Read articles from United States of America
August 05, 2022 by desmoinesregister.com
Opinion: I still think marijuana should be legal. Moderation in all things.
I am not advocating marijuana use any more than I advocate the use of alcohol, to which I compared it. People ask me if I still hold that view in light of more recent medical information on the dangers of chronic marijuana use.
I still do, with caveats.
I have been concerned about the health consequences of drugs for a long time. When in Congress, I gave a general assembly talk at a Council Bluffs high school on the dangers of drug abuse. [...]
August 04, 2022 by yalemedicine.org
Are Reduced-Nicotine Cigarettes Coming?
While the number of people who smoke has declined over the years—and many young people are turning to e-cigarettes rather than starting cigarette smoking—“we still have a lot of people with a very long history of cigarette smoking, who, despite all tobacco public health efforts, are not able to stop,” says Lisa Fucito, PhD, director of the Tobacco Treatment Service at Smilow Cancer Hospital.
About 70% of the country’s 31 million adult smokers say they would rather not smoke; each year, more than half of them try to quit, according to government statistics, but only 7.5% of those actually give up smoking.
August 04, 2022 by mirror.co.uk
Should flavoured vapes be banned? Have your say as EU considers prohibition
Vapes have become the most popular and most successful tool to quit smoking over the past decade, with one in four of all smokers using the product to give up smoking cigarettes. However, these attractively flavoured and designed nicotine products are increasingly falling into the hands of children.
Roughly one in 10 British children, aged between 11 and 18, are believed to have tried vaping products. Half of that number will regularly use vaping products, says a 2021 report on childhood vaping.
August 03, 2022 by bloomberglaw.com
Vaping Group Sides With FDA on Menthol Cigarette, Cigar Ban
The FDA has gained an unlikely ally in its plans to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars—a leading vaping trade group that wants to see smokers switch to e-cigarette products.
The agency received hundreds of thousands of comments on its effort to target menthol and other flavored tobacco products that can make smoking harder to quit. The Vapor Technology Association, which represents an industry typically known for its combative relationship with the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products, says it wants to see these proposals go through, so long as the FDA authorizes more e-cigarettes as an alternative.
August 03, 2022 by duluthnewstribune.com
FDA begins deliberations on menthol cigarette ban
The director of the Mayo Clinic nicotine dependence center says the proposed Food and Drug Administration plan to ban menthol cigarettes now under final review "would probably save hundreds of thousands of lives over the next three or four decades."
"The FDA is moving to eliminate menthol in tobacco," said Dr. J. Taylor Hays during a media call on Monday, Aug. 1. "It is long in coming, and I think it is the right move for public health."
Menthol cigarettes are manufactured when peppermint flavoring is added to some brands as a means to reduce throat irritation and harshness. It is known to increase adoption of smoking among young people.
August 03, 2022 by nytimes.com
Breaking Nicotine’s Powerful Draw
At some point in the next few years, the 30 million smokers in the United States could wake up one day to find that cigarettes sold at gas stations, convenience stores and smoke shops contain such minuscule amounts of nicotine that they cannot get their usual fix when lighting up.
Would the smokers be plunged into the agonizing throes of nicotine withdrawal and seek out their favorite, full-nicotine brand on illicit markets, or would they turn to vaping, nicotine gum and other less harmful ways to get that angst-soothing rush?
August 02, 2022 by sciencedaily.com
Fewer people tried to quit smoking during COVID-19 pandemic, study shows
A new study led by researchers atthe American Cancer Society (ACS), shows serious smoking cessation activity declined among adults in the United States immediately after the onset of COVID-19 and persisted for over a year. Declines in attempts to quit smoking were largest among persons experiencing disproportionately negative outcomes during COVID-19, including Black people, people with comorbidities, middle-aged people, and lower educated people. [...] "Smoking cessation is an urgent public health priority given that smoking is associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes and at least 12 cancers," said Dr. Priti Bandi, [...]
August 02, 2022 by prnewswire.com
National Alliance for Hispanic Health Calls Upon the FDA to Swiftly Finalize Proposed Rules to Prohibit Menthol Cigarettes and Flavored Cigars
"For decades, the tobacco industry has deliberately targeted youth and Hispanic communities with menthol and flavored products to lure in new generations of smokers. The FDA's recent moves to prohibit menthol in cigarettes and all flavors in cigars will save lives and advance health equity across this country and we urge FDA to finalize the rule swiftly and enact a 90-day implementation period," said Jane L. Delgado, PhD, MS, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, the Nation's leading Hispanic health advocacy group.
July 28, 2022 by townhall.com
An Independent Review of FDA’s Tobacco Regulations Would Be Welcome as Agency Bows Down to Political Pressure
In a rare admission of what the tobacco harm reduction community has called a “bureaucratic nightmare,” Robert Califf, Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has asked for an independent review, including “an initial assessment of the processes and procedures, resourcing and organizational structure” for the Center for Tobacco Products, as well as food programs under FDA.
The review will be conducted by the Reagan-Udall Foundation, a non-governmental organization created by Congress “to advance the mission of the FDA to modernize medical, veterinary, food, food ingredient, and cosmetic product development, accelerate innovation, and enhance product safety.”
July 26, 2022 by futurity.org
SOME PEOPLE WHO VAPE TO QUIT SMOKING END UP DOING BOTH
As a result, rather than discontinuing their addiction, many end up substantially increasing the amount of nicotine they consume. The good news, the researchers say, is that smoking-cessation treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that focus on nicotine replacement and counseling can help such dual users quit.
In fact, such treatments seem to be effective in dual users as well as those who smoke traditional cigarettes exclusively. [...]
“We recommend FDA-approved treatment such as nicotine replacement, the drug varenicline, and counseling for cigarette smokers,” says senior investigator Li-Shiun Chen, an associate professor of psychiatry [...]