National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day
December is a month of transition, as many communities across our country make the shift from cool, bright autumn days to longer, colder nights. As we busily prepare for upcoming meals and seasonal celebrations with friends and family, it is an apt time to reflect …
Combatting Stigma with Knowledge
Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) are chronic disorders of the brain with a risk of recurrence but from which people can, and do, recover. Like other medical conditions, some people are more susceptible to developing a SUD than others. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental …
More Federal Data on Smoking & Vaping Rates Among American Adults
Recently I described how high school vaping rates reported in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) are much lower than those reported in the CDC’s National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) (here). Today I review NSDUH adult vaping rates, compared to those …
The Japanese Tobacco Miracle the World is Overlooking
Smokers in Japan consumed 92.4 billion cigarettes in 2023 — less than half as many as they did in 2014. Since vapor products are illegal there, the impressive decline is likely due to the introduction of heat-not-burn tobacco products, which didn’t exist in 2014, but …
Medscape on Tobacco Harm Reduction: Part 1 – Nicotine
Most health professionals are familiar with Medscape, a free resource that describes itself as “the leading online global destination for physicians and healthcare professionals worldwide, offering the latest medical news and expert perspectives; essential point-of-care drug and disease information; and relevant professional education and …
For Women’s History Month, Noting a Historic Misrepresentation of Mouth Cancer in Women
This post honors Women’s History Month by focusing on a subject long-neglected by government-funded cancer investigators: Why do American women who use smokeless tobacco have 10 times the risk for mouth cancer compared with American men who dip and chew tobacco? This question arose …
Tobacco Harm Reduction Is A Life-Saving Policy, No Matter Who Promotes It
Dr. Joanna Cohen recently authored a misleading and factually incorrect commentary on tobacco harm reduction in The Hill. Here is my rebuttal, in bold. Cohen: “So why should we trust cigarette companies to help reduce tobacco use?” No one trusts cigarette companies. That’s why …
Harm Reduction in the U.S.: Center Stage (Narcotics) and End Stage (Tobacco)
The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) “is a global network that works collectively to promote person-centred, rights-affirming drug policies at the national, regional and international levels.” The IDPC published a summary of the 67th session of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which …
Are Vape Aerosols Really Toxic?
The easy publication and wide media diffusion of questionable and unreliable studies is a widespread phenomenon that generates the misperception that e-cigarette aerosols are much more toxic than the evidence shown by well-designed and conducted studies. Soulet, S. and Sussman, R.A. Critical Review of Recent …
Call It Whatever You Want — Tobacco Harm Reduction Saves Smokers’ Lives
The U.S. desperately needs tobacco harm reduction, starting with reducing the harm from the pronouncements of federal officials. Case in point: FDA Commissioner Robert Califf’s April 11 tobacco testimony before the House Oversight Committee. Dr. Califf made so many false statements that I penned …
