In the News 6th Feb
Fridays News at a glance.
Propaganda or product: why has e-cigarette use dipped in England? … NNA Briefing Paper on Bans in Enclosed Public Spaces … Campaign for Truth in Public Health … CEH Initiates Legal Action on Vaping Dangers … New Study Reports Adverse Effects of E-Cigarette Aerosol on Mouse Respiratory Epithelial Cells … Nicotine Science and Policy – Daily Digest – Fri, 6 February 2015 … Tobacco Leads Yield Chase as Smoking Decline Abates …
Propaganda or product: why has e-cigarette use dipped in England?
Clive Bates – The Counterfactual:
Readers will be familiar with my views on the reckless conduct of various public health academics and commentators, and the reinforcing role played by credulous journalists see here, here, here, here, here, here,here, here and here for example – and if in doubt the is Dr Farsalinos excellent e-cigarette research blog. I don’t want to labour them in this posting, because I really want to discuss product.
Professor West, who leads on this survey work, referring to reports of carcinogens such as formaldehyde in e-cigarette vapour, highlights the propaganda theory in his comment in the Financial Times….
NNA Briefing Paper on Bans in Enclosed Public Spaces
Although the Scottish Government is quite clear that it is not proposing such a ban at the moment, it is “seeking views”, and it seems very likely that at some point there will be such a proposal. We were very pleased to be able to provide the research group with our briefing, in which we argued the following points:
- The Scottish government will not achieve its stated goals without embracing harm reduction products.
- There is no justification for a ban in enclosed public spaces.
- Such a ban would have a negative effect on those using e-cigarettes as an alternative to smoking, or to reduce the amount they smoke.
- Such a ban will discourage smokers from switching in future.
- There is no evidence indicating that e-cigarettes renormalise smoking, attract never smokers or young people, or are a gateway to smoking.
- E-cigarettes do not discourage smokers from quitting.
- E-cigarette use does not have a negative effect on compliance with smoke free legislation.
You can read the full briefing here.(PDF)
Save ECigs Qoute of the Week
Earl Cathcart (Con):
My Lords, I started smoking before I was a teenager and in recent years smoked up to 50 cigarettes a day—not good for me. I started vaping in July and I have not had or wanted a puff of tobacco since. In spite of trying to give up on countless occasions, only these vaping e-cigarettes have actually helped me kick the habit. Surely that has to be a good thing. Should we not encourage it to help not just me, but the hundreds of thousands or millions of people who want to give up smoking?
Campaign for Truth in Public Health
While we still need the science to back us up, we need GOOD science and we needed it yesterday. Right now, propaganda is spreading like wildfire. Most people don’t understand scientific jargon and they rely on news outlets to better understand the technical aspect. The problem with this is that the media aren’t paid to tell you the truth, they’re paid to keep you coming back for more….
CEH Initiates Legal Action on Vaping Dangers
Oakland, CA-The nonprofit health watchdog Center for Environmental Health (CEH) today is initiating legal action against 19 companies that sell e-cigarettes and/or e-liquids without consumer warnings, as is required under California law. E-cigarettes are marketed as a harmless “vaping” alternative to tobacco and to regulated smoking-cessation products, but the CEH action notes that unregulated vaping products expose users to nicotine, a chemical known to pose serious reproductive health hazards, and thus must carry warnings under the state’s Prop 65 consumer protection law….
New Study Reports Adverse Effects of E-Cigarette Aerosol on Mouse Respiratory Epithelial Cells
More on Vaping Mice from Michael Siegel –
There’s just one problem with the alarmist conclusion from the study and the alarmist headlines being spread by the media: they are inadequately supported by scientific evidence.
This study was conducted on mice, and we know that there are severe problems with extrapolating from findings in mice to clinically meaningful findings in humans.
Tobacco Leads Yield Chase as Smoking Decline Abates
High-yield tobacco debt has surged 5.2 percent this year, more than any other area of munis and beating the entire market’s 1.6 percent return, Barclays Plc data show. The securities, backed by revenue from U.S. cigarette shipments, are one of the few segments of the tax-exempt market where default isn’t just possible — it’s expected. Moody’s Investors Service predicted in September that 80 percent of the bonds will fail to pay in full….
Nicotine Science and Policy – Daily Digest – Fri, 6 February 2015
Tobacco-Free Generation in Our Sights
