Thinking 'bout THR
April 20-23, 2024
Greetings!
Please note that the email version of this newsletter sometimes gets shortened, and you need to click the link at the bottom to view the whole thing.
I have been asked if I could try to send this out more than once a week. That way, the news is more current, and there are fewer links to explore at a time.
It has also been suggested that a couple of sentences for each link be included to give readers an idea of the content.
A reader suggested that I try to cover other alternative nicotine products more, as these newsletters are heavy on the vaping side. I’d love to do this! What I share here is what I “stumbled” on while online. If you see news, videos, etc. you’d like to suggest, please email them to skipscorner(at)gmail(dot)com.
I love the feedback from readers! Please keep sending it.
~Skip
“Most—if not all—manufacturers and retailers want to comply, but if the pathway to compliance is uncertain and overly burdensome in terms of cost and time, actors in the marketplace will find a way to provide consumers with the products they desire.” The FDA-CTP must repair their regulatory process to solve the illicit ENDS problem
“What’s a health crisis is that 20,000 Australians are dying every year from smoking. That is a health crisis.” Government Vaping Prohibitions Are Making Cigarettes the Easier Alternative
"US public health agencies that resist technological advancements to reduce harms of nicotine use are not only betraying their mission statements, but disregarding decades of their own findings, thanks to a chronic case of mission creep." Charting US Public Health’s Disastrous Mission Creep on Smoking
“The state budget proposal is incredibly harsh, seeking to impose an 80 percent tax on e-cigarettes. If adopted, a tax like this could disincentivize people from using safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes.” Rhode Island Gov. McKee’s proposed e-cigarette tax is a bad approach to public health
“Curt Enzel sadly passed away in March this year. While Enzel might not be a household name, his work has had an incredible impact on millions of Swedes and others worldwide. In light of his passing, it’s a great time to celebrate the professor and his game-changing invention: the portioned snus pouch.” Curt Enzel: The Father of Nicotine Pouch
“He cited his signing of a bill in 2019 to raise the age to buy tobacco or e-cigarettes from 18 to 21; the legalization of cannabis, which despite risks to brain development in youth, no one is considering imposing a ban; and the sale of flavored alcohol products despite the impact of alcohol abuse on society.” Vermont Governor Takes the Right Approach to Tobacco Harm Reduction
“Increasing taxes on e-cigarettes flies in the face of what Sweden has achieved. If Canadian authorities are serious about saving lives, they should follow Sweden’s lead and ensure that less harmful alternatives are more accessible and affordable to smokers.” International health experts condemn Canadian e-cigarette tax hike
“These declines in combustible cigarettes sales should not only be welcomed by the FDA, but should also provide the necessary data indicating that flavored e-cigarettes are “appropriate for the protection of public health (APPH)” – the criterion the agency relies on when evaluating and tobacco and/or vapor product.” With Cigarette Sales Declining, More Evidence Supports the Role of Flavored Vapes in Helping Adults Quit
“The CoEHAR - research center for the reduction of smoking harm at the University of Catania, founded in 2018 by professor Riccardo Polosa and directed by professor Giovanni Li Volti - responds to the study conducted by the American College of Cardiology which highlighted the connections between 'vaping' and heart failure.” Use of electronic cigarettes: the results of the CoEHAR studies of the University of Catania
“Joining us today to discuss the ramifications of the commissioner’s testimony is Tony Abboud, executive director of the Vapor Technology Association. We review informed questioning by U.S. House Reps and take a deep dive into problematic responses by the commissioner.” Industry Plot? | FDA Commissioner Denigrates Tobacco Harm Reduction
Clive makes 5 points in his testimony to Brazil. Clive Bates - the arguments for vaping and for lifting a prohibition
“A letter to the Secretary for Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, calling for six supporting strategies to improve the impact of three forthcoming (though repeatedly delayed) tobacco product standards in the United States.” Flanking measures for tobacco product standards
Opportunities…
*NEW* Freelance Statistical Reviewer Provide a statistical or methodological review, as appropriate, on manuscripts assigned by the BMJ Open editorial team. The application deadline is May 8, 2024.
BR-UK GO-Science Senior Policy Fellow Interviews held on 13 May and the post is available immediately.
London, UK Head of Research Interpretation Application Deadline May 2
Suggestion Box…
Wanted: Suggestions for SRNT-E online autumn seminars
Videos and Films…
Jun 13-15, 2024, Warsaw, Poland - GFN - Global Forum on Nicotine. Call for the following film/video submissions: #GFNfives, #ScienceLab, and film festival. The submission deadline is May 15, 2024.
October 27-30, 2024, Minneapolis, MN, US - 2024 APHA Annual Meeting and Expo. While APHA welcomes films from all disciplines of public health, films related to the APHA 2024 theme “Rebuilding Trust in Public Health and Science” are highly encouraged. The submission deadline is May 10. Submit a film or volunteer to be a film peer-reviewer.
Conference Submissions…
Sep 8-11, 2024, Atlanta, GA, US - 77TH TOBACCO SCIENCE RESEARCH CONFERENCE. Call for abstracts. The submission deadline is May 17, 2024.
Sep 16-17, 2024 (Virtual) - 7th Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction by SCOHRE. Call for speakers. The submission deadline is May 15, 2024.
October 13-17, 2024, Edinburgh, Scotland - CORESTA Congress 2024. Call for abstracts for poster and oral presentations. The submission deadline is May 17, 2024.
October 27-30, 2024, Minneapolis, MN, US - 2024 APHA Annual Meeting and Expo. Registration opens in June.
Oct 23-25, 2024, Broadbeach, Australia - Oceania Tobacco Control Conference 2024. Note: not THR-friendly. See list of Conflict of Interest Principles. The submission deadline is April 26, 2024, for abstracts for Long Oral, Poster, Rapid-fire, and Workshop presentations.
AMERSA Conference Nov 14-16, 2024 - Notes: This conference doesn't always have content about nicotine. The conference requires the use of person-first language. Submission Deadline: May 1, 2024, for the following: abstracts, workshops, and conference awards (travel and registration fees).
Nov 14-15, 2024, UK - SSA Annual Conference. Submissions for posters and oral presentations are due by July 3, 2024
Education / Certification…
May 20-21, 2024 - Virtual (all day) - Rutgers-Tobacco Dependence Program’s TTS (Tobacco Treatment Specialist) Training (Note: Approximately 18 hours of self-paced online modules due before the group training)
Petitions…
EU: “At the end of this year, we will submit the petition to the EU Parliament’s PETI committee.” Every Life Counts
Spain: “However, even though there are thousands of vapers in Spain, we are NOT listened to. Although our experience with Vaping shows that it is an effective tool against smoking, those responsible for health in our country refuse to listen to us.” I Vape I DO NOT Smoke! NO to discrimination against vapers!
Argentina: “For all of the above, we ask the new executive of the Argentine Republic to repeal the ban. Less harmful nicotine products have the necessary characteristics to allow millions of people dependent on nicotine to consume it in a less harmful way, which would result in enormous benefits for their health, the public health of the country and the finances of the State.” Open letter to the President of the Argentine Nation
Tobacco harm reduction means different things to different people. Some may wish to achieve a nicotine-free society. Others may wish to squash the tobacco industry. Some prefer that people who choose to use nicotine use it in a form that has less risk than smoking tobacco. What we all have in common is a desire to reduce/eliminate smoking-related diseases and premature deaths. The events listed below focus on nicotine. Some events may not be supportive of reduced-risk products. Some have covered nicotine in the past but may not cover that topic every year.
Apr 22-24, 2024, Arlington, VA (In Person) - TMA Annual Meeting and Conference
Apr 25, 2024, (Virtual) - Investigating research fraud and errors: Tips and tools to help you get started NOTE: Must be a member of IRE (Investigative Reporters & Editors)
Apr 25, 2024, 1:00 PM ET - The Partnership @drugfreeNH and American Heart Association Virtual Community Conversation on the Youth Vaping Epidemic
Apr 26, 2024, 2:00 PM ET (TOPS VIRTUAL) - Annika Theodoulou, University of Oxford “A Complex Evidence Synthesis Investigating the Effect of Individual-level Smoking Cessation Interventions on Socioeconomic Inequalities in Tobacco Smoking”
Apr 26, 2024, UK 11:30 AM-1:00 PM (Virtual) - BR-UK: Open science and the importance of pre-registration
Apr 26, 2024, 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM PT (In-person and virtual) San Francisco, CA, US - UCSF's "It's About A Billion Lives" Annual Symposium on Tobacco Control
Apr 26, 2024, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM Fargo, ND, US Nicotine Dependence Conference
May 10, 2024, 2:00 PM ET (TOPS VIRTUAL) - Guillermo Paraje, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez “The Impact of WHO FCTC on the Number of Smokers: An Analysis using ITSA with Synthetic Control Groups”
*NEW* May 13, 2024, Washington DC, US, 3:00-5:30 PM ACCELERATING ACTION TO END SMOKING: MINIMIZING RISK AND SAVING LIVES
May 14, 2024, Washington, DC, US - ECigarette Summit
May 15-16, 2024, Washington, DC, US (In-person and virtual) - FDLI Annual Conference
May 17-22, 2024, San Diego, CA, US - American Thoracic Society Conference. Note: COI statement.
May 20-22, 2024 - (Virtual) - ToPCon - Commercial Tobacco Prevention Conference
May 30, 2024 - (Virtual) 3:00-4:00 PM - CAsToR A Conversation about the Use of Computational Models in Tobacco Regulation.
May 30-31, 2024 - Brisbane, AU - 2024 SRNT-Oceania Chapter Conference (30th) and Tobacco Endgame Centre of Research Excellence Annual Symposium (31st) Online Registration Link (for both)
Jun 4-5, 2024, Portland, ME, US - Tobacco Treatment and Prevention Conference
Jun 13-15, 2024, Warsaw, Poland - GFN - Global Forum on Nicotine - Registration open! (Pre-Conference activities Jun 12)
Jun 16-19, 2024, San Diego, CA, US - 2024 ASHEcon Conference (Health Economists).
Jun 19-20, 2024, Miami, FL, US - Next Generation Nicotine Delivery USA
Jun 27-28, 2024, Minneapolis, MN, US - National Tribal Tobacco Conference
Jul 4-5, 2024, Opatija, Croatia - 13th Workshop on the Economics of Risky Behavior. Program here.
Jul 21-23, 2024, San Marcos, TX, US - Texas Tobacco-Free Conference
Aug 18-21, 2024, Mobile, AL, US - Federation of Tax Administrators - 2024 Tobacco Annual Meeting
Sep 7-10, 2024, San Diego, CA, US (In-person & Virtual) World Conference on Lung Cancer. Early Bird registration ends June 7, 2024
Sep 8-11, 2024, Atlanta, GA, US - 77TH TOBACCO SCIENCE RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Sep 16-17, 2024 (Virtual) - 7th Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction by SCOHRE
Sep 23, 2024, NYC, NY, US - New Approaches Conference
Sep 24-25, 2024, Athens, Greece - GTNF (Event link not yet available)
Oct 13-17, 2024, Edinburgh, Scotland - CORESTA Congress 2024
Oct 23-25, 2024, Lisbon, Portugal - LISBON ADDICTIONS European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies.
Oct 23-25, 2024, Broadbeach, Australia - Oceania Tobacco Control Conference 2024. Early bird registration ends June 30, 2024. Note: not THR-friendly. See list of Conflict of Interest Principles
Oct 27-30, 2024, Minneapolis, MN, US - 2024 APHA Annual Meeting and Expo (Public Health). Registration opens in June.
*New* Oct 28-29, 2024, Charleston, SC, US (Virtual and In-Person) 2024 NICOTINE AND TOBACCO SCIENCE CONFERENCE
Nov 14-15, 2024, UK - SSA Annual Conference. Early bird discounts until September 9, 2024
Nov 14-16, 2024, Chicago, IL, US—AMERSA Conference—Registration opens in June. Note: We won't know until the agenda is announced if nicotine will be part of this year's conference.
December 5, 2024, UK (Virtual and In-person), E-Cigarette Summit UK
Check out the public Google calendar of THR-related events created and maintained by Clive Bates. Also, check out the event calendar from Ecig Intelligence. Their listings include consumer/trade shows and expos that I don't include in this newsletter.
Global coverage of calls to action: Advocating For Tobacco Harm Reduction
Jan 15-19, 2025 Seattle, WA, US - Society for Social Work and Research.
Mar 12-15, 2025 New Orleans, LA, US - SRNT 31st Annual Meeting
Aug 26-28, 2025 Chicago, IL, US - The National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) (Link is to announcement, not event info)
Sep 10-12, 2025 Romania - SRNT-E Conference
Mar 4-6, 2026 Baltimore, MD, US - SRNT 32nd Annual Meeting
Notes:
Deadlines are in bold type. Additions to the seeking participants and events sections since the last edition will be denoted by "*NEW*"
I create these newsletters as a personal project. They are not affiliated with any current or past employers or groups I do volunteer work with. I believe that everyone deserves a seat at the table. If you’re interested in nicotine with a focus on THR, this newsletter is for you.
Until next time,
Skip “#BeKind” Murray
