In a recent article on the risk factors and perceptions of e-cigarettes in South Africa, researchers led by Mageshree Naidoo concluded that e-cigarettes could cause harm to both users and non-users, and public health would be improved if these products were not available. This conclusion ignores the growing scientific evidence that e-cigarettes are less harmful […]

Tobacco smoking is the world’s leading cause of preventable death and disease, and quitting smoking can produce considerable and immediate health benefits. Most smokers who want to quit tend to do so without assistance, but some use prescription medication or nicotine replacement therapies. Initial efforts using these methods are often unsuccessful. In fact, approximately half […]

In response to COVID-19, the global medical community has devoted unprecedented resources to the development of new vaccines and treatments. These initiatives are necessary and laudable; yet, as researchers and public health officials divert attention to the pandemic, they risk overlooking other pressing health challenges, such as diabetes, depression or the tobacco epidemic. While these […]

More than 1.3 billion people use tobacco around the world, and even though more than 8 million people die each year from tobacco-related diseases, traditional combustible cigarettes are still the most common form of nicotine consumption in the world. Unfortunately, many people mistakenly believe that nicotine is responsible for smoking-related cancers and other illnesses. However, […]

“Buck Duke will not be forgotten, a debt he owes in part to other forgotten men, ones not so adept at the American art of transformation by dint of desire.” 1 James Buchanan (Buck) Duke founded Duke University after a career spent revolutionizing the American tobacco industry. He famously created and then dominated the cigarette […]