Alex Norcia Leaves Filter

Tobacco harm reduction (THR) reporter Alex Norcia is leaving Filter magazine “and [departing] from journalism,” he wrote.

Norcia has written for Filter for the past two years, and he wrote for Vice before that.

“I will remain involved in THR,” Norcia wrote. He broke the story about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “Fatal Flaw” standard as well as dug into synthetic nicotine before the topic caught fire.

“Reflecting on the events I’ve reported for the better part of four years leaves me with a sense of just how fast the news moves. But it can get, unfortunately, repetitive,” he wrote about his experiences. He cited cyclical news like flavor bans that have spread across states and the impacts of such laws. He noted his favorite moments as well, detailing a well-rounded career in THR reporting.

“Now, like everybody else, I’ll be waiting to see if the FDA bans menthol combustibles or lowers the nicotine levels in cigarettes or ever authorizes a flavored nicotine vaping product (even menthol),” he wrote. “Or whether, on the world stage, more countries will follow pathways like the United Kingdom, Sweden or Japan—or, conversely, prohibition-oriented responses like India, Taiwan and Mexico.

“I don’t know the answers to these questions. Like other observers in this rapidly evolving field, I’ve never been able to predict the future. But I’ll still be doing what I can to address the present.”