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Will Gov. Snyder drop the ball on e-cigs?

January 15, 2015  •  The Detroit News

The Michigan Legislature got it right last year, passing bills to ban the sale of e-cigarettes to minors. Only a handful of states haven't gotten around to this sensible, limited form of e-cigarette regulations.

Under pressure from activist groups who oppose this approach, Gov. Rick Snyder hasn't signed the bill, and may veto or pocket veto it in the next week.

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Rally behind e-cigarettes: Opposing view
Don't undermine the promise of powerful harm reduction tools.

December 16, 2014  •  USA Today

E-cigarettes aren't threatening the progress of continued smoking reduction. They are helping even hard-core cigarette smokers quit.

If society gives equal treatment to these two very different products with dramatically different health risks, we will undermine e-cigarettes' promise as powerful harm reduction tools.

OUR VIEW: Vaping clouds progress on teen smoking

As Mitch Zeller, the Food and Drug Administration's chief tobacco regulator, put it, "People smoke for the nicotine, but die from the tar." The public health community — which has long advocated for the concept of harm reduction — should rally behind electronic cigarettes rather than sow fear about them.

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Don't believe radical animal activists' smear tactics

November 22, 2014  •  Washington Times

PETA and radical animal activists everywhere rejoiced last week when SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment released its third quarter earnings, which were 28% lower than the same quarter last year. The activists oppose the human use of animals, and are seeking to use the news to advance their high profile but broadly unsuccessful campaign against aquariums, zoos and circuses.

You might recall PETA's 2011 lawsuit against SeaWorld claiming that five killer whales were being enslaved in violation of the 13th Amendment.

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Over-regulation of e-cigarettes will lead to dire public health consequences

November 11, 2014  •  Cleveland Plain Dealer

In his Nov. 2 column, "E-cigarettes promote nicotine to a new generation," Cuyahoga County Health Commissioner Terry Allan misses the point about the potential benefits of e-cigarettes.

The FDA's top tobacco regulator, Mitch Zeller recently addressed the issue thoughtfully. He told the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation if "people are smoking for the nicotine, but dying from the tar," then the FDA should develop a nicotine regulatory policy recognizing the "continuum of risk: that there are different nicotine...products that pose different levels of risk to the individual."

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Over-regulation defeats the purpose of e-cigarettes
Former smokers who vape should be applauded, not ostracized.

November 4, 2014  •  Baltimore Sun

In her commentary supporting heavy-handed restrictions on e-cigarette use, Interim City Health Commissioner Jacquelyn Duval-Harvey misses a central point about how and why e-cigarettes are so widely touted as a way to reduce the harm from smoking ("Regulate Baltimore's e-cigarettes," Oct. 22).

By banning their use in public and indoor spaces, Baltimore would take away a competitive advantage that public health advocates should want e-cigarettes to have over regular cigarettes.

Ms. Duval-Harvey's approach would cause the real public health heroes, former smokers who vape, to go outside bars and restaurants with other smokers. She may as well just offer them a light because many are bound to go back to smoking.

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