Tobacco Control Journal – Smug About ‘Blog Fog’

How Dare Vapers Have an Opinion About Tobacco Research

I couldn’t help but chuckle this week at the pompousness of the editorial team over at the Tobacco Control website.

The phrase “Pretentious Moi?” comes to mind.

Under the heading ‘Blog Fog – Using rapid response to advance science and promote debate’ – the editorial team pretty much wants to prevent us mere bloggers from reporting [or in my case taking the piss out of] ridiculous research ‘findings’.

Or I guess praising any studies that proves vaping is healthier than smoking?

Instead and to add to the site’s self-proclaimed ‘lofty’ attitude to all things tobacco – they’ve decided that all discussions should only be held on their forum or ‘rapid response’ area as they call it.

Anyone who has visited a forum knows that pretty much all comments are monitored with admins having the absolute power to moderate and remove posts they deem to not fit with their core beliefs.

Free speech and open discussion? Ummm somehow I don’t think so.

Apparently the team at Tobacco Control will now stop commenting on blog articles and social media which of course had me wondering why?

Anti Vaping? Surely Not

A quick look at the sites [sorry ‘journal’] front page shows the most ‘popular’ articles [sorry studies].

Surprise surprise the most read study is also the ‘Editor’s Choice’ entitled ‘Electronic nicotine delivery systems: overheating, fires and explosions’.

Dum Dum Daaa!!!

Now I won’t bore you with the details as it’s a terribly boring piece – filled with important looking graphs and statistics – but guess what this ‘research’ found?

Nothing.

Ha!

Yup – nada – zip – nothing.

But hey don’t let a sexy headline get in the way of ‘proper’ scientific research lol.

However it did conclude that:

The scope, causes and trajectory of ENDS OH/F/EXP [e-cig devices] events remain incompletely defined.

Some events have resulted in life-threatening injury, permanent disfigurement or disability, and major property damage, suggesting the need for ongoing surveillance and risk mitigation.

More comprehensive reporting could assist future analyses and may help to identify root causes and contributors to the OH/F/EXP events.

“Incompletely defined.”

I’ll just leave that hanging there.

OK most of us may not be scholars with a ton of letters after our name but surely had these researchers popped onto any of the blogs they’re complaining about – they’d see that as vapers we KNOW that pretty much all ‘explosions’ can be traced to bad batteries and battery management inside mechanical mods.

But hey don’t let us mere mortal vapers and vaping bloggers get in the way of the ‘research’ cash cow!

OK let’s look at another study in their ‘most popular’ pieces.

Research Equals Stating the Bloody Obvious

Under the grandiose title ‘Cohort study of electronic cigarette use: effectiveness and safety at 24 months’ – researchers studied dual tobacco and e-cigarette users and those of us who only vape.

The study lasted 2 years at Lord knows what cost and found that those of us vaping are more likely to quit smoking for good after 2 years than those who both smoke and vape.

OK that’s good – however they do have to clarify the statement by adding:

Overall, the first 2 years of the study confirm that switching completely to e-cigarettes MIGHT help tobacco smokers remain abstinent from smoking.

OK hands up who’s been off the fags for over two years and is still abstinent from tobacco?

Umm thought so – pretty much all of us.

Now here’s the interesting thing about this Tobacco Control website [oops I mean journal] – apart from filling its pages up with seemingly ‘high-brow’ research and report papers it rarely [if ever] recognizes vaping as a good thing.

I spent one of the most boring hours of my life scrolling through the reports and spent much of that time face palming until my head was red lol.

We MUST Protect the Children!!!

Here’s just a few titles of the studies and research papers – you’ll need to subscribe to read them fully – unless of course they are Free – as in unlocked by the editor – which in itself tells you more about the site than anything.

What I mean is just look at the studies I’ve marked FREE 😉

• Impact of advertisements promoting candy-like flavoured e-cigarettes on appeal of tobacco smoking among children: an experimental study [FREE!]
• Electronic cigarette retailers use Pokémon Go to market products
• Combustible cigarettes cost less to use than e-cigarettes: global evidence and tax policy implications
• Adolescents’ interest in trying flavoured e-cigarettes [FREE – I wonder why]
• Should e-cigarette use be permitted in smoke-free public places? No.
• Role of sweet and other flavours in liking and disliking of electronic cigarettes [FREE!]
• Electronic cigarette marketers manipulate anti tobacco advertisements to promote vaping
• Vaping on Instagram: cloud chasing, hand checks and product placement
• E-cigarette use is deferentially related to smoking onset among lower risk adolescents
• What are kids vaping? Results from a national survey of US adolescents

I could go on – and on and er on.

But I think you can see a clear pattern emerging here.

The ‘scholars’ on the Tobacco Control website [sorry journal] don’t seem to like e-cigs much now do they?

And they certainly seem rather too preoccupied on ‘pity the poor children’ and the demon vapers peddling their ‘evil’ sweet tasting wares [for the record I don’t mean anyone by the name of Demon Vaper btw – thanks for the Love Hearts in my recent orders lol].

Cancer Research UK – Vaping IS Healthier than Smoking

For instance if you pop over to our excellent E-Cigarette Research page you’ll see we’ve just added the findings of a study from Cancer Research UK.

This study states categorically that switching to e-cigarettes and vaping WILL significantly lower the risk of being diagnosed with tobacco related cancers.

PLUS it categorically says there is NO evidence of harm through what has become known [a myth] as passive vaping.

Do we see that report or indeed any positive study of the health benefits of vaping vs smoking over on the lofty journal?

Nope – though I’m sure there must be one two tucked away somewhere – surely?

Instead and here’s what is so blatantly obvious – they pander to the misconception that all we vapers are interested in is getting little kids to take it up!

I mean what the absolute f**k do they think we are?

Censoring the Vaping vs Smoking Debate

Though that does leave a bit of a dilemma if you think about it.

I mean I have a grandson – pretty soon like countless kids before him he’ll be faced with his mate offering him a cigarette.

Knowing him he’ll hopefully say no – but hey who knows?

Now hands up everyone who’s first cig was at school or out and about with your mates?

I think I was about 8-years-old and it was a Players Number 6 lol.

Of course it’s wrong and of course I’m not promoting smoking for kids – but I tell you this I’d rather my grandson took a suck on a 0mg Dinner Lady Lemon Tart than a bloody Lambert and Butler.

But I digress.

Look far from ‘stopping’ the debates and discussions brought about by their published research papers Tobacco Control has simply shown themselves as both sanctimonious and elitist.

They’re coming across as sulky kids – ‘it’s my toy you can’t have it’.

Smoking vs Vaping is a big issue that we ALL should be positively encouraged to debate and consider – it’s an expensive one at that.

Big Tobacco stands to lose billions if the world packed up smoking overnight – it’s little wonder they’re pushing tobacco marketing in developing countries the cynical bastards.

Instead of trying to censor any research into tobacco and e-cigarettes a website [sorry journal] like this one should be positively encouraging openness and debate.

As I said over on Twitter – it makes you wonder what they have to hide – but then I am an old cynical former reporter 😉