RegWatch by RegulatorWatch.com

Could tobacco control be facing impending irrelevance? It may be the case considering safer nicotine products solve a problem many have spent entire careers trying to fix through blunt force and turning smokers into patients. Guest: Clive Bates, Tobacco Control Policy Expert, Counterfactual Consulting / Former Dir. of Action on Smoking and Health (UK) RegWatch on GFN.TV (Rewind) https://youtu.be/K...

New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit targeting Demand Vape, a major distributor of flavored vaping products and an anchor supporter of RegWatch. The lawsuit accuses the company of fueling an illegal market, but critics argue that the real culprit is New York’s prohibitionist policies. RegWatch breaks down the case, exposes the dangers of vaping bans, and responds to this lat...

For many within public health, the war on tobacco is over—and the new enemy is nicotine. It’s an uncomfortable pivot, one that requires ignoring what may be the greatest public health achievement of the century: the collapse of smoking rates across the Western world. Instead of celebrating, tobacco control, regulators, and activists have turned their guns on safer nicotine products—demonizing vapi...

For two years, RegWatch has documented the mounting challenges faced by Ontario’s health service providers—physiotherapists, chiropractors, and massage therapists—who deliver essential rehabilitation treatments to victims of auto accidents. These critical practitioners are nearing a breaking point as outdated reimbursement rates and relentless administrative demands leave them burned out and patie...

Seeds of public health’s war on vaping were planted decades ago during the fight against secondhand smoke. What began as a strategy to combat smoking has evolved into a campaign of deception—one that distorts science, spreads misinformation, and undermines harm reduction. WATCH PART 1 NOW | Discover how the campaign began and set the stage for this explosive second installment—only on GFN.TV. Join...

The future of the U.S. vaping industry hangs in the balance. As Donald Trump prepares to retake the White House, his administration could dismantle FDA red tape and overhaul tobacco harm reduction—or let bureaucracy and big tobacco tighten their grip. In this episode of RegWatch, Brent Stafford interviews Clive Bates, renowned tobacco control policy expert, to unpack what’s at stake for millions o...

REWIND: Hear how a once skeptical drug policy advocate became convinced about the power of nicotine vapes to help make positive changes in the lives of the vulnerable. Guest: David Mackintosh, Director Operations, Knowledge Action Change / Drug Policy, Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocate RegWatch on GFN.TV (Rewind) Produced by Brent Stafford Original Airdate: June 2, 2023 https://youtu.be/j31MjapFLMY...

Tobacco use in U.S. prisons is akin to air, it’s ubiquitous. And like air, for the vast majority of the incarcerated the need to inhale tobacco smoke approaches desperation. Would providing access to nicotine vaping products fix the craving and maybe save lives? Find out in this interview with health and behaviour researcher Dr. Cheryl K. Olson. Guest: Cheryl K. Olson MPH, ScD, Health and Behavior...

Get the inside scoop on the speakers and presentations at GFN23 with Jessica Harding, program director of the Global Forum on Nicotine 2023. RegWatch on GFN.TV (Rewind) Produced by Brent Stafford Original Airdate: May 5, 2023 https://youtu.be/BmjsrjGysKE Watch GFN Interviews every second Friday at GFN.TV Support RegWatch Today - https://support.regulatorwatch.com/ #RegWatch #VapeNews

REWIND: Scientists find stark differences between smoke and vapor in chemistry and impact on the human body. What are they? *Guest: Dr. Marina Murphy, Director of Scientific and Medical Affairs, ANDS / Former Head of Scientific Media Relations, British American Tobacco RegWatch on GFN.TV (Rewind) Produced by Brent Stafford Original Airdate: April 21, 2023 https://youtu.be/AFdlwV0JJac Watch GFN Int...

The tobacco industry is beginning to take decisive steps toward reducing the harms associated with combustible tobacco use, not by engineering a "safer cigarette" but by transforming their businesses to reduced-risk products such as vaping, oral tobacco, and heat-not-burn. In today's interview, we discuss the Tobacco Transformation Index, a tool that measures tobacco companies' progress toward a s...

Are tobacco companies sold on the science supporting harm reduction? It seems the answer is yes. And learn why from the former Head of Scientific Collaboration & Communication at British American Tobacco. Guest: Sarah Cooney, Scientist & Science Communicator / Former Head of Scientific Collaboration & Communication British American Tobacco / Director, Cooney Scientific Limited RegWatch...

Meet the legendary Polish vaping activist and organic chemist who wrote the e-book and blogs that helped usher in the era of vaping in Poland. Guest: Mirek Dworniczak, Organic Chemist / Free Lance Journalist / Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocate RegWatch on GFN.TV (Rewind) https://youtu.be/cBNB89Z_DCM Produced by Brent Stafford Original Airdate: March 10, 2023 Watch GFN Interviews every second Friday...

REWIND: Anti-vaping zealots have another notch in their belt as lawmakers in Taiwan passed an outright ban on nicotine vaping products. What drove the government of Taiwan to adopt such draconian measures? Find out in our interview with Danny Wang from the Taiwan Tobacco Harm Reduction Association. Guest: Danny (Yu-Yang) Wang, President, TTHRA Taiwan Tobacco Harm Reduction Association / Owner, VAP...

For some institutions, banning tobacco products poses significant risks—none greater than when a prison system goes smoke-free. Joining us today to talk about tobacco harm reduction in the Scottish Prison Service and the popularity of nicotine vapes in prison is Michael Stoney, governor of HMP Barlinnie. Guest: Michael Stoney, Prison Governor, HMP Barlinnie, Scottish Prison Service RegWatch on GFN...

Tobacco harm reduction is a concept never discussed in prison, despite the toll smoking takes on inmates’ health and the lack of safer alternatives behind bars. But for those exiting the prison system, they find a new freedom in the plethora of safer nicotine options, including vaping, which offer a path to better health and control over their finances and well-being. Guest: Dr. Christy Perez, Jou...

Top tobacco industry stock analyst says the pivot to tobacco harm reduction products is real and could potentially replace traditional combustible cigarette revenue entirely. Guest: Jonathan Fell, Tobacco Industry Analyst / Fmr. Partner & Co-founder, Ash Park Capital RegWatch on GFN.TV (Rewind) Produced by Brent Stafford Watch on: https://bit.ly/3BCRsek Original Airdate: January 27, 2023 Watch...

Today, the U.S. vaping industry finally had its day before the United States Supreme Court. Eric Heyer, the attorney representing Triton Distribution and Vapetasia, argued that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved the goalposts in its evaluation of nicotine vaping products under the agency’s PMTA process. In this episode of RegWatch, we bring you key moments from today’s landmark Supreme Co...

As reported by Politico, President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat is his choice to serve as Surgeon General in his new administration. Dr. Nesheiwat is a Fox News medical contributor and currently serves as medical director at CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. “Dr. Nesheiwat is a fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventi...

A coalition of anti-smoking special interest groups has brazenly crossed from advocacy into coercion, demanding a nicotine flavor ban that threatens to crush Canada’s $2 billion vaping industry and potentially push many of the country’s 1.9 million adult vapers back to smoking. In a concerning display of political muscle, these groups—Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, Action on Smoking & Hea...

With only days remaining in the 2024 U.S. presidential race, it’s crunch time for the candidates—and for nicotine vape consumers and the businesses that drive the U.S. vaping industry. One candidate, former President Donald Trump, announced in September that he "saved vaping" in 2019 and vows to do it again if elected to a second term. Yet, some remain unconvinced, given Trump’s mixed record on va...

Prohibition haunts the U.S. vaping industry, putting millions of lives at risk. Beyond the flavor bans and moral panics, the most damaging restriction is the FDA’s sweeping ban on speech. U.S. vape manufacturers and retailers are legally forbidden from sharing essential truths about nicotine vaping products—that they’re vastly safer than cigarettes and can help people quit. The FDA itself admits t...

It’s surprising to learn that the largest food companies in the world were once owned by big tobacco. During the 1980s through the early 2000s, tobacco giants Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds acquired and operated Kraft, General Foods, and Nabisco, generating billions in revenue from well-known brands like Oreo cookies, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and Lunchables. When big tobacco controlled these...

British American Tobacco is one of the oldest and largest of the world's tobacco companies. But they are also among the most innovative. Through its U.S. subsidiary, R.J. Reynolds, BAT was the first to receive marketing authorization from the FDA through the PMTA process for the Vuse Solo e-cigarette and tobacco-flavored e-liquid pods. This marked a significant milestone for the industry. Joining...

The U.S. vaping industry faces a pivotal moment as the Supreme Court prepares to review a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision. This ruling overturned FDA Marketing Denial Orders, including those affecting Triton Vapes LLC, seeking authorization to sell flavored nicotine vaping products. A favorable ruling could not only overturn these denials but also potentially unravel the FDA’s authority ov...