Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   The slight increase in smoking prevalence detected by the National Health Interview Survey is cause for concern but probably not alarm. The upward trend was small (less than 1%) but it should definitely give us pause. Smoking prevalence has reduced over the years due to a number of factors. The increasing cost of smoking from excise taxes and price increases, as well as smoke-free indoor air restrictions, have both led to reductions in smok... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   In a move that one cannot help but suspect is strategically calculated, Big Tobacco has filed suit against the FDA for restricting their First Amendment rights of free speech. The Congress passed legislation this last summer that gives the FDA the ability to regulate tobacco products, including how the industry advertises (Title II; Section 201; Sections a & b) their products. Given the track record of the tobacco industry of putting profit... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   It appears that manufacturers of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) have shrugged off the efforts of the FDA to limit access to e-cigs and to point out safety concerns (read final FDA Report here). One brand, Smoking Everywhere, has filed an injunction to try and halt the FDA’s authority to block import of these products, citing the FDA “lacks jurisdiction to regulate its product.” The FDA claims (and rightly so), “SE’s [Smoking Everywher... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigs, continue to attract the attention. Those paying attention include smokers who are looking for a “safer” way of continuing to smoke, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who is concerned about the lack of safety data on these products, and, of course, ambitious entrepreneurs world-wide looking to make a buck or yuan. Let’s take another look at what we actually know about these products. Ma... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   Today President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, giving the FDA increased regulatory responsibility over the way tobacco is manufactured, labeled, and sold in the US. This was truly a historic moment and a meaningful first step to control the devastation caused by smoking in this country. While many tobacco control advocates wanted stronger regulatory oversight by the FDA, the vast majority see this ... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   Last week’s 79 to 17 vote enabling the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products was a historic moment. Forty-five years after the Surgeon General Report in 1964, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act has the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives in America. Notice I said “potential to save lives" rather than “will save lives.” We will have to keep an eye on the man behind the screen to make ... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   Understanding your risk for getting cancer is a critical piece of information that can help you stay healthy. Modifying behaviors to reduce your risk of developing a specific type of cancer makes perfect sense. Many people do this by getting exercise, watching what and how much they eat and drink, and by not smoking. It was recently disclosed that a new test has been developed that identifies those smokers who have higher risk of deve... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   The recent increase in the Federal Tobacco Tax (62 cents), coupled with a price hike by the tobacco industry, is causing a lot of smokers to ask for help in their effort to quit smoking. This is bad news to Big Tobacco. Steven Stanek in The National Newspaper quotes Maura Payne, a spokesperson for RJ Reynolds, as “vigorously opposed” to the tax hike because it “will disproportionately impact poorer families.” Hmm….this is a population... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager, Tobacco:   Does the electronic cigarette, commonly called the E-cig, hold promise for a healthier alternative to smoked tobacco?  Or, is it potentially dangerous?  There is a lot of fuss about this product.  Some of it is justified and some of it is a little silly –well intentioned, but still silly. Those who support the E-cig say it provides a safe alternative to smoked tobacco, and they could be right.  They argue that since the product delive... [More]

Ken Wassum, Senior Product Manager:   One might not think that asking a young man for directions while standing in a hotel courtyard in Jaisalmer, Rajhastan in northern India would lead to a treatment plan for tobacco dependence, but that is exactly what happened. Smokers worldwide are hungry to quit, and this desert town a mere 90 miles from the Pakistan border is no different.  I wanted directions to a restaurant for lunch -- he wanted help quitting smoking. I have found in Indi... [More]