FDA
Coalition letter to US Congress opposes absurd FDA Deeming Regulation
www.ff.org/coalition-letter-opposing-absurd-fda-regulations/
Regulations threaten e-cigarettes
www.bocanews.com/vaping-may-come-to-an-end/
FDA requests $5.1 billion for 2017, including $75 million for cancer moonshot even as far more cancer deaths can be prevented if White House simply rejects FDA s cigarette protecting Deeming ban on lifesaving vapor products
www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm485144.htm
US Government funded propaganda lobbying for FDA Deeming ban
FDA/NIH funded study interviewing 50 adult vapers finds:
– 66% have no intention of quitting vaping
– 96% had ever smoked cigarettes, 54% quit smoking, and 42% smoked in past month
– 57% of past month smokers reported smoking cigarettes on 99.9% of nicotine vapor products) is a crucial next step to assessing their potential harm, focused on negative comments by participants, and criticized participants who didn’t know exact amount of nicotine and e-liquid they vaped.
UCSD article misrepresents VA funded mouse vaping study, co-author Laura Crotty Alexander deceitfully attributes findings to humans The study showed that if you inhale e-cigarette vapor for an hour a day, five days a week for a month, your lungs do change, criticizes objective studies funded by vapor product companies as conflicts of interest.
ucsdguardian.org/2016/02/01/study-links-e-cigarette-use-to-inflammation/
DHHS funded Mayo Clinic s Jon Ebbert repeats false claims about VA funded mouse vaping study to confuse, scare and lobby for vapor product bans and vaping bans
newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-minute-new-health-risks-of-e-cigarettes/?linkId=209851673
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Wr49xGiTA&feature=youtu.be
Note that Mayo s Jon Ebbert has demonized very low risk smokeless tobacco for years www.slideshare.net/bethecatalyst/dr-ebbert-spit-tobacco-presentation-presentation
and previously misrepresented vaping s many health benefits and negligible risks www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(14)00989-6/fulltext
Rhode Island Dept of Health s Nicole Alexander-Scott and Brown University s Amanda Jamieson (both funded by DHHS) lie about vapor products to confuse, scare and lobby for FDA s deeming ban, vaping bans and other cigarette protecting policies.
turnto10.com/features/health-landing-page/health-check-researchers-want-to-know-whats-in-e-cigs
Mike Siegel: Mayo Clinic and Rhode Island Department of Health add themselves to the growing list of groups claiming smoking is no worse than vaping
tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/02/mayo-clinic-and-rhode-island-department.html
E-cigarettes: Can they help people quit? (BBC show critiques Stan Glantz fraudulent meta-analysis published by Lancet that deceitfully assumed every smoker who ever used a vapor product did so to quit smoking).
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06zcg4v
www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-35506414
AVA: Irresponsible reporting on new study of benzaldehyde in cherry e-cigarettes
vaping.info/news/2016/irresponsible-reporting-on-new-study-of-benzaldehyde-in-cherry-e-cigarettes
More false fear mongering claims about vaping by DHHS funding recipients
Washington State DOH protects cigarettes, threatens lives of vapers and smokers by lying about lifesaving vapor products
www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/Tobacco/OtherTobaccoProducts/ECigarettes
Mike Siegel Washington State Department of Health bemoans the fact that smokers are switching to e-cigarettes: Tells them smoking is no more hazardous than vaping tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/02/washington-state-department-of-health.html
AVA Anti-Smoking Expert: WA DOH s Vaping Advice is Public Health Malpractice
campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=5695d566-f5b5-4e86-9298-ca80429c2ea0&c=d9cc8640-7a41-11e4-8ca0-d4ae5275b546&ch=da305120-7a41-11e4-8ca3-d4ae5275b546
Big Pharma shill ALA criticizes US and States for NOT protecting NRT and cigarettes
American Lung Association s 14th tobacco report card gets mostly Fs, attacks federal and state governments yet again for not protecting NRT and cigarettes markets by:
– lobbying for FDA Deeming Reg that bans >99.9% of lifesaving nicotine vapor products and for deceitfully claiming FDA s proposal protects public health
www.medpagetoday.com/Pulmonology/Smoking/55985?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2016-02-04&eun=g220600d0r
www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/federal-grades/#fda-regulation
www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/at-a-glance/
www.lung.org/about-us/media/top-stories/sotc-progress-in-peril.html
– lobbying to tax very low risk smokefree alternatives at same rate as cigarettes
www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/federal-grades/#tobacco-taxes
www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/state-grades/#tobacco-taxes
– lobbying to ban vaping under guise of banning smoking
www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/state-grades/#smokefree-air
– lobbying for more State taxpayer money to further demonize vaping, OTP, etc.
www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/state-grades/#tobacco-prevention
– lobbying for more taxpayer and insurance subsidization of Big Pharma drugs
www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/federal-grades/#cessation-coverage
www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/state-grades/#cessation-services
– deceitfully claiming all vapor products used by teens and adults are tobacco products (as ALA knows the 2015 MTF found that <20% of teen vapers reported vaping nicotine)
www.lung.org/our-initiatives/tobacco/reports-resources/sotc/federal-grades/highlights.html
News media hype ALA s deceitful self serving tobacco report card grades (that lobbies to ban lifesaving vapor products, protect cigarettes, and hawk ineffective drugs sold by ALA s financiers) without fact checking or objective analysis.
www.sbsun.com/government-and-politics/20160203/how-did-san-bernardino-los-angeles-counties-fare-in-this-years-tobacco-and-smoking-report
www.dailynews.com/government-and-politics/20160203/california-gets-b-grade-for-tobacco-free-air-f-for-too-low-cigarette-taxes
lacrossetribune.com/news/local/wisconsin-neighbors-show-mixed-report-cards-on-smoking–/article_9d666c7b-fa08-5561-a42a-e3e78d0896e4.html
www.desertsun.com/story/news/health/2016/02/05/valley-cities-get-failing-grades-anti-smoking-rules/79876246/
www.independent.com/news/2016/feb/05/tobacco-prevention-weak-sb-county/
www.pressdemocrat.com/news/5173839-181/sonoma-county-cities-improve-scores
www.timesreporter.com/article/20160209/NEWS/160209239
Big Pharma shill ALA keeps protecting cigarettes by lying about vaping
www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/e-cigarettes-and-lung-health.html
www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/myths-and-facts-about-e-cigs.html
Mike Siegel: American Lung Association gives middle finger to vapers who have quit or are trying to quit smoking
tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/02/american-lung-association-gives-middle.html
US Military
Obama s Pentagon intolerantly bans use of lifesaving vapor products, very low risk smokeless tobacco, low risk cigars and very harmful cigarettes at ALL military medical campuses worldwide to punish/stigmatize users and to deceive the public to believe all nicotine and tobacco products are as harmful as cigarettes (aka Tobacco Free Living)
www.army.mil/article/160934
www.armytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/03/smoking-ban-landstuhl-latest-move-armys-anti-tobacco-push/79719304/
US HUD Smoking/Vaping Ban
Public housing agencies call HUD s proposed smoking and perhaps vaping ban an unfunded mandate, request several more years before implementation
www.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/nyregion/public-housing-agencies-seek-more-time-to-enact-smoking-ban.html
TPP
Ministers from 12 nations sign Trans Pacific Partnership
www.bbc.com/news/business-35480600
ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/trans-pacific-partnership/tpp-full-text
Ryan says TPP trade deal short on votes in Congress
thehill.com/policy/finance/268808-ryan-says-trade-deal-short-on-votes-in-congress
US Litigation
US Court again rejects frivolous class action lawsuit against NJOY
dlbjbjzgnk95t.cloudfront.net/0754000/754465/https-ecf-cacd-uscourts-gov-doc1-031122849243.pdf
www.law360.com/articles/754465/e-cig-users-swing-miss-with-2nd-class-cert-effort
US Judge Gladys Kessler orders five corrective cigarette statements for DOJ lawsuit, calls cigarette industry delay tactics ridiculous
www.nasdaq.com/article/judge-criticizes-cigarette-makers-adopts-new-warning-statements-20160209-01034
www.journalnow.com/news/local/judge-renews-call-for-truth-statements-about-cigarettes/article_0fe6e7cc-f349-5874-be25-b4da16537849.html
Price/Miles Marlboro Lights class action plaintiffs petition US Supreme Court with Writ of Certiorari dlbjbjzgnk95t.cloudfront.net/0756000/756095/price.pdf
More THR Politics and Advocacy
Norquist: Vapes to determine the next president
www.washingtonexaminer.com/norquist-vapes-to-determine-the-next-president/article/2582814
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn3gewOcjAc&feature=youtu.be
Zvi Herzig debunks false claims by McKee & Capewell attacking PHE on vaping in BMJ
www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h4863/rr-28
Dr. James Felson: Public health hang-up on e-cigs makes little sense
www.wvgazettemail.com/gazette-opinion/20160209/james-felsen-public-health-hang-up-on-e-cigs-makes-little-sense-gazette
Harvard medical ethicist Daniel Wikler presents at Institute for Future Studies E-cigs and ethics. An analysis and a proposal
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qod8MYiZZ-0
David Sweanor Disruptive Technologies: Vaping and Ride-Sharing (presentation at Canadian Constitutional Foundation s 2016 Law & Freedom Conference)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUjRjcEr6OQ
E-cigarettes Picking Up Steam in Ottawa
glueottawa.com/2016/02/05/5271/
Saskatchewan Health Minister Dustin Duncan acknowledges the many health benefits of vaping, rejects proposal by fear mongering vaping opponents to ban vaping
globalnews.ca/news/2495814/saskatchewan-health-minister-urges-caution-over-issue-of-vaping-in-public/
globalnews.ca/news/2498863/health-minister-taking-cautious-approach-to-vaping-regulation/
Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Kirsty Williams criticizes Health Minister Mark Drakeford for continuing to push vaping ban instead of improving access to doctors
www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/health-minister-accused-vanity-project-10856199
THR Business
E-cigs fastest growing industry in the UK
www.smallbusiness.co.uk/starting-a-business/small-business-advice/2505661/is-ecigs-the-fastestgrowing-industry-in-the-uk.thtml
E-cig retailers see hot sales as tobacco users seek to quit (MO)
www.ky3.com/news/local/a-help-or-all-hype-ecig-retailers-see-hot-sales-as-tobacco-users-seek-to-quit/21048998_37828622
Philip Morris International reports 2.4% cigarette shipment volume decline in 4Q15, and a 1% volume decline in 2015.
investors.pmi.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=146476&p=irol-earnings
Japan Tobacco International reports 3% cigarette shipment volume decline in 4Q15, and a 1% volume decline in 2015.
www.jti.com/media/news-releases/japan-tobacco-international-jti-results-12-month-period-ended-december-31-2015/
www.jti.com/files/5314/5456/5090/Japan_Tobacco_International_JTI_Results_for_the_12_month_period_ended_December_31__2015.pdf
Vapor Product Research
European Commission Study confirms findings by Farsalinos et al that high levels of aldehydes are created by vaping only during dry puff conditions
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463916000158
www.ecigarette-research.org/research/index.php/research/research-2015/210-ald
State Legislation
Tackling tobacco: January 2016 legislative and regulatory roundup
www.csnews.com/product-categories/tobacco/tackling-tobacco-january-2016-legislative-regulatory-roundup
Sound Vapor Product Regulation
Washington Senate Health Cmte amends/approves bill (1st Substitute SB 6328) that would reasonably regulate vapor product sales and use.
app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6328&year=2015
lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2015-16/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bills/6328-S.pdf
Vapor Product Prohibition Disguised as Regulation
Georgia e-liquid prohibition bill (HB 907) nearly identical to Indiana monopoly law would ban sales of all e-liquid unless manufacturer spends a fortune to comply with unwarranted requirements; sponsored by same company that lobbied to enact IN law.
www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/en-US/InjectSession.aspx?BillType=HB&BillNum=907
www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20152016/156437.pdf
CASAA alert urges Georgia vapers to oppose bill (HB 907) to ban e-liquid sales
cqrcengage.com/casaa/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=168333
Taxation
PA Gov. Wolf proposes 2016/17 budget with another $1/pack cigarette tax hike and 40% tax on low risk OTP and lifesaving vapor products; GOP Legislators criticize proposal.
www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2016/02/09/Wolf-tasked-with-proposing-new-budget-as-stalemate-lingers-over-current-one-pennsylvania/stories/201602090084
Oregon bill (HB 4062) would impose 50% tax on vapor products and e-liquid
olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2016R1/Measures/Overview/HB4062
Illinois law preempts Chicago from increasing tobacco taxes
www.cspnet.com/category-news/tobacco/articles/chicago-pre-empted-adopting-tobacco-tax
Chicago City Council Finance Cmte fails to approve Mayor Emanuel s proposed bill to tax OTP and raise the legal minimum age for sales of tobacco and vapor products to 21.
chicago.suntimes.com/business/7/71/1311303/emanuel-tobacco-tax-smoking-age
www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-emanuel-tobacco-rules-finance-committee-met-20160208-story.html
cltv.com/2016/02/08/potential-tobacco-tax-could-boost-illegal-industry-some-aldermen-say/
www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160208/downtown/new-tobacco-tax-resisted-by-aldermen-who-cite-sales-of-loosies
Campaign to raise tobacco tax in Missouri caught in anti-abortion snag (MO) www.kansascity.com/news/government-politics/article59260673.html
Local Regulation
CASAA urges Alameda County (CA) vapers to oppose bill to regulate vapor as tobacco blog.casaa.org/2015/12/alameda-co-ca-local-alert-oppose-indoor.html
Alameda County (CA) Board of Supervisors further postpone proposed vapor ordinance until September.
Smokeless tobacco use ban
NY City Council bill would ban adult use of smokeless tobacco in baseball stadia www.nytimes.com/2016/02/05/sports/baseball/citi-field-and-yankee-stadium-could-become-off-limits-to-smokeless-tobacco.html
Minimum Age Laws
WA vapers and vapor companies testify against bill (SB 6157) that would increase minimum age for vapor (and tobacco) product sales from 18 to 21 years
app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=6157&year=2015
hosted.invintusmedia.com/?clientID=9375922947&eventID=2016021024&autoStart=false&simple=true&start=3982&stop=5652
WA House Health Cmte approves bill (HB 2313) to increase minimum age for sales of lifesaving vapor products, deadly cigarettes and low risk OTP from 18 to 21.
app.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=2313&year=2015
cwuobserver.com/7093/news/smoking-age-may-be-raised-to-21/
NJ Senate Health Cmte approves bill (S 359) to increase the minimum age for sales of lifesaving vapor products, deadly cigarettes and lower risk OTP from 19 to 21.
www.njsendems.org/codey-vitale-bill-to-raise-minimum-smoking-age-advances/
CASAA urges Albany County (NY) vapers to oppose bill that would raise minimum age for vapor product and smokeless tobacco sales from 18 to 21, public hearing February 23.
blog.casaa.org/2015/12/alameda-co-ca-local-alert-oppose-indoor.html
EU
Clive Bates: TPD implementation maximizing harm by going beyond the minimum (Austria has proposed banning internet sales of vapor products and banning smokeless tobacco products other than snus)
www.clivebates.com/?p=3589
E-cigarette laws are changing soon and you need to know about them
www.dover-express.co.uk/E-cigarette-laws-changing-soon-NEED-know/story-28701457-detail/story.html
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy criticizes plain pack cigarette legislation “If we accept the neutral cigarette packet, in six months you will be offered a neutral bottle of wine, and this will be the end of our names; it will be the end of our land; it will be the end of our know-how. Tomorrow, fundamentalists will demand a neutral bottle for wines. Then neutral cheese. www.connexionfrance.com/france-smoking-plain-cigarettes-packaging-may-nicolas-sarkozy-law-wine-bottles-cheese-view-article.html
Australia
Cigarette prohibitionist Kathryn Barnsley tries to scare readers to endorse proposal to create massive black market for untaxed and unregulated cigarettes; Godshall comments
croakey.org/litvinenko-polonium-210-tobacco-products-are-toxic-and-should-be-recalled/#comment-9123
WHO
Brian Doherty World Health Organization: No kids should see films that show smoking reason.com/blog/2016/02/03/world-health-organization-movie-critics
More junk science, propaganda and lies
French study s authors misrepresent surveillance evidence on vaping to falsely insinuate e-cigarettes have addicted many nonsmoking teens and don t help smokers quit smoking.
www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(15)00732-6/abstract
Ontario Lung Association CEO George Habbib repeats many lies about vapor products, hawks Big Pharma drugs, fails to ethically disclose OLA s financial conflicts of interest www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/not-as-bad-as-cigarettes-is-not-a-ringing-endorsement/article28543410/
Huff Post publishes yet another cigarette protecting op/ed that lies about vapor products, UVA School of Nursing s Janie Heath repeats many false fear mongering claims
www.huffingtonpost.com/janie-heath/framing-the-debate-ecigar_b_9134182.html
KY funded Melissa Patrick falsely claims vapor product use by children is increasing (as 2015 MTF survey found vaping declined among US teens from 2014 to 2015)
www.richmondregister.com/news/more-teenagers-are-using-e-cigs/article_4b8496da-ca03-11e5-866c-ab077275effb.html
National Jewish Health s Amy Lukowski, CEH s Michael Green, Dallas cardiologist Parin Parakh lie about vapor products to confuse, scare and ban the lifesaving products; Thor Christensen repeats their lies without any fact checking..
www.dallasnews.com/lifestyles/health-and-fitness/health/20160208-cutting-through-the-smoke-on-e-cigarette-claims.ece
Big Pharma shill ALA criticizes Leonardo DeCapria for vaping at SAG
www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3427584/Deeply-troubling-Leonardo-DiCaprio-vaping-SAG-Awards-draws-swift-rebuke-American-Lung-Association.html
www.popsugar.co.uk/celebrity/Leonardo-DiCaprio-Smoking-Vaping-Events-40031148#photo-40031148
AVA: ALA attacks Leonard DiCaprio for vaping AVA says leave him alone
vaping.info/news/2016/ala-attacks-leonardo-dicaprio-for-vaping-ava-says-leave-him-alone
Bill Godshall
Executive Director
Smokefree Pennsylvania
To subscribe to newsletter directly, write BillGodshall @ verizon.net with subject line “subscribe”