Read articles from North America

December 13, 2023 by brown.edu

The Brown University School of Public Health has built an international reputation for producing impactful research on nicotine addiction and smoking cessation. Work pioneered at Brown by the Center of Alcohol and Addiction Studies starting in the 1980s advocated for a change in the nation’s attitude toward alcohol and tobacco dependence. Those efforts have expanded and flourished since the establishment of the School of Public Health a decade ago: Brown now boasts dozens of faculty members working to help people quit smoking. Among the leading scholars in this domain, Dr. Jasjit S. Ahluwalia and Dr. Jennifer Tidey, stand out as pioneering scholars and advocates for tobacco harm reduction.

December 13, 2023 by dailycaller.com

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently published the long-awaited results for the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS). This annual assessment surveys American middle and high school students on the use of various tobacco and vapor products, from cigars and cigarettes to e-cigarettes and smokeless and other novel tobacco products. There is phenomenal news – youth vaping is down and youth use of traditional tobacco products is at historic lows. And, the numbers show that adult use of e-cigarettes has increased, meaning that more adults are turning to less harmful tobacco (and non-tobacco) options for their nicotine. 

December 12, 2023 by medscape.com

I'm Dr Neil Skolnik, and today I will talk about a 2023 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on the cardiopulmonary impact of electronic cigarettes and vaping. This snuck up on us. The FDA tried to keep vaping products out of the United States, based on the rationale that they are a drug delivery device. That was brought to litigation by the companies that make vaping products, and the FDA lost in court in 2010.

December 12, 2023 by reuters.com

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador plans to present a law banning e-cigarettes and vapes before he leaves office in 2024, he said on Monday, after the supreme court overruled his previous attempt to outlaw their sale. "It's proven they're bad for your health," he said at a regular news conference on Monday. Mexico has one of the world's strictest anti-tobacco laws, after passing a bill for a total ban on smoking in public places - including the street - in January.

December 08, 2023 by gfn.tv

Mexico’s ban on nicotine vaping leaves consumers caught in the crossfire. While the “tobacco wars” narrative is obsolete, it continues to cause damage, says physicist and tobacco harm reduction advocate Dr. Roberto Sussman. While the tobacco industry today is no longer the villain it once was, public health campaigners continue to wage war, striking disruptive technologies like nicotine vapes that provide safe and effective alternatives to combustible tobacco.

December 08, 2023 by carolinajournal.com

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is in the final stages of advancing a proposed rule that would ban the sale of menthol cigarettes. Such a draconian prohibitionist policy is not necessary, because smoking rates are among their lowest levels ever recorded in the Tar Heel State. More problematic is that the FDA is failing to consider the negative externalities that will be caused by such a ban and its cost on North Carolina taxpayers. Simply put, there is no need for a menthol ban in North Carolina, as smoking rates among youth and adults are at some of the lowest rates recorded.

December 05, 2023 by filtermag.org

Earlier this year, Dr. Robert Califf, commissioner of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), emerged as a vocal advocate against misinformation in the public health domain. A commitment to combating the real problem of health rumors and falsehoods is commendable. But Califf’s recent statements regarding tobacco harm reduction reveal a concerning level of misinformation of his own—and the distinct whiff of hypocrisy.

December 05, 2023 by reason.org

Youth vaping in the United States has hit a 10-year low, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The so-called youth vaping epidemic appears to be a thing of the past, with historical lows in youth smoking dispelling fears of a gateway effect. The focus of anti-tobacco advocates and policymakers, however, remains disproportionately fixated on youth vaping, diverting attention and resources away from those at the greatest and most immediate risk of tobacco-related disease and death: adult smokers. 

December 01, 2023 by realclearpolicy.com

In the U.S. today, the benefits of e-cigarettes to those who smoke cigarettes have been dismissed and marginalized by public health officials. Most Americans have a highly negative view of vaping – until they learn more. Simple facts about the harm-reduction and smoking-cessation benefits of vaping products – particularly flavored vapes, which are two to three times more effective at helping adults quit smoking – shifts sentiment significantly.

December 01, 2023 by cbc.ca

Canada's health minister says he'll act quickly to shut down a "loophole" after Health Canada approved the sale of flavoured nicotine pouches with no restrictions on how the product is advertised or sold. "There are very serious questions about what the tobacco industry is doing here and what their intention is. And it would seem that their intention is to addict new young people to nicotine, which is disgusting," Health Minister Mark Holland said Tuesday in response to questions from CBC News. "We want to shut down this loophole."