Stanton Glantz

The new US Surgeon General's Report (SGR) on tobacco and health confirmed that 490,000 Americans die each year from combustible tobacco use (smoking). While we continue to make overall progress with unprecedented lows in both adult and youth smoking, the annual death toll IS THE HIGHEST EVER REPORTED. The SGR makes clear this is a social justice issue given the disproportionate harm caused to some communities, such as certain racial and ethnic groups (chief among them American Indians and Alaska Natives), those with lower income and less education, people living with mental health conditions and substance use disorders, those identifying as LGBTQ+ and members of the military, among others. But @Surgeon_General has at the same time delivered a scientifically flawed perspective on the need and value of alternative nicotine options for the millions of Americans who are members of the above groups and have been unable or are unwilling to otherwise stop smoking. The Surgeon General is in fact in direct opposition to @FDATobacco, which reports that there is a clear continuum of risk for different sources of nicotine. This is a life-and-death matter, and there is simply no legitimate place for dogmatic political correctness.