Author: Gantiva C. Angel-Sanint L. Velasco-Vivas A.

  In the July issue of JAMA, Robert Jackler and Pamela Ling discussed Medscape’s agreement with Philip Morris International to produce continuing medical education on tobacco harm reduction. I objected to their screed in a letter to the JAMA editor, noting that Jackler/Ling made false …

  My colleague and I have published a new article in Harm Reduction Journal entitled “Joint Smoking-Vaping Prevalence Rates Among American Youth and Young Adults 2011-2022.”  This post is dedicated to U.S. federal government officials, especially at the FDA Center for Tobacco Products and the …

  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 1.56 million U.S. high school students were current users (i.e., past 30 days) of e-cigarettes or other vaping products in 2023.  Although this number is substantially lower than at vaping’s peak in 2019 …

  The American Heart Association published a policy statement in its journal Circulation, titled, “Impact of Smokeless Oral Nicotine Products on Cardiovascular Disease.” (here)  Below, I cite with permission excerpts from a review by Clive Bates, along with my comments. The smokeless tobacco [ST] policy …

  The level of misunderstanding among American doctors about vastly safer cigarette substitutes is stunning.  Last week I critiqued the president of the American Medical Association (here), and this week it’s Dr. Nicole Saphier, a breast cancer imaging specialist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer …

  Dr. Michael Siegel has published a blog entry criticizing a “new article in American Journal of Medicine claim[ing] that youths who use e-cigarettes are 5 times more likely to become cigarette smokers.”  The commentary was authored by tobacco and nicotine opponents Pamela Ling and …

Dr. Michael Blaha, Director of Clinical Research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, has published an article titled, “5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know.” The piece contains a number of glaring falsehoods. While Dr. Blaha acknowledges “that vaping …

The level of misunderstanding among American doctors about vastly safer cigarette substitutes is stunning.  Last week I critiqued the president of the American Medical Association, and this week it’s Dr. Nicole Saphier, a breast cancer imaging specialist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.  In …

Many people make new promises to their health and well-being at the beginning of the year. To emphasize the value of expanding access to treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs), SAMHSA is launching “SUD Treatment Month” in January. This annual observance will be dedicated to …

Happy Spotlight Day! I’m excited to share with you this week’s highlight from the CBQ community! Inspiring Success CBQ Program member Louise O’Reilly from Ireland celebrated 1 year smoke-free! Louise was a smoker for over 30 years, with 20 of those years actively trying to …