Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
August 13-16, 2024
Finding #CommonGround…
I have so much to say on this topic that I could probably write a book. If I can get the word count down, you might see it soon as an Op-Ed! (The struggle is real. I love words, and I have strong feelings about this!)
“…All of us who struggle with health behaviors other than smoking are no different than the smoker who wants to quit but can’t. We know we have a problem and understand that we need to address it. So, each year - like the smoker who quits for a few days and then returns - we diet, we join a gym, we might take a short break from alcohol, but invariably, before too long, we are back to our old ways. Like the smoker, we live dissonant lives, doing one thing and wishing we were doing another…”
I hope everyone reads Jeffrey’s thoughtful piece. He gave me a #CommonGround perspective I hadn’t thought of before!
Oh, Hey! Speaking of, I haven’t thought of something before. I have a book recommendation that’s not about nicotine, but all of the amazing advice in it could be about nicotine! I bought the digital version of this book and devoured it in a couple of days. I liked it so much that I turned around and bought the audio version and listened to the whole thing in 3 days. If you read it, let me know what you think of it. I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times.
One of our #CommonGround landing places is that we all wish minors wouldn’t do adult things. It feels kinda hypocritical for me to say that because when I was a teen, I was one of the great experimenters. I tried many things, several of which were not “parental unit approved.”
Ah! But now I’m “older and wiser” and have long filled my own pair of those “parental unit” shoes. I’m currently also filling the grandma and great-grandmother shoes! Two days ago, I had a conversation with my 15-year-old granddaughter, who has recently become the proud owner of a smartphone.
We had to talk about cyberbullies, people who aren’t who they claim to be, folks who will ask her for money or try to get her to do things she doesn’t want to do. We talked about those who will encourage her to try some things she’s curious about and wants to try, even if she knows she shouldn’t. She’s a great kid who sometimes struggles with many things. She is at high risk of being one of those experimenters.
We sadly have a family legacy of teens doing adult things.
I watched one of my kids have her first child while still in high school (unprotected sex). I watched another of my kids have a heart attack and almost die at the age of 29 (he smoked). Like so many other young people (and like I was!), my kids did stuff I didn’t want them to do.
This is why I’m a firm believer in educating teens about ways to reduce potential harm if they decide to do what we prefer them not to do.
Think about that when you read articles like this one, which says,
“Now, both countries are struggling to protect minors from obtaining these products. More children are vaping than smoking in both countries.”
Does that mean it would be better if they smoked?
While to most, it is “awful” that those kids are vaping*, my heart sings a quiet little song of joy for every mom who has a kid who isn’t smoking and won’t be watching her kid having a heart attack on the bathroom floor.
~Skip
P.S. My personal #DiscomfortOfThought is realizing how far some people will go to discredit the voices of consumers who use, are grateful for, and fight every day for the right to use products that are less harmful than combustible cigarettes. I have to remind myself daily that most people have the best of intentions, even if I don’t agree with their tactics.
*Not an endorsement for youth vaping. Of course, they shouldn’t. But for those who will use nicotine, no matter what we do to stop them, what should they do? Vape or smoke?
Varenicline vs nicotine-containing e-cigarettes for smoking cessation. “Varenicline and nicotine containing e-cigarettes were similarly effective for smoking cessation at six months, and e-cigarette users were less likely to discontinue treatment due to side effects. E-cigarette use for smoking cessation remains controversial for some clinicians, in part because longterm health effects of e-cigarettes are still unknown. Nevertheless, experts generally agree that e-cigarettes are safer than continued use of conventional cigarettes, and I’ll continue to discuss the option of e-cigarettes with my patients who have been unsuccessful with other smoking cessation methods.” Molly S. Brett, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Colorado, Boulder, USA.
Preserving choice: Why Santa Rosa shouldn’t ban all e-cigarettes. “Santa Rosa’s proposed ordinance goes too far by aiming to eliminate all e-cigarette options, even those deemed appropriate for the protection of public health by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”
The Impact of Tobacco Harm Reduction in Bangladesh. “Despite Bangladesh's efforts following the 2004 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, progress has been slow, and the country is unlikely to meet its tobacco-free goal by 2040…In Bangladesh, adopting THR strategies could prevent 920,000 premature deaths over the next four decades. Addressing the needs of middle-aged smokers now could significantly reduce premature tobacco deaths by 2060.”
Disposable Vapes Eating Into Cigarette Sales, Industry Data Show. “Sweanor concluded. “Consumers are telling us how they want to get away from cigarettes. We should listen to them and facilitate that transition.”
Nearly 3 million people in GB have quit smoking with a vape in last 5 years. “New figures show that over half of people who stopped smoking in the last five years across GB used a vape to quit. In the North East the figures are even higher – nearly six out of 10 used a vape to quit.”
Does vaping cause cardiovascular disease? “An analysis of 20 studies (14 cross-sectional and 6 longitudinal) involving nearly 9 million people did not find an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease in people who exclusively vaped compared to those who had never vaped or smoked. (Chen) The authors point out that this study does not prove that vaping is risk-free to the cardiovascular system - longer studies may be needed to identify harms.”
Correcting the Public’s Perceptions of Nicotine Would Benefit Public Health Greatly. “In contrast, those who incorrectly believed nicotine is the primary cause of smoking-related cancer (“Definitely yes”) had a lower switch rate (2.59%), potentially leading to 300,000 additional premature deaths.”
Collaboration Call. “We encourage further research, open dialogue, and collaboration with governments, health organisations, and stakeholders to ensure the best possible outcomes for public health.”
Disposable Vape Ban Threatens New Zealand’s “World Leader” Status. “The policy, which the government first announced in March and plans to have in place by the end of the year, applies to the manufacture, import and sale of all non-rechargeable devices and non-refillable pods and cartridges.”
FDA Proposes New Requirements for Imports of E-Cigarette Products. “The docket for the proposed rule, titled “Submission of Food and Drug Administration Import Data in the Automated Commercial Environment for Certain Tobacco Products,” will be open for public comment beginning Friday through Oct. 15.”
Decoding anti-vaping campaigns. “National, state, and local organizations are running campaigns in attempts to reduce vaping among adolescents and young adults,” Noar says. “But we need a scientific understanding of what works to ensure that these campaigns are effective.”
New Law to Prohibit E-Cigarettes From Being Shipped to Illinois Passes. “Illinois Senate Bill 3098, signed into law Aug. 9, prohibits e-cigarettes purchased by mail, online or through other remote sale methods from being shipped to anyone in the state other than a distributor or retailer. Senate Bill 3098 goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025.”
Draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 consultation: SG response – Responses from those with links to the tobacco industry. “SGF also launched a campaign in October 2023, with members, to provide 1,000 free vape recycling bins to convenience retailers in Scotland, which will be delivered this spring. This is part of our campaign to support the acceleration of recycling points for used vapes in Scotland and builds on the significant progress that has already been made.”
Children’s Wisconsin doctors urge state lawmakers to match federal Tobacco 21 law. “It’s been the federal legal age to purchase tobacco and e-cigarettes since 2019, but Wisconsin law hasn’t caught up. It’s still age 18 here.”
The events listed below focus on nicotine. Some may not support reduced-risk products. Some have covered nicotine in the past but may not cover that topic every year.
Aug 18-21, 2024, Mobile, AL, US - Federation of Tax Administrators - 2024 Tobacco Annual Meeting
Aug 23, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars. Grand Rounds: "Cigarette package inserts for enhanced communication with smokers"
Aug 23, 2024 (Virtual) 10am - 11am EST - Exploring the Intended and Unintended Consequences of ENDS Policies: Licensure Laws, Flavor Bans, and Taxation
Sep 4, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - New Approaches to Tobacco Smoking Cessation Among People Who Use Drugs
Sep 6, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
Sep 7-10, 2024, San Diego, CA, US (In-person & Virtual) World Conference on Lung Cancer.
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 20, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
Sep 23, 2024, NYC, NY, US - New Approaches Conference
Sep 24-26, 2024, Athens, Greece - GTNF
Oct 3-4, 2024, Burlington, VT, US (In-person & Virtual) - Vermont Center on Behavior and Health 12th Annual Conference. 2024 Theme: "Tobacco Use: Intersections with Other Addictions, Chronic Disease, and Health Disparities."
Oct 4, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
Oct 13-17, 2024, Edinburgh, Scotland - CORESTA Congress 2024
Oct 15, 2024, US (Virtual) - FDLI Introduction to Tobacco Law and Regulation
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. See list of Conflict of Interest Principles.
Oct 23, 2024, Washington DC, US (In-person and Virtual) - FDLI Tobacco and Nicotine Products Regulatory Science Symposium
Oct 24-25,2024, Washington DC, US (In-person and Virtual) - FDLI Tobacco and Nicotine Products Regulation and Policy Conference.
Oct 27-30, 2024, Minneapolis, MN, US - 2024 APHA Annual Meeting and Expo (Public Health). Register here.
Oct 28, 2024, Charleston, SC, US (In-Person & Virtual) 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM ET - Susan Rosenblatt lecture: Brian King
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—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
Scroll Down for 2025 and 2026 Events
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.
Wanted: Conference/Seminar Submissions…
Call for abstracts for SRNT 2025 (←link to info). Submissions may be for symposia, individual paper presentations, and posters describing cutting-edge research in nicotine and tobacco. Notes: There is a new submission portal, and applicants need to create a new account and familiarize themselves with the system. There are restrictions on who is eligible to participate. The submission deadline is August 23, 2024.
Poster abstract submissions for the Vermont Center on Behavior and Health 12th Annual Conference. 2024 Theme: "Tobacco Use: Intersections with Other Addictions, Chronic Disease, and Health Disparities." Please send details (including title, authors, affiliations, and 250-word abstract) to Eric Thrailkill, PhD by September 1, 2024. Abstracts will be evaluated on the basis of scientific merit. They will be reviewed on rolling basis and decisions will be communicated within 14 days of submission.
TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminar call for papers/nominations. The submission deadline is October 7, 2024.
Call for Papers
Substance Use, Stigma and Social Harm. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024.
Themed issue/section on Non-Medicinal Oral Nicotine Products. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024
Tobacco Use in Adolescents and Youth. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024
Tobacco Use, Vaping, Heating, Nicotine Dependence, Smoking Cessation, and Public Health. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024
Cancer prevention. Submission Deadline: 11 October 2024
Mental Health, Stigma and Addictive Behaviors. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2024
Empirical modeling. Submission deadline: 28 November 2024
Generating stronger evidence to inform policy and practice: natural experiments on built environments, health behaviours and chronic diseases. Submission deadline: November 30, 2024
A Means to an ENDS: The Uncertainty of ENDS Use and Cardiovascular Disease From Human Research to Basic Science Mechanisms. Submission deadline: 31 December 2024
Cancer Causes and Control. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024
Factors Associated with Successful Smoking Cessation. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024
Scroll down for 2025 opportunities
Call for Papers
E-cigarettes and Vaping Products: Health Effects and Toxicological Impacts. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 21 January 2025
Thinking Outside the Box to Reduce Health Inequities in Perinatal Tobacco and Nicotine Exposure: A Nicotine & Tobacco Research Themed Issue Nicotine & Tobacco Research intends to publish a themed issue on Prenatal Tobacco and Nicotine Exposure. The guest editors for this issue will be Dr. Natacha De Genna, Dr. Laura Stroud, and Prof. Yael Bar-Zeev. Submission deadline: February 1, 2025.
LGBTQ+ Health. Submission deadline: 04 March 2025
Consumer behaviour. Submission deadline: 25 March 2025
Wearable devices. Submission deadline: 27 March 2025
The Tobacco Endgame in Low- And Middle-Income Countries and Indigenous Communities: Evidence Syntheses and Systematic Reviews. Submission deadline: 25 May 2025
STRONGER Scholars: A Research Education Program to Reduce Tobacco-Related Cancer Disparities and Improve Health Equity. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025
Jan 15-19, 2025 Seattle, WA, US - Society for Social Work and Research.
Mar 5, 2025 York, UK (In-person & Virtual SCAH - Smoking Cessation and Health Conference.
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 the announcement, not event info)
Sep 10-12, 2025 Romania - SRNT-E Conference
Nov 17, 2025 (all week) Geneva - FCTC COP11
Nov 24, 2025 (all week) Geneva - FCTC MOP4
Mar 4-6, 2026 Baltimore, MD, US - SRNT 32nd Annual Meeting
Notes:
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