Guy Bentley Marijuana is stronger now than has it has been for the last 20 years, according to a study from the University of Mississippi. Published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, researchers examined 38,681 samples of marijuana obtained from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration between 1995 and 2014. Levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana tripled from…
Guy Bentley Utah vapers could be hit with an 86.5 percent tax on e-cigarettes if a bill proposed Friday passes the state legislature. State Rep. Paul Ray introduced the bill HB333, which would tax e-cigarettes at the same rate as other non-cigarette tobacco products, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. E-cigarettes “are not taxed now because they are…
Guy Bentley The whole process of peer review in public health research has been called into question by a new paper focusing on studies in the field of tobacco harm reduction (THR). Carl V. Phillips and Igor Burstyn of the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association (CASAA) along with Executive Consultant at Carter and Day…
Guy Bentley Smokers who aren’t ready quit massively cut down the amount they smoked after they started using e-cigarettes, according to a study published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research. The authors of the study highlight the fact that e-cigarette use has surged among young adults and current smokers, largely because most users want to quit…
Guy Bentley A Swiss study claiming vaping can lead to smoking and harms current smokers’ chance of quitting suffers from “fatal” flaws, and the paper’s conclusions are misrepresentative, according to a leading public health expert. “We found no beneficial effects of vaping at follow-up for either smoking cessation or smoking reduction,” the authors conclude in the…
Guy Bentley Following Hawaii’s lead, voters in Arizona want to raise the age when adults can buy tobacco to 21, according to the latest poll. A massive 72 percent of Arizonians polled by MBQF Consulting and Marson Media said they support the 18 to 21 age increase, according to a press release. Only 28 percent…
Guy Bentley Reports of high levels of a potentially deadly chemical in e-cigarettes have been greatly exaggerated and are part of a trend toward the demonization of vaping, according to a leading tobacco control expert. Diacetyl, a chemical linked to the severe respiratory disease bronchiolitis obliterans, commonly known as “popcorn lung,” was found in 39 of 51…
Guy Bentley A new Gallup poll shows cigarette smoking among young adults has plummeted to a new low just one month after data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed e-cigarette use surging. The Gallup poll reported a decline in smoking among adults aged 18-29 by a 12 percentage points to 22 percent…