before and after operations
dailycaller.com/2016/02/15/mayo-clinic-e-cigarettes-mitigate-risks-of-smoking-before-and-after-operations/

Protocol proposal for, and evaluation of, consistency in nicotine delivery from the liquid to the aerosol of electronic cigarette atomizers: regulatory implications
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.13299/abstract

How to measure nicotine delivery from e-cigarettes; New protocol anticipates EU TPD taking effect May 2016 www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/306876.php

BAT s Marina Murphy: Assessing the safety and evaluating the risk of novel tobacco and nicotine products vaporvoicemagazine.com/proper-appraisal/

Battery Safety
Jack Smith: There is only one reason vapes, hoverboards and drones keep exploding
mic.com/articles/135180/why-reason-vapes-hoverboards-and-drones-all-keep-exploding

Junk Science, Propaganda and Lies
After acknowledging that vaping has helped many smokers quit smoking, Robert West falsely claims  there really isn t any good evidence that it has any benefit  for reducing harm among vapers who don t completely quit smoking (despite massive evidence to the contrary), criticizes MHRA approval of BAT e-Voke as a medicine after he urged MHRA to impose the unwarranted medicine regulation on lifesaving vapor products.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b070dq8h

NTR editor says private sector funding (i.e. by tobacco, drug, vapor companies) of vapor research raises conflicts of interest, while remaining silent about Obama s Billion Dollar War on Vaping and THR; proposes replicating Shiffman et al study finding adult smokers are more interested in flavored vapor products than teen nonsmokers.

Marcus Munafo: Conflicts of Interest and Solicited Replication Attempts
m.ntr.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/02/11/ntr.ntw031.full.pdf

Carl Phillips: SRNT believes research should be replicated (when they don t like the results)
antithrlies.com/2016/02/23/srnt-believes-research-should-be-replicated-when-they-dont-like-the-results/

Brad Rodu   Through with chew week: Don t be fooled
rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com/2016/02/through-with-chew-week-dont-be-fooled.html

Legacy lies initiative falsely claims US DOT banned vaping on airlines
truthinitiative.org/news/where-we-stand-dot-bans-vaping-airplanes

US DOT s proposed rule to ban smoking of smokefree e-cigarettes on airlines is at
www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=DOT-OST-2011-0044-0003

Washington Post publishes cigarette protecting propaganda from Consumer Reports that contains many false and misleading fear mongering claims about vaping
www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/the-facts-behind-e-cigarettes-and-their-health-risks/2016/02/22/b18b2684-8c9a-11e5-ae1f-af46b7df8483_story.html

Guy Bentley   Paper: E-cigarette policy often based on blind faith in poor research
dailycaller.com/2016/02/08/paper-anti-e-cigarette-policy-often-based-on-blind-faith-in-poor-research/

Julia Belluz’s  otherwise excellent VOX article (with a spot-on title) about ethics and health science journalism touts straw man arguments of the unknown to demonize vaping (while ignoring the known evidence confirming vaping s health benefits for smokers).

Why reporting on health and science is a good way to lose friends and alienate people www.vox.com/2016/2/23/11098968/health-journalism-ethics

Take e-cigarettes: We described all the research there and found some important limitations  for example, there are no published long-term studies of the health effects of vaping to date. We have no idea what vapor and the chemicals in e-cigs will do to the lungs or other parts of the body in the long term.

Vaping prohibitionist Stan Glantz now absurdly claims movies that show smoking cause lung cancer like mosquitos transmit zika virus
tobacco.ucsf.edu/movies-smoking-are-lung-cancer-what-mosquitos-are-zika-virus

Bill Godshall
Executive Director
Smokefree Pennsylvania

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