Bloomberg Philanthropies’ crusade against vaping is doing more harm than good. — This is an edited version of a talk that I gave via Zoom to the Global Nicotine Forum in Warsaw, Poland, on June 17, 2022. If anyone had told me two years ago that I would write many thousands of words about e-cigarettes and be invited to speak at a…

But a study in Circulation, its medical journal, indicates that vaping is safer than smoking. — The American Heart Association calls itself “a relentless force against vaping.” It says the increase in e-cigarette use by kids and young people is a “serious public health threat.” It claims, mistakenly, that e-cigarettes have been linked to thousands of cases of serious lung injury, some resulting in death. It…

Advocacy groups could declare victory over teen smoking. Instead, they’re going after vaping. — This month, the government made public the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). The results should be cause for celebration. They have not been. They have been underplayed. That does not reflect well on the CDC, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, the Truth Initiative, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes…

The billionaire philanthropist who finances campaigns against vaping won’t listen to dissenting views — Michael Bloomberg, the philanthropist and former New York City mayor, made a fortune estimated at $70 billion by selling data, so it’s no wonder that he loves to talk about data and its value. His foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, which says it is “using data to save lives” makes grants to…

Making a mistake is one thing. Failing to correct it is worse. — The world-renowned Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes itself as “the nation’s leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public’s health.” It pledges to “base all public health decisions on the highest quality scientific data.” So why has the CDC refused to admit it was wrong about the…

Smokers find it harder to get e-cigarettes, which can save lives. — Kim “Skip” Murray smoked for 46 years. “I tried to quit so many times that I quit trying to quit,” she says. Only after her son, Tom, a former smoker who had suffered a heart attack, gave her an e-cigarette did she break her two-pack-a-day habit. …

Fewer teenagers appear to be using e-cigarettes, but the FDA and anti-nicotine crusaders see only reasons to regulate. — You wouldn’t know it by reading press releases from the FDA or CDC or by listening to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids or the Truth Initiative, but the US government released encouraging news last week about youth vaping. The headline from the latest National Youth Tobacco Survey should have been…

Leading tobacco scientists call for a more balanced approach to e-cigarettes. It’s a matter of social justice, they say. — In a rebuke to the activists, politicians and government officials who have led a crusade against youth vaping, a group of eminent tobacco scientists are urging authorities to consider the benefits of e-cigarettes as well as their risks. Writing in the American Journal of Public Health, fifteen past presidents of…

We need to learn more, not less, about e-cigarettes. — E-cigarettes have fractured the tobacco-control community. Some researchers argue that vaping nicotine saves lives by helping smokers quit. Others say that e-cigarettes are dangerous, especially for young people. The debate is by no means settled. So you’d think that all involved would welcome more science. Sadly, that’s not so. Consider…