JohnOyston
Cigarette Alternatives
Several consumer products can act as safer alternatives to deadly cigarettes, but they are not being promoted effectively. In fact, more and more political action is making them less pleasant, more expensive, and more difficult to obtain. Health Canada needs … Continue reading →
Three Spanish Caminos
At present, this page is just a collection of notes! In September and October 2024, I hiked a total of 405 km on three Spanish Camino routes. I hiked all of the Camino San Salvador, all but two stages of … Continue reading →
A Flavour Quiz for Canada’s Health Minister
In a press conference, Mark Holland, the Health Minister, said that he planned to restrict flavours in nicotine pouches and vape to those that are essential and legitimately aimed at adults who smoke and want to quit. He would ban … Continue reading →
A New Approach to Smoking Cessation for 2024
Until recently, smoking was seen as a disease, a medical problem needing a professional solution from a physician, nurse or pharmacist. People who smoke were diagnosed with “Tobacco Use Disorder”. They were labelled as addicts, patients who needed to be … Continue reading →
2023
Happy Holidays! In lieu of the usual Christmas round-robin letter, I am making a year-end blog post. This allows me to include a lot of pictures. Hopefully, by Christmas, there will be a full page here with details of the … Continue reading →
Zonnic could save a million lives. Health organizations want it banned. Why?
Imagine, for a moment, that you are a 50-year-old who has smoked a pack of cigarettes a day since you were a teenager. You tried to quit a few times, but after a few days, you craved a smoke, like … Continue reading →
Teen vaping
Is it possible to create a regulatory environment and a culture that encourages adults who smoke to switch to vape without non-smoking teens taking up vaping as a hobby? The United Kingdom was a world leader in using vaping as … Continue reading →
Buckthorn Bashing
Note: The author has spent 20 years bashing buckthorn at his recreational property, Oak Hills Farm, which includes about five acres of buckthorn. Over the last two years, he has volunteered with Toronto Nature Stewards, tackling buckthorn at Roxborough and … Continue reading →
Frontenac Challenge 2023
A guide to completing the Challenge in six days The Challenge The challenge is to hike eleven trails in Frontenac Park in September and October. This effectively means covering every area of the park and almost all of the major … Continue reading →