Tag: science

Study Suggests Teen Vapers Would have Been Smokers
A new study has concluded that teens who use e-cigarettes would have likely become combustible cigarette smokers if vaping products did not exist. Published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, researchers found that “vaping is largely concentrated among non-smoking youth who would likely have smoked prior to the introduction of e-cigarettes, and the introduction of e-cigarettes has coincided with an acceleration in the decline in youth smoking rates.”
Credit: Krystian Graba
Dr. Natasha Sokol, a fellow at Brown University’s Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, and Dr. Justin Feldman, a fellow at Harvard’s François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, wanted to find whether there was any truth to the so-called “gateway” theory: the idea that vaping, for teenagers, is a path toward smoking. The results they found is that e-cigarettes may be an important tool for population-level harm reduction, even considering their impact on youth.
Sokol and Feldman ran a regression analysis of 12th-graders with data culled from the “Monitoring the Future” report, a survey conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) that measures different forms of drug use by adolescents nationwide. The researcher’s modeling examined variables including age, race and ethnicity, geographic region of residency, grade point average, alcohol consumption and parents’ educational attainment, among several others. The end goal was to determine whether youth who used vaping products between 2014 and 2018 would have become smokers.
“Our model predicted smoking prevalence quite accurately prior to the availability of e-cigarettes,” Sokol told Filter. “But once e-cigarettes became available in a widespread way, it increasingly overestimated the prevalence [of smoking]. So the prevalence was decreasing, but our model based on a pre-e-cigarette era was predicting a decrease but not as steep. [The youth] who had a low propensity to smoke after e-cigarettes were available were exceedingly unlikely to use e-cigarettes.”
The researchers concluded that the youth who do vape are generally those who would have been smoking were vapes unavailable. “The decline in youth smoking,” Sokol continued, “really accelerated after the availability of e-cigarettes.”
“There are two bits of good news in this,” Clive Bates, a tobacco control expert and former director of Action on Smoking and Health (UK), told Filter. “The first is that young smokers will be diverted into vaping and probably spared a life of smoking. The second is that most of the vaping among kids who never would have been smokers will be pretty transient and likely not persist after a period of experimentation.”
May 20, 2021
New Zealand Group Wants Vape ‘Starter Packs’ Like UK
In the UK, the National Health Services (NHS) is trialing a program that will provide some smokers who are admitted to emergency departments free vaping starter kits and instruction on how to use them. This is in combination with ongoing quit-smoking support. Now, a group of vapor advocates in New Zealand wants its country’s Budget 2021 to supercharge already established smoking cessation programs by adopting the UK plan.
“Our Government is now determined to get Smokefree 2025 back on track. Budget Day on 20 May is the first opportunity to put its money where its mouth is. Our District Health Boards and Maori health organizations have had huge success with switching smokers into vapers. It’s time for the Government to back them more,” says Nancy Loucas, co-director of Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA), in a recent statement.
Credit: Gustavo Frazeo
Public Health England has repeatedly endorsed vaping and has never wavered from its scientific conclusion that it’s 95 percent less harmful than smoking. Recently, a new Cochrane review reinforces the effective role vaping plays in reducing smoking rates across the globe. Based in the UK, Cochrane is an independent network, involving 130 countries, health professionals, and researchers. With the strategic goal of putting Cochrane evidence at the heart of health decision-making all over the world, it represents the gold standard for high quality, trusted health information, according to a statement.
Titled “Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation (Review),” the Cochrane Library researchers reviewed 56 international studies, involving 12,804 adults who smoked. The study concluded that e-cigarettes could increase the number of people who stop smoking compared to other forms of nicotine replacement therapy, such as chewing gum and patches.
It comes as a Georgetown University-led study published in the journal Population Health Metrics concludes that nicotine vaping in the US could help prevent 1.8 million premature deaths and see 38.9 million life-years gained in a span of 47 years. “Health officials in the UK believe tens of thousands of Brits stop smoking every year after switching to vaping. In fact, latest PHE estimates show that around 2.7 million adults now vape in England alone, compared to nearly seven million who smoke tobacco,” says Loucas. “What has happened over in the UK over the past decade is an impressive story. It’s one our Government needs to investigate if it is serious about rebooting New Zealand’s 2011 ambition of being smoke-free by 2025.”
The AVCA is encouraging Kiwis to review and submit on the government’s discussion document before 5.00pm on Monday, 31 May 2021.
May 18, 2021
FDA to Discuss Scientific Review of PMTA Submissions

Photo: Grandbrothers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) will host a virtual meeting June 11 from 13:00 to 15:30 Eastern Daylight Time. The meeting will discuss the scientific review of tobacco marketing applications received by Sept. 9, 2020. It will focus on the application intake process, review progress and allocation of review resources. There will be time allotted for audience questions as well.
Matt Holman
The meeting will feature a presentation from CTP Office of Science Director Matt Holman and include a question-and-answer session. Other Office of Science staff participating in the meeting include Todd L. Cecil, deputy director for regulatory management; Crystal Allard, director for the division of regulatory science and informatics; Joanna C. Randazzo, D.C., acting chief for the science policy branch; and Cristi Stark, director of the division of regulatory project management.
The CTP Office of Science is responsible for identifying, developing and enhancing the science related to tobacco products, their use, and the resulting morbidity and mortality so that regulatory decisions will have the greatest impact on improving public health.
The Office of Science provides the scientific support for regulations and guidance, reviews tobacco product applications, evaluates the knowledge basis for regulatory decisions and carries out research to fill the gaps in scientific knowledge related to tobacco product regulation.
For more information, click here.
May 14, 2021
Study: New Juul Pods Carry More Consistent Voltage
The latest version of Juul pods are superior to there predecessors, according to new research. Juul Labs began marketing in the European Union “new technology” Juul pods that incorporated a new wick that the company claimed provided “more satisfaction.” The wick system, Juul stated, would deliver more consistent voltage and provide a better experience to users.
Credit: Juul Labs
In new study, published in BMJ, the researchers compared design and materials of construction, electrical characteristics, liquid composition and nicotine and carbonyl emissions of new technology Juul pods to their predecessors. The study concluded that the pods were “consistent with manufacturer’s claims, we found that the new pods incorporated a different wicking material. However, we also found that the new pod design resulted in 50 percent greater nicotine emissions per puff than its predecessor, despite exhibiting unchanged liquid composition, device geometry and heating coil resistance.”
The study also found that when connected to the new technology pods, the Juul power unit delivered a more consistent voltage to the heating coil. This suggests that the new coil-wick system resulted in better surface contact between the liquid and the temperature-regulated heating coil. “Total carbonyl emissions did not differ across pod generations,” the report states. “That nicotine yields can be greatly altered with a simple substitution of wick material underscores the fragility of regulatory approaches that center on product design rather than product performance specifications.”

May 9, 2021
Paul Hardman Joins Broughton as Head of Scientific Affairs
Broughton Nicotine Services has appointed Paul Hardman as head of scientific affairs, the latest in a series of senior level appointments, as it continues to expand its services.
The business, which has helps electronic nicotine device companies bring noncombustible products to market, is currently expanding its full-service regulatory consultancy into modern oral nicotine products, heated tobacco products and Cannabidiol products.

A scientist with extensive experience in inhaled product development across pharmaceutical and consumer products, Hardman will have the task of growing the scientific affairs team to enable the business to grow and offer a premium consultancy experience for clients in the industry.
“We’re delighted to have welcomed someone of his caliber into this new role,” said Nveed Chaudhary, chief regulatory officer of Broughton Nicotine Services. “His addition to the Broughton team will strengthen the business further as we look to expand our full-service regulatory consultancy. Paul will take responsibility for delivering product development and optimization activities, drawing on his years of industry leadership and experience.”
Prior to joining Broughton, Hardman was scientific lead with Imperial Brands, where he was responsible for designing the testing strategy for the chemistry of inhaled and oral next-generation nicotine products, from assessing a variety of prototypes at the early stages of development through to characterization of products for submission through the U.S. Premarket Tobacco Product Application process.
He began his career working at a specialist pharmaceutical company where he gained experience of dry powder and metered dose inhaler development, including for the treatment of local lung conditions and systemic absorption. Hardman also has experience leading the quality control department in a multinational pharmaceutical company involved in the production of generic nicotine lozenges.
Paul’s addition to the Broughton team will strengthen the business further as we look to expand our full-service regulatory consultancy.
Nveed Chaudhary, chief regulatory officer, BNS
He began his career working at a specialist pharmaceutical company where he gained experience of dry powder and metered dose inhaler development, including for the treatment of local lung conditions and systemic absorption. Hardman also has experience leading the quality control department in a multinational pharmaceutical company involved in the production of generic nicotine lozenges.
“I am passionate about the opportunity to work with multiple clients and really get to the heart of their products so that Broughton Nicotine Services can best serve these businesses by championing those points in their regulatory submissions,” said Hardman.
“My role will involve growing the team to enable us to deliver a highly effective offering as Broughton moves into new areas, and I am eager to build on the success the business has already achieved.”
May 5, 2021
Vape Alliance: EU Scientific Committee Ignores Science
Photo: pavel_shishkin
The European Commission has missed an opportunity to bolster its Beating Cancer Plan and recognize the importance of vaping in reducing smoking-related diseases among Europeans, according to the Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA).
A recent report from the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) fails to compare the risks of electronic cigarette use with the risks of smoking, the IEVA noted in statement. “Such an omission renders the report of little use to policy makers,” it wrote. “An assessment of the impact e-cigarettes have had on European public health must be informed by this evidence.”
Independent and publicly funded scientific research has shown that e-cigarette use is far less harmful than smoking, according to the IEVA.
“The SCHEER committee has failed to present scientific data on vaping in a comprehensive and balanced manner,” said Dustin Dahlmann, President of IEVA. “The result is a report that is little more than a series of baseless predetermined assertions. Another opportunity to educate smokers willing to switch to less harmful alternatives has been wasted, and this alone has serious public health implications. We urge decision makers in Brussels to integrate harm reduction in their overall strategy.”

Another opportunity to educate smokers willing to switch to less harmful alternatives has been wasted.
Dustin Dahlmann, President, IEVA
An earlier draft of this report was put to public consultation in September 2020 and was widely criticized. Yet the final report reiterates the core findings of the initial draft.
A comprehensive critique of this draft was published in the peer-reviewed Harm Reduction Journal. The authors assert that “the Opinion’s conclusions are not adequately backed up by scientific evidence and did not discuss the potential health benefits of using alternative combustion-free nicotine-containing products as substitute for tobacco cigarettes”.
The Harm Reduction Journal report recommends seven crucial areas that the Committee should have considered to address this significant deficit, but SCHEER has decided not to do so. These were:
the potential health benefits of ENDS substitution for cigarette smoking
alternative hypotheses and contradictory studies on the gateway effect
its assessment of cardiovascular risk,
the measurements of frequency of use
non-nicotine use
the role of flavors
a fulsome discussion of cessation
Earlier this week, the World Vaper Alliance expressed similar concerns about the SHEER report.
May 3, 2021
New Analysis of Vape Industry Covers All 50 U.S. States
The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) has released new data on the vaping industry for all 50 U.S. states. TPA analyst Lindsey Stroud says that the analysis includes state specific information on tobacco and vapor product use among adults and youth in all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C. Each state paper examines smoking rates among adults in the respective, youth use of tobacco and vapor products, and the effectiveness of tobacco settlement payments, taxes, and vapor products on reducing combustible cigarette use, according to the report.
Credit: Andy M
One section, Youth Tobacco and Vapor Rates, examines most state level youth vapor and tobacco rates, including identifying ever, current, and daily use. “It also provides an analysis on the reduction of youth combustible cigarette use among the years, which, as identified by this series, is at all time lows,” Stroud states in the report.
In another section, Vapor Product Emergence and Young Adult Smoking Rates, Stroud examines the efficacy of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool and analyzed smoking rates among 18- to 24-year-old adults in the 10 years after suing tobacco companies and compares it to smoking rates in the 10 years after e-cigarettes’ market emergence, which is identified in the period between 2009 and 2012.
“In this 50-state analysis, as well as D.C., 46 states and the District of Columbia, saw greater decreases in smoking rates among young adults in the 10 years after e-cigarette market emergence, compared to the 10 years after tobacco settlement lawsuits,” Stroud states. “In the four outliers, smoking rates only increased among 18- to 24-year-old adults after policymakers increased scrutiny over e-cigarettes due to youth use.”
The TPA is a non-profit non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy, according to its website. The analysis concludes with a section on policy implications, graphs of young adult smoking rates and tobacco monies, and a list of references.
May 3, 2021
WVA: SHEER Report is ‘Based on Weak Data’

Photo: Parilov
The EU Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) final report on e-cigarettes is a step backwards for Europe, according to the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA). Based on weak data, it ignores crucial scientific evidence, experience from consumers and the expert opinions received in the consultation period, the advocacy group said in a statement.
“This report is a tragedy for public health and will have dire consequences for smokers and vapers alike,” said Michael Landl, director of the WVA. “SCHEER ignores a large amount of scientific evidence on vaping, all of which was provided by experts and consumers to SCHEER during their consultation earlier this year. They chose to ignore it. This is a slap in the face of vapers and of common sense.”
According to the WVA, the report does not consider crucial independent evidence from Public Health England, which shows that e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful than smoking and recently found that vaping is the most used means to quit smoking.
“Countries like the U.K. and France are actively encouraging smokers to use vaping and switch to this less harmful alternative,” said Landl. “If the EU really wants to tackle smoking-related illnesses, it needs to look very carefully at all of the evidence. Unfortunately, the SCHEER report is biased against vaping, and its recommendations, if transposed into legislation, will damage public health.”
This report is a tragedy for public health and will have dire consequences for smokers and vapers alike.
Michael Landl, director, WVA
The next few months will see further legislation updates in the EU as outlined in Europe’s Beating Cancer plan, including updates to the Tobacco Products Directive and the Tobacco Excise Directive. In this context, the findings of the SCHEER committee may ultimately be detrimental to the health of Europe’s citizens.
“It seems like the main objective has been overlooked: reducing the number of smokers and tackling smoking-induced illnesses,” said Landl. “Vaping is not smoking and must not be treated the same. Regulation must be drafted in a way that encourages current smokers to switch. The EU needs to focus on practical solutions to reduce harm and this major point is missing from the SCHEER analysis. Vaping can help smokers quit, but this report ignores that and compares vaping to non-smoking. So it is unsurprising that the results don’t echo reality.”
The full SCHEER is here.
April 29, 2021
Study: Impact of HNB No Less Harmful Than Cigarettes

Kuznietsov Dmitriy
The impact on lung cells of heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco products may be no less harmful than that of conventional cigarettes, according to the authors of a small comparative study published by Thorax.
HNB products contain nicotine and tobacco but have been marketed by the tobacco industry as a less harmful alternative to conventional cigarettes on the grounds that they don’t produce specific harmful chemicals that are released when tobacco burns.
Smoking heightens the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and abdominal aortic aneurysm, because it has a role in all stages of artery hardening and blockage. And it causes emphysema and pulmonary hypertension, because it contributes to the damage of blood vessels in the lungs.
Specifically, it contributes to endothelial dysfunction–whereby the lining of small and large blood vessels becomes abnormal, causing arteries to constrict instead of dilating, or blood vessels to become more inflamed; oxidative stress—an excess of harmful cellular by-products; platelet activation–creation of ‘sticky’ blood; and plaque development that can block arteries.
The researchers wanted to find out if these effects could also be observed in people who used HNB products.
So they compared endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and platelet activation in 20 non-smokers (average age 28), 20 long term conventional cigarette smokers (average age 27), and 20 long-term users of HNB products (average age 33).
The conventional smokers had been puffing away for an average of 3.5 years, getting through 13 sticks a day; the HNB users had been getting through around 11 products every day for an average of 5 years.
The findings showed that compared with not smoking, long term use of HNB products was associated with reduced endothelial function and increased oxidative stress and platelet activation.
And there were no significant differences between conventional cigarette smokers and users of HNB products.
This is an observational study, so it can’t establish cause. And the researchers acknowledge several limitations to their findings.
These include the small numbers of study participants involved, the lack of random allocation to each group, and the inability to confirm that a participant wasn’t a dual user of both conventional cigarettes and HNB products.
If confirmed by other large studies, these findings could provide evidence to strongly discourage non-smokers to start using [HNB products].
Lorenzo Loffredo et al.
Nevertheless, they conclude: “If confirmed by other large studies, these findings could provide evidence to strongly discourage non-smokers to start using [HNB products] and to encourage [conventional cigarette] smokers to quit smoking.”In a second linked study, a team of researchers assessed whether the use of HNB products helped Japanese workers to give up tobacco for good.
They offered a smoking cessation program to 158 users of conventional cigarettes (94) alone and/or HNB products (64) between November 2018 and April 2019.
The workplace program included prescription varenicrine or nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), counselling, and information about stopping smoking.
The quit rate was logged in August 2019, when 45 (29 percent) of the workers had successfully stopped using all tobacco products.
Those who availed themselves of pharmacological support were more likely to quit than those who didn’t (67 percent vs 11 percent) as were those who received counseling (69 percent vs 21 percent).
Analysis of the results showed that people who used varenicrine or NRT were three times more likely to stop smoking tobacco than those who didn’t.
But those who either used HNB products alone or in addition to conventional cigarettes (dual users) were 23 percent less likely than exclusive cigarette smokers to give up tobacco altogether, after accounting for age, tobacco dependence, previous quit attempts and use of pharmacological support.
This too is an observational study, and the researchers acknowledge that their study was small and restricted to healthy men in just one workplace. Smoking status was also self-reported and assessed at a single time point, and successful quitters weren’t asked how long they had stopped using tobacco.
But they point out that those who used HNB products in their study did so because they thought they were less harmful than conventional cigarettes.
“It is possible that the rhetorical phrases by tobacco industries attract and make consumers misunderstand that changing from cigarettes to [HNB products] can provide a healthier environment for themselves and their surroundings,” they suggest.
“Although [HNB products] are misunderstood to be less harmful, they expose users and bystanders to toxicants, and the evidence does not show that [they] will reduce tobacco-related diseases,” they add.
“Given that [HNB products] undermine cessation among smokers without providing health benefits, [they] should not be recommended for any purpose,” they conclude.
In a linked editorial, covering both research papers, Professor Irina Petrache of National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado, and Esther de Boer of University of Colorado, agree.
“[Both] reports provide impetus to conduct larger randomized validating studies and to assess the impact of [HNB products] on additional health parameters. Their work enriches the mounting evidence that [HNB products] are not safer than [conventional cigarettes], suggesting that any tobacco use should be strongly discouraged,” they write.
April 22, 2021
Cannabis Consumers Have 6 Archetypes, Says Euromonitor
The legal cannabis is expected to increase more than 200 percent by 2025. According to research by Euromonitor International, global market research company, the market will rise from $30 billion in 2020 to over $90 billion in 2025 as consumers increase their usage in diverse parts of their lives, according to Euromonitor International.
Shane MacGuill
In a recent white paper, Breaking Stereotypes: Getting to Know the Cannabis Consumer, Euromonitor explores six adult cannabis consumer archetypes making up the emerging legal cannabis consumer base in 2021. “Cannabis user profiling is also relevant for cannabis-adjacent FMCG industries as more global consumers have access to cannabinoid-infused products,” says Shane MacGuill, senior industry manager for Nicotine and Cannabis at Euromonitor. “Cannabinoid consumers report drinking less alcohol, smoking less and taking fewer consumer health products across markets.”
The report, lists the six archetypes as:

The Seasoned Consumer: Long time regular consumers who use cannabis to enhance their well-being. 24% of these consumers suffer from high or extreme stress while 64% are strongly in favour of recreational legalization.

The Casual Social: Younger, newer consumers leveraging cannabinoid products as part of their wider lifestyles. 75% of them take vitamins or health supplements at least monthly, while 61% are strongly in favor of recreational legalization.

The Dabbler: Occasional cannabis users, familiar and comfortable with the substance but unlikely to see it as a key part of their lifestyle. 68% are in favor of its legalization for medical use while 45% believe legal cannabis should be at least as widely available as tobacco and alcohol.

The Canna-curious: A broad consumer group with an interest in adult-use cannabis consumption if legalized in their countries but with limited knowledge about cannabinoid products. 56% are in favor of legalization for medical use, while only 43% support adult-use liberalization.

The Unsparked: Consumers who are outwardly negative towards cannabis use but express enough uncertainty that many could be persuaded to engage further. 18% of these consumers believe that cannabis is unsafe, while 8% see cannabis as something that enhances a user’s lifestyle (8%).

The Naysayer: Strongly against adult use – only 8% in favor of legalization – they are not an immediate target for producers and brand owners. 51% state that they either have no or low levels of daily stress – the least stressed of all profiles.
Seasoned cannabis consumers are established, long-standing and often traditionalist cannabis users “who will form the backbone of the legal industry” as it evolves, according to MacGuill, who quthored the report, adding that companies need to understand and address the priorities of this group without alienating newer consumers whose product and brand priorities are often divergent
“As legalization expands and the normalization of cannabinoid use continues, organizations need to understand the motivations of the modern cannabis consumer and look beyond typical stereotypes,” MacGuill states. “The legal cannabis industry must mirror the views and values of its consumers, given its history and the nature of its often counter-cultural evolution. Industry players can only achieve this with a nuanced segmentation and holistic understanding of participants in the sector.”
April 20, 2021