THC, Vaping, and the New “Mystery” Lung Illness
Six people have died from a “mystery illness” that authorities like the CDC are linking to e-cigarette use. Understandably, this has made many vapers concerned about their own health. Most people switch to vaping under the assumption that it’s a safer form of nicotine use than smoking combustible cigarettes, and if the over 450 cases and six deaths in the recent outbreak are linked to nicotine e-cigarettes, it’s very understandable to be concerned. It might even lead you to think vaping is more dangerous than
PMTA Delay Buys Vapers Some Breathing Space
Since the FDA first revealed its Deeming Regulations for e-cigarettes in April 2014, the looming threat of the new law has been the biggest worry for everyone involved with the US vaping scene – and, as Deeming is likely to wipe out hundreds of favorite juice flavors, it’s not that popular in the rest of the world either. So it’s no surprise that, when FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced a four-year delay this morning, there was widespread celebration. The background to the delay is a
Teen Vaping Part 2: How Politics and Ideology Drive the Debate
In the first part of this post, I covered the state of the scientific evidence on a gateway effect in some detail. If you missed it, the CliffNotes version is that there’s no good evidence for a gateway effect, and while we can make a strong case against the claims, there is no evidence that can thoroughly refute it either. Basically everything about teen vaping is blown out of proportion at every turn. We’re spun a tale of epidemics, gateways and “a new generation hooked
Should We Be Worried About Teen Vaping? An In-Depth Look at the Facts and the Arguments
The issue of teen vaping is controversial, to say the least. It seems like every other week a story claims that vaping is addicting teens who’ve never smoked, and that those teens are more likely to progress to smoking cigarettes in the future. Youth smoking is something that basically everybody – vaping advocates and detractors alike – wants to stop, and so gateway claims are used to justify placing restrictions on e-cigarettes. Even if vaping isn’t that bad, the argument goes, if it leads to