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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 14h

Excellent discussion from David Sweanor on choice between trying to eradicate tobacco or more practical option of substantially reducing harm from smoking @sanho.bsky.social @jgitchell.bsky.social @chancethegardener.bsky.social @aliveadvocacy.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/skipscor...

The opposition to tackling cigarette smoking

David T. Sweanor J.D.

open.substack.com

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 14h

Global reset needed in tobacco control policies, as current approaches fail to address rising smoking-related deaths. Need to embrace harm reduction strategies, WHO should accept reduced-risk products like vaping and snus

tobaccoreporter.com/2025/10/08/c...

Clive Bates: WHO Using Tobacco’s History to Poison Good Science - Tobacco Reporter

Bates described alternative nicotine products such as vaping, heated tobacco, and smokeless options as “the disruption the FCTC never anticipated.

tobaccoreporter.com

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Difficult questions. Anyone want to answer?

Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

When government revenue/year from cigarette excise drops from $16 bn to $6 bn in 5 years but the health establishment Groupthink says excise rate can only be increased & can never be reduced @aliveadvocacy.bsky.social @ianamossyd.bsky.social @algore09algor.bsky.social

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

When the price of a packet of cigarettes can never be too high!
@aliveadvocacy.bsky.social @ianamossyd.bsky.social @algore09algor.bsky.social
@drbfreeman.bsky.social
@publichealthaus.bsky.social

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Plaque for future generations who might wonder whether or not people in 21st C really knew about #climatecrisis

Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Really? So doing everything you can to obstruct smokers wanting to switch from deadly cigarettes to much lower-risk smoke-free nicotine products actually protects human rights of smokers? How do you work that out? @jgitchell.bsky.social @chancethegardener.bsky.social @aliveadvocacy.bsky.social

Tobacco Control Research Group @tcrgbath.bsky.social · 1d

New commentary by TCRG's @brittakm.bsky.social and Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy from @ash.org argues that recognising #tobaccocontrol advocates as human rights defenders would provide them with better protection and align tobacco control with global human rights standards.

👉 Read: doi.org/10.1136/tc-2...

“Tobacco control has always been about defending the right to health, life, and dignity. Yet the advocates who lead this work often face threats without the recognition or protection afforded to other defenders of human rights.”

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Trump will fail in remaking American politics if people & institutions coordinate against him, which is why his administration is targeting businesses, nonprofits .. , proposing corrupting bargains to those who acquiesce & punishing holdouts to terrify the rest

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

Opinion | Where Trump Is Vulnerable and How to Act on It

www.nytimes.com

Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Public health should be open minded & happily engage in polite & respectful debate with serious people who have different views including especially people with lived experience. But sadly doctrinaire views are now more common @chancethegardener.bsky.social

Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 1d

Interesting (and a bit disconcerting) that the Public Health Association of Australia feels the need to block me instead of engaging in open discussion. If your position’s solid, why the censorship?
@alexwodak.bsky.social

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

“Trump seems to be losing control over Republican opinion on the Russo-Ukraine war, in a way that is very different from his hold over the party when it comes to practically every other issue”

open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

Something Interesting Is Happening With GOP Public Opinion

Hi All,

open.substack.com

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Really? Vapes invented by a smoker, patented 2003, market 2007, started selling well 2010. Snus available >200 years Sweden but now increasingly popular around world. Heated tobacco products & nicotine pouches. These took only 15 years to capture 10% global nicotine market.

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Reposted by Dr Alex Wodak AM

Nick Hedley @nickhedley.bsky.social · 2d

So long, coal

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Peace agreement means Netanyahu will have to return to court for his bribery case. And finally allow Commission of Inquiry into the war.
www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

What Israel and Hamas have — and haven't — agreed to in the peace deal

All of the living Israeli hostages in Gaza could be released as soon as next week under the first phase of a peace plan led by the United States — but the full details are yet to be released. Here is ...

www.abc.net.au

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Despite his errors on 2003 Iraq war, Friedman still well worth reading on Israel-Palestine
In NYT, “columnist Thomas L. Friedman explains why this round of peace talks could be different and what obstacles still stand in the way of making lasting peace a reality”

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

Opinion | Thomas Friedman on the Only Way to Solve the Israel-Hamas War

www.nytimes.com

Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

#FairTreatment reminds us NSW government’s deadline to respond to NSW Drug Summit Report officially passed. In that time, heard near silence on implementation of the 56 action items. Sorry @chrisminnsmp.bsky.social but just not good enough. #Harmreduction works!

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Harm reduction ubiquitous policy usually strongly supported eg road safety (car seat belts, airbags & motorcycle helmets). ‘Never let best be enemy of the good’. But some go nuts when it’s applied to sex (eg condom promotion) or drugs (eg needle syringe programs, vaping) @ianamossyd.bsky.social

Charles A. Gardner, PhD @chancethegardener.bsky.social · 1d

People who work "at the bedside" with People Who Use Drugs know #HarmReduction saves lives.

Many epidemiologists who work with data on their computers view harm reduction as a distraction. THEY favor paternalistic bans, sin taxes, stigma and prison for people who use drugs.

Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Nabarun Dasgupta just won MacArthur Fellowship award. Nab is an epidemiologist & harm reduction advocate combining scientific studies with community engagement to reduce deaths & other harms from drug use.
@chancethegardener.bsky.social @jgitchell.bsky.social

www.macfound.org/videos/2025-...

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Reposted by Dr Alex Wodak AM

Charles A. Gardner, PhD @chancethegardener.bsky.social · 1d

People who work "at the bedside" with People Who Use Drugs know #HarmReduction saves lives.

Many epidemiologists who work with data on their computers view harm reduction as a distraction. THEY favor paternalistic bans, sin taxes, stigma and prison for people who use drugs.

Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Nabarun Dasgupta just won MacArthur Fellowship award. Nab is an epidemiologist & harm reduction advocate combining scientific studies with community engagement to reduce deaths & other harms from drug use.
@chancethegardener.bsky.social @jgitchell.bsky.social

www.macfound.org/videos/2025-...

Nabarun Dasgupta - 2025 MacArthur Fellow

www.macfound.org

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

As you know retraction of scientific paper never done lightly. Rodu quite right severe flaws in your paper meant it was false & invalid. Vaping remains less harmful than combustible cigarettes as even Simon Chapman admits. Safer smoke-free options now replacing cigs @jgitchell.bsky.social

Stanton Glantz @profglantz.com · 1d

This argument is a distraction. As of Oct 2023 there were 11 epi studies of ecigs and heart disease (not counting the retracted paper) that show a statistically significant increase in risk (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.05-1.46). And lots of clinical and biology studies on why. profglantz.com/2023/05/05/t...

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Maybe Ukraine could soon achieve victory without US assistance by knocking off even more of Russia’s oil refineries & distribution networks?

Phillips OBrien @phillipspobrien.bsky.social · 1d

The most frustrating thing about this war is that the US could step in forcefully now with harsh sanctions against Russia and a large military package for Ukraine with ranged weapons as the centrepiece, and the war would end soon with a Russian defeat.

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Seems that for Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in US,reality is optional. If evidence & ideology collide, stick with ideology! @aliveadvocacy.bsky.social

Charles A. Gardner, PhD @chancethegardener.bsky.social · 1d

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids AND Big Tobacco now lobby US state lawmakers and FDA to ban and seize "Illegal Chinese vapes" ('flavored' disposable nicotine vapes).

Both claim those are "popular with teens."

#FactCheck: Here is what CDC teen (NYTS) and adult (NHIS) surveys actually show.

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Nabarun Dasgupta just won MacArthur Fellowship award. Nab is an epidemiologist & harm reduction advocate combining scientific studies with community engagement to reduce deaths & other harms from drug use.
@chancethegardener.bsky.social @jgitchell.bsky.social

www.macfound.org/videos/2025-...

Nabarun Dasgupta - 2025 MacArthur Fellow

www.macfound.org

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 1d

Great news for US harm reduction!
Dasgupta's groundbreaking research now recognized by MacArthur Foundation with a coveted "genius" fellowships ... his work outside lab helping develop "harm reduction" programs aimed at reducing drug deaths @sanho.bsky.social

www.npr.org/2025/10/08/n...

Scientist on front lines of overdose crisis receives MacArthur 'genius' award

Nabarun Dasgupta was recognized with a MacArthur "genius" award for work studying the deadly overdose crisis. He's also a front-line organizer, helping people survive.

www.npr.org

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 2d

A culture of leniency. Exposing wrongdoing or protecting wrongdoers?
Corporate regulator ASIC lets crooked bankers walk free, and the notional anti-corruption commission (NACC) ignores Robodebt.

michaelwest.com.au/asic-nacc-ex...

A culture of leniency. Exposing wrongdoing or protecting wrongdoers? - Michael West

Corporate regulator ASIC lets crooked bankers walk free, and the notional anti-corruption commission ignores Robodebt.

michaelwest.com.au

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Dr Alex Wodak AM @alexwodak.bsky.social · 2d

@who.int estimates global smoking decreased from 1.38 bn in 2000 to 1.20 bn in 2024: ie 13% decrease in 24 years. Not what you’d call rapid. But in countries after safer nicotine products were popular, eg NZ, rate of smoking decline accelerated 4 fold! How can WHO get away with ignoring evidence?

Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 2d

www.aliveadvocacymovement.com/post/who-s-w...

@alexwodak.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @drbfreeman.bsky.social

WHO’s War on Nicotine — Still Missing the Point

Harm reduction is about saving lives now, not waiting for everyone to quit everything forever.Instead, it twists progress into panic by attacking safer nicotine alternatives like vaping and pouches. E...

www.aliveadvocacymovement.com

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Reposted by Dr Alex Wodak AM

Alan @algore09algor.bsky.social · 2d

www.aliveadvocacymovement.com/post/who-s-w...

@alexwodak.bsky.social @melissasweetdr.bsky.social @drbfreeman.bsky.social

WHO’s War on Nicotine — Still Missing the Point

Harm reduction is about saving lives now, not waiting for everyone to quit everything forever.Instead, it twists progress into panic by attacking safer nicotine alternatives like vaping and pouches. E...

www.aliveadvocacymovement.com

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