Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
June 18-21, 2024
15-year anniversary of the signing of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act
The Washington Post published the commentary by former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop in 1998, in which he cautioned Americans not to forget the people who smoke.
To continue this historical perspective, here is a video of President Obama’s speech and the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (TCA) Signing.
Globally, millions of people die every year from smoking-related causes. Depending on whose numbers you’re looking at, 460,000 - 480,000 of those deaths happen in my country, the United States. That is a huge increase from the 400,000 Obama mentioned in his 2009 speech.
The signing of the TCA happened at a time when many in society shared a common goal, and that was to reduce the devasting effect smoking had on our loved ones.
Do we still collectively share that goal, or have some of us been sidelined? Do we spend our time looking at statistics and forget the faces behind those numbers?
“When I was 22, I watched my grandpa wheeled out of his home in a body bag. Aged 53, I sat in the dark with my mom as she breathed her last breath. My family tree is filled with people who died too soon from cancer, heart disease and other ailments linked to combustible tobacco use. All of them smoked, and all were unable or unwilling to quit.
So, like millions of others in the United States, I have a deeply personal stake in legislation around smoking.”
The quote above is the introduction to my commentary, which was published today in Filter Magazine. My original title was “Body Bags and Tombstones: A Heartbreaking Family Legacy.” But the commentary is about more than my family tree. It is about the TCA, the FDA, and the struggle the US is dealing with while we try to “get it right.”
The new title of my commentary is “Tobacco Control Act Turns 15: Have We Made Any Progress?” I am honored to have the opportunity to share it with you.
On the anniversary of the signing of the TCA, I wonder if we’re accomplishing what we hoped that bill would achieve. What did we get right? What do we need to improve on? Have we abandoned the mission behind the TCA?
Have we forgotten the people who smoke? Do they have a voice? Do we care that they continue to die in unacceptable numbers?
Yes, I have a lot of questions. I hope somebody knows the answers.
E-cigarettes found effective in smoking cessation. “Unpopular opinion: e-cigarettes are not the devil.” … “There is so much disdain for vaping, even among level-headed experts with nuanced opinions on substance use disorder treatments, that some misinformation about e-cigarettes has emerged. So let’s discuss the facts and then move on to some new research.” …
Tobacco harm reduction and better treatment could save nearly two million lives in selected countries in the Middle East. “The analysis shows that over 1.8 million lives could be saved by 2060 through these interventions, compared to continuing with current WHO-directed tobacco control e!orts alone.”
Javier Nieto, nephrologist: "If smokers switch to smoke-free products they have less risk". (Google Translate) “The Spanish Society of Hypertension and Vascular Risk and the regional societies consider in the "Consensus Document on Smoking and Vascular Risk" that the total change to smoke-free products may be a less dangerous alternative for the health of smokers who cannot quit .”
GFN 2024 Round Up – Who Said What?!?! “So if you were not there in person or unable to catch the live streaming, here is a round up of the important points made!”
Global Health Experts Discuss Individual Cessation Support As Public Health Systems Fail To Stop Smoking Epidemic In Eastern Europe And Central Asia. “We must learn to meet individuals who smoke where they are on their cessation journeys, and to understand why they are unable to quit with the tools at their disposal. If we continue to push the same approach from two decades ago, we will fail to serve those who continue to smoke, and whose lives are being disrupted by war,”
Congress spotlights the FDA’s “Kafkaesque” vaping regulation. “Because the FDA fails to authorize them, almost all e-cigarettes sold today in the United States are illegal.” … “There remains a backlog of e-cigarette product applications, including applications from the former market leader, Juul. To compare, new [combustible] cigarettes are authorized regularly.”
“Reducing smoking harm is an urgent challenge” / Experts: “We will lose the war against cigarettes”. (Google Translate) “From Warsaw, the experts appealed to international institutions to encourage strategies to reduce smoking harm so as not to lose the war against cigarettes.”
ETHRA letter to the Council of the European Union. “We wish to urge caution and provide some factual context for the discussion. The measures proposed are unlikely to protect young people and likely to do more harm than good overall. Full or partial bans on the manufacturing and supply of novel nicotine products will not prevent the underlying demand for nicotine. All safer nicotine products are flavoured in some way (including tobacco flavour); therefore, a ban on flavourings is a de facto ban.”
EXCLUSIVE: French and German governments sign onto EU wide flavour ban. “The new paper, titled “Strengthening efforts to protect children from direct marketing and sale of tobacco and nicotine products, especially on digital platforms” also has the support of Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and seven other EU Member States.”
Takeaways from this year’s thought-provoking Global Forum on Nicotine. “One pro-THR activist told me he thought the reduced-risk nicotine world was divided more than ever into “them and us” (the antis and the pros). And while there may well be truth in this, as long as both sides are just standing in their own corners shaking their fists at one another, we’re not going to get anywhere.”
Wanted: Survey Participants
Exploring Vapers' Attitudes towards Potential Restrictions of Vaping in the UK. *NEW* Update: Now open to anyone 16 or older (Previously 16-30)
Call for Experts
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
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
Prevention and Management of Multimorbidity in Older People. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024
Harm Reduction in Europe: Histories, Choices and Hopes. Submission Deadline: 30 June 2024
3rd Edition of Stigma, Health and Wellbeing. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024
Advances in the Challenges and Opportunities of Global Public Health. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024
Public Health Consequences of Social Isolation and Loneliness. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024
CALL FOR YOUNG RESEARCHER EDITORIALS (YRE): PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTHY LONGEVITY. Manuscript Submission Deadline 14 July 2024
Maternal and Child Health. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: July 15, 2024
Rural Health Disparities: Contemporary Solutions for Persistent Rural Public Health Challenges. The deadline to submit an inquiry is July 19, 2024.
A 10-year Update on Nicotine and Tobacco Research Related to Sex/Gender. The submission deadline is July 31, 2024.
Health Effects of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS): What Can Be Learned from Human and Experimental Studies? A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024
Health and Risk Behaviors in Adolescents and Youths. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024
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.
*NEW* 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
Generating stronger evidence to inform policy and practice: natural experiments on built environments, health behaviours and chronic diseases. Submission deadline: November 30, 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
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
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
Wanted: Conference/Seminar Submissions…
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
Nov 14-15, 2024, UK - SSA Annual Conference. Submissions for posters and oral presentations are due by July 3, 2024
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.
TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminar call for papers/nominations. The submission deadline is October 7, 2024.
For global coverage of calls to action, please click here: Advocating For Tobacco Harm Reduction.
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 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.
Jun 27-28, 2024, Minneapolis, MN, US - National Tribal Tobacco Conference
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.
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
Jun 26, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
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.
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 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. Early bird registration ends June 30, 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. 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
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
