Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
June 3-6, 2024
Building Bridges and Planting Seeds
Every sunrise fills me with hope. A new day is a new beginning, and I sit in awe as the day comes to life. I love seeing the sky lit up with vivid hues, the sun's rays lighting the treetops, and the birds breaking out in a chorus of joy.
This AI-generated image has a lot of symbolism for me. It shows a rising sun illuminating a field of sunflowers. The field is divided by a river. Sunflowers are reflecting on the water. There is a bridge with a railing arching over the river.
The sunflowers represent all of us. Each has traits that make us unique individuals, yet we all have something in common.
Like humans sometimes do, these sunflowers are making a potential mistake. They should be facing the rising sun. We don’t know the specific cause of the possible mistake we’re seeing. It could be bias, misinformation, or personal beliefs. Perhaps the flowers are curious enough to explore something new, to #MakeNewMistakes as Joe Gitchell would tell us.
I could have filled the field with any kind of plant, but the sunflower holds special meaning to me. The dance it participates in during the summer, following the sun from east to west and back again, reminds me of the tribalism that humans instinctively participate in. The switching to facing only east in the fall reminds me of how we can dig in and refuse to budge.
Sunflowers are also the universal symbol for people like me—people with hidden disabilities. They provide us with a way to let others know we may need support without making a public announcement of our labels. Some consider our disabilities challenges that make our lives more difficult. I think all humans have challenges that make their lives more difficult, even if they don’t possess an official label.
The sunflowers standing together and embracing their differences make them a sight to behold. Each plant holding up other plants provides a strength they would never know if they stood alone.
Sunflowers produce many seeds, which provide us with nourishment. I think of seeds as thoughts. Without new thoughts, our brains will starve to death. By sharing our thoughts, we are planting seeds, seeds that can lead us to a brighter future. But those seeds can’t grow unless we allow them to root in our fields, that space between our ears!
The river symbolizes the things that divide us, but it also provides a way for us to see each other. We get to choose what the river will be—the divider or the reflector. One blinds us, one opens our eyes. And while it may be easier to choose to be blinded to the thoughts of others, we cheat ourselves of the treasures that others have to share with us. I invite all of us to look into the water and see the person whose reflection is waiting to be discovered.
The arch in the bridge represents the work it takes to climb to a higher point in life that gives us the best view of our surroundings and the people in it. The stones the bridge is built with have been around for a long time, just as some of our beliefs have been. And while those stones provide a solid foundation, even stones change with the passage of time.
The stones in this image also remind me of the importance of not being the person who throws stones when discussing controversial subjects.
The railing makes it safe to cross the bridge. It reminds me of the name of my Substack, “Skip’s Corner: A safe place to talk about hard things.” I hope all of us find a way to make it safe for others to talk about topics that we may differ on. A variety of perspectives truly is the spice of life.
A sunrise denotes a new day—a fresh start, an opportunity to do better than yesterday. No matter what our differences have been in the past, today is a new opportunity to strike up a conversation, explore what we have in common, and put our heads together to find solutions.
I look forward to greeting this day with all of you, and I’m excited for the opportunity to once again welcome your thoughts and share mine. Together, we can make a difference.
Are you ready to build bridges and plant seeds with me?
~Skip #BeKind Murray
The World Health Organization risks credibility with inaccurate attacks on vaping. “May 31 marks World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), an annual event created by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1987 to raise awareness about the harms of tobacco products. What was once a simple exercise in public health communication is now igniting discussion about whether the WHO itself is promoting incorrect or misleading information about the relative risks of different tobacco products.”
Smokeless Continues to Succeed. “So far, it hasn’t happened, but trends in adult use may affect curiosity among youth. As companies enter the category, special attention needs to be paid to marketing, specifically branding and flavor descriptions.”
Relative harm beats absolute harm when it comes to aids for smoking cessation. “The difference between inhaling tobacco and vaping is chalk and cheese. The hatred that’s being generated for e-cigarettes is an attack on common sense, and a lot of irrational conversations are being held. It’s so disappointing because it’s the smoker trying to quit who suffers.”
Europe’s cancer league wants a tobacco free Europe, but doesn’t talk about tobacco at all. Why? “There was only a single mention of smoking during the whole hour and 40 minute conference call; and that almost served to underline just how far from the mission of reducing smoking related disease many in public health have come.”
Quitting Camel Country. “What’s different about the Middle East when it comes to tobacco use? What’s the need for tobacco harm reduction? And what factors might support or block the uptake of reduced-risk products?”
Swedish dentists recommend nicotine pouches with integrated gum protection. “Prior to the test the 23 dentists, who were all consumers of snus or nicotine pouches, self documented their oral health status and then started using only Stingfree Strong Blue Mint pouches for five weeks. The test was supervised by expert dentist Mathias Ahl in Stockholm, who did not himself participate in the testing of the product.”
Call for Nominations
*NEW* Nominate a 2024 STAT Wunderkind - STAT Wunderkinds is a chance to celebrate early-career researchers who are not yet independent scientists or program leaders. We want to honor postdocs, interns, fellows — people who have terminal degrees in hand, but aren’t running their own research programs yet. Entries are due by July 15, 2024.
Call for Experts
*NEW* WHO Call for Experts - Technical Advisory Group on Economic and Commercial Determinants of Health 24 May 2024 - Call for experts. The Deadline for applications is 7 July 2024.
Call for Comments
*NEW* 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 by the docket by 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 5 to ensure they receive consideration by FDA. Pointers for making comments here.
Call for Papers
A 10-year Update on Nicotine and Tobacco Research Related to Sex/Gender. The submission deadline is July 31, 2024.
Service Opportunities…
Nomination Call for New SRNT-E Board Members (President-Elect and Secretary. Nominations are due by June 15, 2024.
Wanted: Conference/Seminar Submissions…
Sep 16-17, 2024 - 7th Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction by SCOHRE. Call for abstracts for short oral or poster presentations. The submission deadline for abstracts is July 12, 2024.
Call for speakers. The Society for the Study of Addiction is now accepting applications for speakers at the PhD Symposium. The application deadline is July 3, 2024
*NEW* TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminar call for papers/nominations. The submission deadline is October 7, 2024.
Nov 14-15, 2024, UK - SSA Annual Conference. Submissions for posters and oral presentations are due by July 3, 2024
Petitions…
Some are listed on this Safer Nicotine Wiki advocacy page.
For global coverage of calls to action, please click here: Advocating For Tobacco Harm Reduction.
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.
Jun 12-14, 2024, Dubai, UAE - Global Vape Forum.
*NEW* Jun 12, 2024, Washington DC, US - 10:00 AM ET (Virtual) - Senate Hearing - Combatting the Youth Vaping Epidemic by Enhancing Enforcement Against Illegal E-Cigarettes.
Jun 13-15, 2024, Warsaw, Poland - GFN - Global Forum on Nicotine - Registration open! (Pre-Conference activities Jun 12)
*NEW* Jun 14, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
Jun 15, 2024, CASAA fundraiser - details coming soon!
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 21, 2024, (Virtual) 6:00 AM CT - BR-UK: Using ontologies to advance behavioural research.
Jun 26, 2024, Silver Spring, MD, US (Virtual and In-person) 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM EST - The Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee meeting (TPSAC). Topic MRTP renewal for Swedish Match. The deadline for written submissions by the public is June 20, 2024. The deadline to register to submit comments in-person or virtually during the hearing is June 11, 2024.
Jun 27-28, 2024, Minneapolis, MN, US - National Tribal Tobacco Conference
*NEW* Jun 28, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
Jul 4-5, 2024, Opatija, Croatia - 13th Workshop on the Economics of Risky Behavior. Program here.
*NEW* Jul 12, 2024, (Virtual) 10:00-11:00 AM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
Jul 21-23, 2024, San Marcos, TX, US - Texas Tobacco-Free Conference
*NEW* Jun 26, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
*NEW* Aug 9, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
Aug 18-21, 2024, Mobile, AL, US - Federation of Tax Administrators - 2024 Tobacco Annual Meeting
*NEW* Aug 23, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
*NEW* 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. 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
*NEW* 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 24-25, 2024, Athens, Greece - GTNF *NEW* Registration is now open
*NEW* Oct 4, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
Oct 13-17, 2024, Edinburgh, Scotland - CORESTA Congress 2024
*NEW* 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. Early bird registration ends June 30, 2024. Note: not THR-friendly. See list of Conflict of Interest Principles
*NEW* 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. Early registration expires July 31, 2024
Oct 27-30, 2024, Minneapolis, MN, US - 2024 APHA Annual Meeting and Expo (Public Health). Registration opens in June.
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.
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 the announcement, not event info)
Sep 10-12, 2025 Romania - SRNT-E Conference
*NEW* Nov 17, 2025 (all week) Geneva - FCTC COP11
*NEW* Nov 24, 2025 (all week) Geneva - FCTC MOP4
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
