Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter

August 2-5, 2024

A seat at the table - Part 1

When it comes to the discussion about nicotine, many people could have a seat at the table. There is much debate over who should be able to participate.

I’m calling this “part 1” because I have many opinions about seat occupancy and imagine I’ll write about the topic again.

I’ve had some interesting conversations recently about consumers. One of the people I communicated with had concerns about referring to people as consumers. I had never considered that before, so I had to ponder that perspective. I thought about what people feel when they think about people smoking, vaping, or using some other nicotine product.

Now, I find myself wondering how much autonomy is lost when people who use nicotine are referred to as “consumers?” Are they seen only as hapless victims of spurious marketing tactics by the industry? Is consideration given that people may want to use nicotine and find some value in doing so? I find those questions interesting.

I will continue to use consumers today, but I fully expect to replace that word with something else in the future. I’d love to know what others picture when they think of consumers of nicotine.

Some of my other conversations acknowledged that nicotine consumers are not being heard or not given a voice. Many topics were discussed, from conferences, studies, and involvement in organizations. Comments were also made about the disconnect between consumers (aka people with lived experience) and healthcare practitioners, public health, and the media.

Questions were raised on how to rectify this issue. Y’all know I raised my hand to offer an opinion! Below are some ideas. I hope these ideas initiate more ideas and result in action to bring about change.

Conferences:

• Include a consumer on the planning committee.

• Invite consumers to be panelists and speakers.

• Have a lower fee for consumer spectators to participate in-person or virtually.

• Have a “consumer” category on registration forms.

Surveys & Studies:

• Involve consumer advisors when planning a study or survey. They can provide input on how products are used and what would be using a product in a way a consumer can’t tolerate. They will know how consumers use products and what products are called. They might think of things you haven’t thought of.

• In the spirit of Peer Reviews, invite a consumer to conduct a layperson’s review before publishing. Is the nomenclature correct? Can any parts be considered stigmatizing? Is it understandable?

Organizations:

• I applaud those of you who say consumers need a voice. What better way to show that than to appoint one to your Board of Directors or Advisory Committee? Does your mission statement acknowledge the importance of the voices of people with lived experience?

• Include someone who used or uses nicotine when conducting a webinar or podcast.

• Invite consumers to write a guest piece for your blogs or newsletters.

• Consumers could be invited to speak at your meetings, or include consumers when organizing people to testify to regulators.

• Help consumers tell their stories by providing guidance on public speaking or Op-Ed writing.

• When you speak to the media, suggest they also talk to consumers and have a list handy of consumers to refer them to.

What suggestions do you have to involve consumers and amplify their voices? How important are people with lived experience to you and the work you do?

• E-Cigarette Characteristics and Cigarette Cessation Among Adults Who Use E-Cigarettes

• Pleasure and Satisfaction as Predictors of Future Cigarette and E-cigarette Use: A Novel Two-Stage Modeling Approach

• Youth use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Wave 6: Impact of survey mode. See also: X (Twitter) Thread by co-author.

• Playing with Numbers - How research methods distort nicotine effects and risks. “The article was concocted by a dubious research group, founded to help young international medical school graduates get coveted authorship credits.”

• Daily Use of E-Cigarettes Linked to Higher Cigarette Quit Rates, Roswell Park Research Shows. “New PATH Study findings underscore importance of sufficient nicotine replacement for smoking cessation”

• The market for tobacco and nicotine is transforming—how could it look by 2040? “Much of what we do today will shape the world in 2040, and our view of how the world should be in 2040 should shape what we do today.”

• New Zealand Boosts Heated Tobacco Products for Harm Reduction. “Risk-proportionate taxation to make lower-risk alternatives to cigarettes more affordable for people who smoke is sensible.”

• The Case for Nicotine. “Many policymakers see nicotine as part of the problem; THR proponents see it as part of the solution. Understanding why such deeply opposing views are held also provides a view of the way ahead.”

• Daily Use of E-Cigarettes Linked to Higher Cigarette Quit Rates, Roswell Park Research Shows. “Adults in the U.S. who used e-cigarettes daily and also smoked combustible cigarettes were more likely to quit smoking than those who smoked but used e-cigarettes less frequently…”

• Something to Smile About - The CoEHAR is studying the impact of reduced-risk products on oral health. “Dentists have historically been hesitant to invest their professional efforts in helping clients quit smoking,” Polosa says. “However, there is now an increasing recognition among dental professionals of the significant benefits of smoking cessation in improving treatment outcomes, and more and more dentists are increasingly promoting smoking cessation strategies and advocating for the use of tar-free nicotine products.”

• More E-Cig Use Linked to Greater Chances of Quitting Smoking. “Notably, mint and menthol flavors were associated with higher overall cigarette discontinuation rates compared to tobacco-flavored products…”

• Beyond Cigarettes: How Heated Tobacco Products Could Transform U.S. Smoking Rates. “Since 2009, innovation has driven a technological revolution in tobacco harm reduction, introducing thousands of less harmful products and leading to decreases in smoking rates. It's time for the U.S. to reform the processes that hinder access to these products.”

• Fifth Circuit Cites Triton to Vacate Denials. “The court sent the company’s marketing denial orders (MDOs) back to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for additional scientific evaluation. As a result, the manufacturers may keep selling their products until the agency completes new reviews of their premarket tobacco applications (PMTAs), or until the Supreme Court takes action.”

• Wholly Owned | FDA Regs Deliver THR Monopoly to Big Tobacco | RegWatch.

• Episode 28: A Closer Look At 'Backfired' Vaping Wars podcast—Alex Clark - CASAA.

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.

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

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.

• 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.

• *NEW* 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 24-25, 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.

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.

• *NEW* 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:

• 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