June 2, 2014
Jennifer Duke and colleagues just published "Exposure to Electronic Cigarette Television Advertisement Among Youth and Young Adults" in Pediatrics. This paper shows major penetration into the youth market.
Here is the abstract:
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Currently, the US Food and Drug Administration does not regulate electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) marketing unless it is advertised as a smoking cessation aid. To date, the extent to which youth and young adults are exposed to e-cigarette television advertisements is unknown. The objective of this study was to analyze trends in youth and young adult exposure to e-cigarette television advertisements in the United States.
METHODS: Nielsen data on television household audiences’ exposure to e-cigarette advertising across US markets were examined by calendar quarter, year, and sponsor.
June 2, 2014
Lauren Lempert and I submitted a public comment today opposing FDA's "Option 2" to exempt "premium cigars" from regulation. Here is what we submitted:
In its proposed deeming rule, FDA solicits public comment on a proposal (Option 2) to exempt a subset of cigars (“premium cigars”) from regulation. Option 2 is not appropriate for the protection of the public health, and would result in negative public health consequences. Indeed, all the scientific evident that the FDA summarizes in the draft rule makes a compelling case for rejecting Option 2 and including all cigars among deemed products that will be subject to uniform regulations.
June 1, 2014
On June 2, 2014, Reuters published a long article about the FDA's application of a 70% consumer surplus discount to account for the "lost pleasure" due to any health benefits generated by the proposed deeming rule because people smoke less. (The FDA had discounted the health benefits of its failed warning labels by 50%.)
Not a single outside economist Reuters contacted supported the FDA's decision, including several conservative economists and Jonathan Gruber, whose work the FDA quoted to justify what it did.
Here is what they said:
John Graham, who headed the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, which vets agencies' cost-benefit analyses, under President George W. Bush, said he could "not recall a specific instance" during his 2001-to-2006 tenure "where lost enjoyment played a significant analytical role."
Loss of pleasure had occasionally been used when analyzing proposals to ban products, Graham said, but was not treated as a deduction from benefits, as the FDA is doing.
Lorillard (maker of Blu ecigs) tells parents ecigs just emit "harmless water vapor;" that's not true
May 31, 2014
On April 23, 2014, Lorillard, makers of Blu e-cigs, posted a statement on its Youth Smoking Prevention Program website, "Real Parents Real Questions" website that tells parents
"The 'smoke' you see coming out of e-cigarettes isn't smoke -- its WATER VAPOR."
Needless to say, there are many other things in e-cigarette emissions, including ultrafine particles and 9 chemicals on the California Proposition 65 list of known carcinogens and reproductive toxins. Also see our peer reviewed paper summarizing the scientific literature on e-cigarettes.
In case Lorillard decides to change this page, here is a PDF of what it said on May 31, 2014.