Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
August 5-8, 2024
Is a moral panic about vaping moving people to take desperate actions, ones they would not take in other circumstances?
Parents:
‘I’ve lost my children to vaping’: the tragic stories behind the soaring rates of youth addiction. (Note: This parent is a general practitioner.) “Jason has resorted to giving his son two cigarettes a day to replace the vape.”
Thai ministry steps in as mothers’ vape video sparks concern. “The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS) intervened to assist two children after a video surfaced showing their young mothers vaping next to them…Minister Varawut stated that officials from the Suphan Buri Child and Family Shelter, along with local officials, investigated the situation on Monday, August 5. They warned the mothers and provided education on child safety and proper child-rearing practices in accordance with the Child Protection Act. The shelter conducted a medical examination of the children.”
Schools:
NZ - Inglewood High: ‘No toilet during class’ rule causes menstruating teen to soil clothing, dad pulls daughter from school. “This has already gotten to a point where a girl has bled through her clothing and has to sit in it as a teacher told her to hold it and that she could wait. This student was mortified.”
UK - Aylsham High School toilet row in vaping crackdown. “They’ve even said there have been incidents of children wetting themselves in classrooms after teachers told them they couldn’t leave.”
IR - Schools are removing outer doors on bathrooms to crack down on students vaping. “One parent expressed to The Journal that their daughter found the decision to be impeding on their privacy as her daughter would find it “embarrassing” for anyone to hear her using the toilet facilities…”
US - Bathroom privacy up in smoke as Alabama school combats vapes. “An Alabama high school has decided to remove some of the doors from its bathroom stalls in an effort to stop students vaping in campus bathrooms.’
SG - Students caught for first-time vaping offences could face up to S$2,000 fine, according to MOH and HSA. “For students who are caught vaping, in addition to the penalty imposed by HSA, schools and IHLs will continue to mete out consequences through existing disciplinary frameworks, such as suspension or caning (for boys in schools)," said the authorities.”
I attended high school in St. Louis Park, MN, from 1974 to 1977. So many students smoked that my school designated one boy's and one girl’s bathroom as a smoking bathroom. Check out how schools were dealing with smoking teens in the 70s: SMOKIN’ IN THE BOYS’ ROOM.
How do we stop kids from doing adult things? I don’t know the answer, but I do know that denying them privacy or the opportunity to relieve themselves, resulting in physical and mental health problems, is not the answer. In school or in public, strip-searching, criminalizing, tasing, kneeling on their necks, and beating children is not the way to modify their behavior, either.
Why aren’t we talking about the unintended consequences of those actions?
I’m deeply concerned that society’s moral panic over youth vaping is contributing to increasing concerns over youth mental health. I wrote about it last year for Filter Youth Suicide Prevention and Zero-Tolerance School Policies.
September is three weeks away, and it is an important month for me. As a survivor of some horrific experiences as a child, I deal daily with the mental health challenges born from those events. I don’t want children to end up in the dark places I have been. September is Suicide Prevention Month, and September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD).
“Among children between the ages of 15 and 19, suicide is the second leading cause of death, and the leading cause of death for 14- to 15-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
“As part of the campaign for WSPD 2024-2026, IASP is issuing a call to action: "Start the Conversation." This call encourages individuals, communities, organizations, and governments to engage in open, honest discussions…Every conversation, no matter how small, contributes to a more supportive and understanding society.”
September is also the three-year anniversary of the publication of a paper many of us have talked about, Balancing Consideration of the Risks and Benefits of E-Cigarettes. It, too, is a call to action to start a conversation—a balanced one. One that could greatly benefit youth AND the adults in their lives!
Parents shouldn’t be at risk of losing their children because they are vaping around them. Panic-stricken parents shouldn’t think that providing cigarettes to their kids is a good idea because their teen vapes.
I don’t want to see any more girls bleeding through their clothing because they can’t use the restroom, and I certainly don’t want to see more kids tased and hauled away in handcuffs. Those experiences can have long-term effects on the mental health of our kids.
We owe them better than that!!
Knowledge, perception, and willingness of emerging Public Health Advocates to effectively communicate about smoking cessation and Tobacco Harm Reduction in Africa. “Conclusion: Identified barriers to effective THR communication included misinformation propagated by health professionals and the media, religious and cultural constraints, and challenges in reaching remote areas. Strategies to enhance THR communication encompass increased advocacy and communication, government engagement and policy development, simplification of THR messages, and capacity building and engagement of advocates and stakeholders.”
I love this thread on X(Twitter)! I want to give Dr. Abrams a PhD in Compassion!!
Towards more practicable e-cigarette regulation in Australia. “Australia's ‘world leading’ attempt to impose a prescription model on 1 million plus vapers is in disarray. One can hope that an unworkable prescription model will be replaced by a more practicable model that would enable adults who smoke cigarette to access e-cigarettes while minimizing adolescent access.”
New Toolkit Empowers Communities To Conduct Tobacco And Nicotine Use Surveys. “The "Community-based Participatory Survey Toolkit" provides step-by-step guidance for community groups, tribes, harm reduction advocates, and marginalised populations to gather crucial data on smoking and vaping habits within their communities.”
New Zealand to be declared ‘smoke-free’ - thanks to vaping. “New Zealand’s smoking rate among people aged 15 and over reached 6.8 per cent last year. The country’s government believes the percentage will dip below the five per cent mark before 2025.”
Social workers should be promoting tobacco harm reduction. “However, few countries train social workers to support those who want to quit smoking. This is a missed opportunity for both individuals in need and the public health system. Equipping social workers with the tools to provide trusted information and advice on tobacco harm reduction options would benefit their clients, as well as their families and communities. It would save lives. The potential is massive, especially in countries where smoking cessation services are rare, non-existent or expensive to access.”
Youth Traditional Tobacco Use At Record Lows In Nebraska, Vaping Significantly Down. “For policymakers concerned with youth tobacco use, the 2023 results bring welcome news: the percentage of youth using traditional tobacco products is at record lows, and youth vaping has significantly declined since peaking in 2019.”
A Missed Opportunity. E-cigarettes and older smokers. “Amid the intense media focus and regulatory action directed toward youth vaping in the U.S., there is another population demographic whose e-cigarette use is worthy of attention—though in this case, more as a result of their relative lack of use of these devices…the question of how best to boost smoking cessation efforts among older smokers is of increasing importance.”
WHO’s New Tobacco Guidelines Prioritize Ideology Over Public Health. “The WHO’s new guidelines heavily reference 15 evidence reviews by the highly respected Cochrane Library on all manner of cessation methods, yet conspicuously ignore the Cochrane review on the use of e-cigarettes as a quitting aid.”
Would vaping help more veterans quit smoking? One group thinks so. “Many of these veterans have tried to quit smoking but were unsuccessful, and [the VA] refused to inform them on all of the pathways to quitting. Failing to authorize innovative products and even misleading veterans on alternative nicotine products,”
Barriers to Smoking Cessation in the LGBTQ+ Community. “For starters, it would help if LGBTQ+ smokers were introduced to commercial tobacco alternatives. Studies have shown this is far more effective, as it helps slowly wean smokers off the habit with fewer chances of a relapse.”
Adopt NZ, Sweden approach to reduce smoking rates in Malaysia: Acata. “The Advanced Centre for Addiction Treatment Advocacy (Acata) has called for the inclusion of comprehensive tobacco harm reduction measures in the upcoming Control of Smoking Products for Public Health 2024 (Act 852). “
How Does VP Pick Tim Walz Measure Up on Drug Policy? “He has additionally called for a statewide ban on the vape flavors that many adults switching from cigarettes find important. And he unsuccessfully sought to impose a new tax on vaping products, further reducing the financial incentive to switch in a state that already has the heaviest tax on vapes. Minnesota’s smoking-related deaths have slightly increased in recent years, reaching 6,530 in 2021.”
Vaping saves lives? The situation in the USA | Vaping Unplugged Podcast with Allison Boughner Ep. 56.
Across the Pond Episode 22: Carissa Düring and Episode 23: Tim Andrews.
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 9, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars. "Making a Smooth Exit? Menthol Bans and Cigarette Sales in Massachusetts"
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.
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 (Note: I had the end date wrong in previous newsletters!)
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.
Positions Available
The Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program. The program is a full-time, hands-on training and educational program that provides early career individuals with the opportunity to spend 12 weeks at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC learning about science and technology policy and the role that scientists and engineers play in advising the nation. Application Deadline is September 9, 2024.
*NEW* Several opportunities are listed towards the end of the August issue of the IAS 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 Comments
On June 5, the FDA announced the closing date for the public comment period on Swedish Match U.S.A., Inc’s applications, submitted for the renewal of existing modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) orders for their General Snus products. Public comments on these applications must be submitted to the docket—pointers for making comments here. Submission Deadline is August 14, 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