Bill Godshall Update 2015-02-06

Tobacco Harm Reduction Update - February 6th, 2015

Contents:
THR Business, THR Advocacy, US Federal, US State / Local, Litigation, E-cig Sales Bans, Taxation, Vaping Bans, Retail Restrictions, E-cig Sales Bans To Minors, THR Research, Junk Science, Propaganda and Lies, More Junk Science, Mouse Junk Science, Formaldehyde Junk Science.

THR Business

Altria announces industry-wide adjusted US cigarette volume decline of 2.5% in 4Q14 (and 3.5% in 2014), adjusted volume decline of 2% in 4Q14 (and 3% in 2014) for Philip Morris USA cigarettes (indicating the escalating War on E-cigs is reducing past cigarette consumption declines). Altria announces 2% industry wide increase in smokeless tobacco volume in 4Q14 & 2014, and 2.5% volume increase for USTTC brands in 4Q14 & 2014.
http://investor.altria.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=80855&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2012095

Philip Morris International announces a 3.8% worldwide decline in PMI cigarette volume in 4Q14 and a 2.8% decline in 2014, and a .2% volume decline in European Union in 4Q14 and a .1% increase in 2014 (as overall EU cigarette volume declined 3.1% in 2014), indicating the War on E-cigs is reducing previous cigarette volume declines.
http://investors.pmi.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=146476&p=irol-news&nyo=0

Clive Bates: Propaganda or product: why has e-cigarette use dipped in England?
http://www.clivebates.com/?p=2838

Lifesaving e-cigs reduce Big Pharma sales and profits (which is why Big Pharma shills have demonized and lobbyied to ban e-cigs since 2008)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/29/health-ecigarettes-quitting-idUSL1N0V801S20150129

Simon Chapman wisely suggests ending government subsidization of NRT, but doesn’t acknowledge that e-cigs have helped many smokers quit despite a ban in Australia.
https://theconversation.com/is-it-time-to-stop-subsidising-nicotine-replacement-therapies-36760

THR Advocacy

University of Victoria Prof. Chris Lolande creates population-based risk/benefit widget that mathematically documents how e-cigarettes reduce mortality even if tens/hundreds of millions of nonsmokers began to vape daily. And yet, nobody has identified any nonsmoker (anywhere in the world) who has become a daily nicotine vaper.
http://web.uvic.ca/~lalonde/vape/

Lynn Kozlowski: So your teenager is vaping e-cigarettes – should you worry?
http://theconversation.com/so-your-teenager-is-vaping-e-cigarettes-should-you-worry-36398

Bill Godshall: E-cigs save lives (PA)
http://triblive.com/opinion/letters/7618556-74/cigs-fda-smokers#axzz3QKMc8pJv

Dave Sweanor presents on THR at Univ of Ottawa Healthcare Symposium
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1cy3fWsJEo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0o5nixNVEg

Electronic cigarettes and smoking cessation: an interview with Peter Hajek
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20150205/Electronic-cigarettes-and-smoking-cessation-an-interview-with-Professor-Peter-Hajek.aspx

Dave Sweanor & Peter Selby present on e-cigarettes at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Ontario
https://camh.adobeconnect.com/_a829238269/p1kraodg0n0/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

Federal

FDA Commissioner Hamburg to resign next month (after overseeing FDA's cigarette-protecting six year War on E-cigs and failure to implement Congressionally mandated graphic cigarette warning labels)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/05/us-fda-hamburg-resignation-exclusive-idUSKBN0L90GT20150205

US House bill (HR 478) with 35 co-sponsors would wisely ban sale of e-cigs to minors under 18, authorize FTC to implement and enforce, and eliminate the only public health benefit in FDA's proposed deeming regulation
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d114:h.r.00478:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c114:H.R.478:

Sally Satel: New Surgeon General Should Prescribe Scientific Honesty On E-cigarettes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/sallysatel/2015/02/02/new-surgeon-general-should-prescribe-scientific-honesty-on-e-cigarettes-2/

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy's first blog post deceitfully deploys 'bait and switch' by conflating all tobacco products/use with cigarette smoking, touts bans on tobacco use and vaping funded and lobbied for by CDC and its 'partners', urges 'all sectors of society' to lobby for a 'tobacco free generation' (instead of reducing cigarette smoking).
http://www.hhs.gov/blog/2015/01/28/working-toward-tobacco-free-generation-51-years-progress.html?

DHHS absurdly claims that wearing red protects your heart
http://www.hhs.gov/blog/2015/02/05/national-wear-red-day-protect-your-heart-health.html

Univ of Minnesota's Dorothy Hatsukami urges FDA to further confuse and scare the public about very low cancer risks of smokeless tobacco use (which are attributable for <1% of US male oral cancer deaths, compared to 74% caused by cigarette smoking), urges FDA to 'require levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamines be substantially reduced, if not eliminated, in all products,' falsely claims 'Levels of exposure to tobacco-specific nitrosamines are associated with disease risk.'
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-12-cancer-causing-chemicals-smokeless-tobacco-products.html
http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2014/12/16/1940-6207.CAPR-14-0250.abstract

Brad Rodu: Minnesota researchers' #EpicFail - trying for a smokeless tobacco/cancer link
http://rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com/2015/02/minnesota-researchers-epicfail-trying.html

State/local

Litigation

California litigation firm CEH files extortion lawsuits against 19 California e-cig manufacturers (including 15 e-liquid manufacturers) for not posting Prop 65 scare warning labels (that aren't required for lethal cigarettes or for FDA approved NRT)
http://www.ceh.org/news-events/press-releases/content/ceh-initiates-legal-action-vaping-dangers/

CA bill targets '˜shakedown' lawsuits (exposes CEH as most predatory Prop 65 warning litigant, receiving $2.8 million in 2012 from 80 settlements totaling $4.1 million)
http://calwatchdog.com/2013/08/06/bill-targets-shakedown-lawsuits/

ACSH '“ Predatory Prop 65 lawyers threaten CA's e-cig businesses
http://acsh.org/2015/02/happen-predatory-prop-65-lawyers-threaten-cas-e-cig-businesses/

E-cig sales bans

Indiana Senate Cmte narrowly approves bill (SB 539) that would ban sale of e-liquid unless manufacturer pays $5,000 for permit and complies with unwarranted regulations
http://indianapublicmedia.org/news/vaping-liquids-face-stricter-regulations-77517/
http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/539
http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/539#document-aaa9aa99

Oregon bill (SB 2558) would absurdly classify nicotine as a Schedule II controlled substance, require doctor's prescription to legally buy nicotine (including tobacco, e-cigs and FDA approved NRT), criminalize possession of more than .1 mg of nicotine.
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/HB2558/Introduced

Oregon bill (SB 190) would ban Internet sales, shipping and transportation of e-cigs, require licensure of e-cig vendors
https://legiscan.com/OR/text/SB190/id/1069935
https://legiscan.com/OR/text/SB190/id/1069935/Oregon-2015-SB190-Introduced.pdf

Oregon bill (HB 415) would ban flavored e-cigs
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB415/Introduced

CASAA issues Call to Action opposing many anti-vaping bills in Oregon that would ban sales of all e-cigs, ban sales of flavored e-cigs, ban Internet sales of e-cigs, tax e-cigs, ban vaping, require licensure of e-cig vendors, etc.
http://blog.casaa.org/2015/01/oregon-call-to-action-multiple-bills.html

Vermont bill (HB 59) would ban sales of all flavored e-liquid (except menthol)
http://legislature.vermont.gov/assets/Documents/2016/Docs/BILLS/H-0059/H-0059%20As%20Introduced.pdf

CASAA issues Call to Action opposing Vermont bill to ban flavored e-liquid
http://blog.casaa.org/2015/02/vermont-call-to-action-take-action-now.html

Virginia bill (HB 2036) would ban the sale of all e-cigs unless they contain warnings approved by the VA Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+sum+HB2036
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?151+ful+HB2036H2

CASAA issues Call to Action opposing Virginia bill (HB 2036) that would ban sales of all e-cigs unless they contain warnings approved by a state agency
http://blog.casaa.org/2015/02/virginia-call-to-action-oppose-hb-2036.html

Taxation

Virginia House Finance Subcommittee rejects (on party line vote) bill (HB 1310) that would have taxed e-cigs at $.40 per ml of nicotine liquid
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?ses=151&typ=bil&val=HB1310
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+ful+HB1310

Virginia House Finance Subcommittee rejects (on party line vote) bill HB 1590) that would have increased cigarette tax from $.30 to $2 per pack.
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+sum+HB1590
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?151+ful+HB1590+pdf

Ohio Gov. Kasich proposes budget to increase cigarette tax from $1.25 to $2.25/pack, increase OTP tax from 17% to 60%, and tax e-cigs at 60%. (See B-7, Page 40)
http://blueprint.ohio.gov/doc/budget/State_of_Ohio_Budget_Recommendations_FY-16-17.pdf

AVA: Gov. Kasich's e-cig tax hike should be snuffed out
http://vaping.info/news/2015/gov-kasichs-e-cig-tax-hike-snuffed

ATR's Patrick Gleason: Electronic cigarettes remain top tax target for politicians
http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2015/01/29/ecigtaxhikes/

Hawaii House Consumer Protection & Commerce Cmte schedules February 9 vote for bill (HB 349) to tax lifesaving e-cigs same as lethal cigarettes, ban vaping, and violate MSA by redefining 'cigarette' to include an e-cig
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=349&year=2015
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2015/bills/HB349_.HTM

Public hearing scheduled on February 10 for Hawaii bill (SB 299) to tax e-cigs at 30% ban vaping in all workplaces, and increase minimum age for tobacco and e-cig sales to 21 http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=299&year=2015
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2015/bills/SB299_.HTM

Oregon bills (HB 2074 and HB 2134) would impose 65% tax on e-cigs
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/Measures/Overview/HB2074
https://legiscan.com/OR/bill/HB2134/2015

Arkansas bill (HB 1156) would impose $.075 per ml of nicotine liquid in e-cigs
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2015/2015R/Pages/BillInformation.aspx?measureno=HB1156
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2015/2015R/Bills/HB1156.pdf

Wyoming bill (HB 173) would increase cigarette tax from $.60 to $1.25/pack, increase OTP tax from 20% to 46% of wholesale price, appropriate most tax revenue for anti tobacco propaganda programs
http://legisweb.state.wy.us/2015/Introduced/HB0173.pdf

CASAA issues Call to Action opposing Wyoming bill (HB 173) because it would unfairly increase smokeless tobacco tax
http://blog.casaa.org/2015/02/wyoming-call-to-action-oppose-bill-that.html

CASAA issues Call to Action opposing potential e-cig tax bills in North Dakota
http://blog.casaa.org/2015/01/north-dakota-call-to-action-two-bills.html

Vaping bans

UK Parliament allows vaping in offices, establishes vaping areas so vapers won't be exposed to 2nd hand smoke
http://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/mps-win-the-battle-to-smoke-e-cigarettes-in-parliament

Oregon bills (HB 2546 & SB 340) would ban vaping everywhere smoking is banned and ban e-cig sales to minors, public hearing scheduled on February 9 for HB 2546
https://legiscan.com/OR/text/HB2546/id/1069713
https://legiscan.com/OR/text/SB340/id/1069538/

California bill (SB 140) introduced by Sen. Leno would ban vaping everywhere smoking is banned, redefine e-cigs as tobacco products and vaping as smoking
http://www.legislature.ca.gov/cgi-bin/port-postquery?bill_number=sb_140&sess=CUR&house=B&author=leno_%3Cleno%3E
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/15-16/bill/sen/sb_0101-0150/sb_140_bill_20150126_introduced.html

AVA's Greg Conley debates Big Pharma funded CA ACS lobbyist Tim Gibbs about Sen. Mark Leno's cigarette protecting proposal to ban vaping in all CA workplaces.
http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201501270900

SF Chronicle editorial board duped by CA DPH's e-cig lies, reverses position on e-cigs, now wants CA legislature to protect cigarettes by vaping ban in every workplace.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/California-should-put-more-restrictions-on-6044815.php

San Jose Mercury News editorial board duped by CA DPH, repeats lies about lifesaving e-cigs, advocates protecting cigarettes and threatening the lives of vapers and smokers
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_27443223/mercury-news-editorial-regulate-e-cigarettes-like-real?source=infinite

BART proposes banning vaping on SF mass transit, but not perfume, hair spray, nail polish, dry cleaned clothes or other things that emit far more chemicals than an e-cig
http://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/agendas/01-22-15%20Agenda%20Packet_0.pdf
(starting on page 39).

Buffalo (NY) Common Council protects cigarettes by banning vaping everywhere smoking is banned (including vape shops to prevent smokers from learning how to vape), Rosswell Park's Mark Travers repeats false fear mongering claims about e-cigs.
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/e-cigarette-ban-mirrors-regulation-on-tobacco-20150203

Sonoma State Univ. (CA) bans smoking, smokeless tobacco use and vaping on campus, but won't enforce, fine or penalize violators (rendering the policy hypocritical and moot)
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/3473511-181/sonoma-state-rolls-out-ban?page=1

Retailer restrictions

Oregon bill (SB 417) would redefine e-cigs as 'inhalant delivery system', require purchase of license to sell e-cigs from OR Liquor Control Commission, ban e-cig sales within 1,000 feet of schools and ban 'nominal price' e-cig sales (but wouldn't ban e-cig sales to minors),
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2015R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB417/Introduced

E-cig sales bans to minors

New Mexico bill (SB 360) would redefine 'tobacco product' to include e-cigs, falsely redefine smokefree e-cigs as 'electronic smoking devices', ban sales to minors.
http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/legislation.aspx?Chamber=S&LegType=B&LegNo=360&year=15
http://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/15%20Regular/bills/senate/SB0360.html

Advocates, opponents debate e-cigarette restrictions in Multnomah County (OR)
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/01/multnomah_county_electronic_ci.html

THR Research

CDC study finds 25% of nonsmokers (58 million) still exposed to 2nd hand smoke in 2011-2012 (including 40% of children, 46% of blacks, 43% of impoverished, and 36% of renters), which could have been lower if not for FDA's unlawful 2009 e-cig ban and the anti e-cig propaganda and lobbying by Big Pharma shills and Obama's DHHS http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm64e0203a1.htm?s_cid=mm64e0203a1_e

ACSH: New study shows addictive potency of e-cigs far less than cigarettes; less than nicotine gum!
http://acsh.org/2015/01/new-study-shows-addictive-potency-e-cigs-far-less-cigarettes-less-nicotine-gum/

Mike Siegel: New study suggests that electronic cigarettes are much less addictive than real ones
http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/02/new-study-suggests-that-electronic.html

Junk Science, propaganda and lies

CA DPH commits public health malpractice, tells dozens of lies about e-cigs to confuse, scare and lobby for cigarette protecting FDA deeming reg/ban, vaping bans and other unwarranted e-cig restrictions
http://cdph.ca.gov/pages/presskits.aspx
http://cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR15-12.aspx
http://cdph.ca.gov/Documents/EcigHealthAdvisory01282015.pdf
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/tobacco/Documents/Media/State%20Health-e-cig%20report.pdf
http://cdph.ca.gov/Documents/Ecig_retail_lowres.pdf
http://cdph.ca.gov/Documents/CTCP_Social_WaterVapor_Citations_noTFCA.pdf
http://cdph.ca.gov/Documents/Ecig_PoisonControlCenter.pdf

CA DPH head Ron Chapman resigns after lying about e-cigs
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article4266648.html

Gil Ross: California's 'Public Health' System Seems to be Trying to Kill Smokers
http://www.capoliticalreview.com/capoliticalnewsandviews/dr-ross-californias-public-health-system-seems-to-be-trying-to-kill-smokers/

AVA: California Department of Public Health's War on Vaping Continues
http://vaping.info/news/2015/war-vaping-ca-dept-health-continues

SFATA rebuts misleading claims in Calfornia advisory
http://www.heraldonline.com/2015/01/28/6746066_sfata-rebuts-misleading-claims.html?rh=1

Fergus Mason: Lying It Up At The Hotel California
http://fergusmason.com/?p=377

Keven Williamson: A lifestyle so good, its mandatory; In California, it's liberal lifestyle versus nicotine vapers. (reveals that most e-cig opponents are nanny state liberals who insist upon imposing their unscientific lifestyle beliefs on everyone else)
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/397504/lifestyle-so-good-its-mandatory-kevin-d-williamson

Mike Siegel '“ Propaganda campaign is working: Policy maker says that 'hundreds of thousands' of vapers will die
http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/01/anti-smoking-groups-propaganda-campaign.html

Michael Shaw: Betrayal of the Public Trust . . . And How to Fight Back (on CA DPH's lies about e-cigs)
http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/contributing%20columnist0/Betrayal-Of-The-Public-Trust-And-How-To-Fight-Back.shtml

Jon Deak: Its about damn time we told the truth about e-cigarettes (re: CA DPH lies)
http://www.electroniccigaretteconsumerreviews.com/its-about-damn-time-we-told-the-truth-about-e-cigarettes/

News media hypes CA DPH lies about e-cigs as factual
http://www.wsj.com/articles/electronic-cigarettes-declared-health-threat-by-california-officials-1422477562
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/e-cig-stigma-california-declares-vaping-public-health-risk-n295766
http://www.latimes.com/nation/healthcare/la-me-e-cigarettes-20150129-story.html
http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-82663908/
http://time.com/3686557/california-ecigarettes-health-risk/

More Junk Science

Mouse junk science
FAMRI funded e-cig study expose mice to 2,000 times more e-cig vapor than humans consume, then inappropriately conclude e-cigs may pose risks for humans.
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0116861

Tom Pruen: New study in mice shows remarkably little toxicity, despite major problems
http://www.ecita.org.uk/ecita-blog/new-study-mice-shows-remarkably-little-acute-toxicity-despite-major-methodology-problems

Konstantinos Farsalinos: A new study in mice provides no information for smokers but verifies e-cigarettes are less harmful
http://www.ecigarette-research.com/web/index.php/whats-new/whatsnew-2015/192-ecig-mice

Mike Siegel: New study reports adverse effects of e-cigarette aerosol on mouse respiratory epithelial cells
http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/02/new-study-reports-adverse-effects-of-e.html

Formaldehyde Junk Science
Brad Rodu: Bogus research on formaldehyde in e-cig vapor
http://rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com/2015/01/bogus-research-on-formaldehyde-in-e-cig.html

Brad Rodu: Portland State e-cigarette claims debunked in the New York Times
http://rodutobaccotruth.blogspot.com/2015/01/portland-state-e-cigarette-claims.html


- Bill Godshall

Godshall THRU 2015-02-06