February 27, 2014
According to an action alert distributed by Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, the pending ordinance to include ecigarettes in the Los Angeles Clean Indoor Air law was amended to exempt theatrical performances.
This seemingly minor amendment will have big effects given the fact that LA is a center for producing television programs and motion pictures, because it will make it legal to use ecigarettes in these venues, which could end up influencing youth all over the world to start using e-cigarettes and begin a life of nicotine addiction. And the e-cigarette companies have been very aggressive in using Hollywood to promote their products.
There is no reason that this is necessary; this amendment should be dropped.
February 26, 2014
The webinar I did on Smoke Free Movies is available for viewing at https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/playback/Playback.do?id=44fnh7.
My presentation starts at 8 m 30 sec.
February 25, 2014
The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids highlighted an innovative ad by Blu (Lorrilard) to promote e-cigarettes to health-concerned middle-aged smokers who are desperate to quit smoking with an ad featuring a blu ad on a bikini bottom (photo below).
They are, of course, not alone. Playboy, another organization committed to public health, is also selling e-cigs with similar messages.
And there's more: The Blu campaign. with its "Charged and Ready to Go" tag is promoting erectile dysfunction awareness among smokers worried about the fact that smoking promotes impotence and erectile dysfunction.
As the FDA, CDC, and DHHS sit quietly on ecigs it is reassuring the private sector stepping up to educate the public. I am especially impressed that the ecig/cigarette companies are being so careful to avoid messages and marketing channels that might appeal to youth.
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February 24, 2014
We just submitted this comment to the FDA:
COMMENT SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO FDA ON PROPOSED COLLECTION OF INFORMATION REGARDING SECTION 905(j) REPORTS: DEMONSTRATING SUBSTANTIAL EQUIVALENCE FOR TOBACCO PRODUCTS
Docket No. FDA-2013-N-1558
1jy-8an3-hgzl
Stanton Glantz, PhD
Lauren Lempert, JD, MPH
Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education
University of California San Francisco
February 25, 2014
We submit these comments in response to FDA’s notice concerning the proposed collection of information regarding Section 905(j) Reports: Demonstrating Substantial Equivalence for Tobacco Products. We previously submitted public comments on substantial equivalence in reference to dockets 2010-D-0635 and 2013-N-1588, which are incorporated by reference in this comment.[1]
1. The proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA’s functions.
February 23, 2014
Today (Feb 23, 2014), the New York Times ran a front page story on the debate going on inside the health community about e-cigarettes. Earlier this week The Guardian in the UK ran a similar story.
Leaving aside paid shills for the e-cigarette companies like former Surgeon General Rich Carmona, a careful reading of these news stories reveals that the thing that defines the difference between the optimists and pessimists in whether they focus on what might happen or what is happening with e-cigarettes.
The optimists are careful to condition their statements with a lot of caveats that, taken together, envision an environment in which the FDA is heavily regulating cigarettes to make them less addictive (by, say, ratcheting down nicotine) or by making them harder to smoke (by, say, manning menthol, added sugars, or ammonia).