August 22, 2021 — Make no mistake about it, public health is a righteous cause. Overwhelmingly, people choose careers in public health because they believe in the mission and they want to make a difference in the world. But righteous causes can bring a loss of objectivity. It happens because strong, human feelings come into play. When we hear […]
January 12, 2018 — The puritanism within us is alive and well, says Matthew Hutson. That much is clear from a new, white-hot debate published in the Annual Review of Public Health. That debate is all about nicotine. But our ongoing obsession with the perils of sugar echoes many of the same themes – along with some important differences. Nicotine: […]
November 14, 2017 — At the end of July, FDA Commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, and his Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) Director, Mitch Zeller, announced a commitment and vision to dramatically change the impact of tobacco in the US. To understand how far-reaching this plan is, consider the following basics on the state of nicotine policy and science. 1. As a result of […]
February 18, 2016 — Individually, both nicotine and obesity are challenging subjects where bias creeps in from strongly held views. When they come together, the challenge is compounded. A new analysis published by the National Bureau of Economic Research reminds us that the challenge is unavoidable because significant weight gain is one of the consequences of quitting smoking — […]
October 31, 2015 — Nicotine and tobacco policy is often cited for similar issues confronted in nutrition and obesity. In this guest post, our good friend Joe Gitchell shares his perspective based on decades of experience in tobacco control, bumping into disconnects between science, bias, and policy. Sound familiar? Mitch Zeller, Director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, has one of […]
April 20, 2015 — Does harm reduction cause a short circuit in the American psyche? Over time, many examples have brought this phenomenon into the spotlight. The latest example in the headlines is news about adolescent use of conventional cigarettes and electronic cigarettes. A new study from CDC shows a large reduction in the use of conventional burning cigarettes […]
February 22, 2015 — It’s interesting to see purity, pragmatism, and bias collide in public health, whether the subject is tobacco, nutrition, or obesity. One example came in news this week that Reynolds American Tobacco is pushing forward with new plans to develop products designed to help more people stop smoking. Pinney Associates — a Bethesda consultancy that has been at the […]
August 31, 2014 — In a week of much news about e-cigarettes, the American Heart Association (AHA) has carefully conceded that e-cigarettes might have a role as a last option for quitting smoking. Specifically, the AHA statement says: If a patient has failed initial treatment, has been intolerant of or refuses to use conventional smoking cessation medication, and wishes […]
