Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
August 23-26, 2024
#BeLikeGus!
It’s no secret that I'm not too fond of politics. It's weird to dislike politics so much and be involved in advocacy for just about anything. Like it or not, the two pretty much go hand in hand.
Early last Thursday, I was on X (Twitter). I saw a short clip of 17-year-old Gus Walz hearing his dad say, “Hope, Gus, and Gwen, you are my world. I love you,” as Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was accepting the Democratic nomination to become the Vice President of the United States.
My eyes filled with tears watching Gus give his dad a standing ovation. Tears streaming, he applauded enthusiastically, then pointed at the stage and said, “That’s my dad!” So much love and pride. Everyone around Gus smiled as a son openly expressed his love for his father.
I watched it replay a few times, relishing the demonstration of pure joy. I remember thinking, wouldn’t it be cool if my kids were ever that proud of me? After Gov. Walz’s speech, I watched the whole family on stage, smiling and hugging. So much love!!!!
It made me a little sad. I come from a family that doesn’t openly express love that way. They are not huggy kind of people, and they don’t say the words “I love you.” It must be wonderful to know you’re loved the way that family showed love for each other.
Shortly after watching the clip, I learned that some grown-up versions of the "mean kids” had taken to social media and attacked Gus’s open display of love and pride and his family’s acceptance of it.
In my view, kids shouldn’t be drugged into politics. You don’t use children to take down someone running for office. I didn’t like it when people did it to Baron, and I don’t like people doing it to Gus. Doing that is not about issues important to voters; it is a way to fight dirty, which is wrong in my book.
Children should never be used as a political weapon.
People didn’t take long to learn “the rest of the story.” The grown-up mean kids found out that Gus lives with disabilities that make emotional regulation a challenge for him. In other words, he felt so much love, pride, and joy that it took him over and came bursting out of him in any way it could.
It’s poor optics to pick on someone with a disability, and most of the unacceptable posts were taken down, and some apologies were issued, including the excuse they didn’t know he was disabled.
EXCUSE ME!!!!!! <as I climb on my soapbox!>
Are they saying that it’s a free pass to be the mean kid if the targeted individual doesn’t have a disability? I can’t accept that. Words and actions matter.
Are you wondering what this has to do with a THR newsletter? It has everything to do with it. The Great Nicotine Debate has several grown-up versions of the mean kid. Some people in this space are awful to those they disagree with.
We are at the third anniversary of the paper by 15 past presidents of the SRNT. They encouraged us to find balance.
The Morven VII report will be available online soon. It will update the Morven VI report by encouraging more collaboration to improve public health. This series of dialogues started in 2011.
It has been 19 years since the first Strategic Dialogue on Tobacco Harm Reduction: A Vision and Blueprint for Action meeting was held and 15 years since they published their report. During this meeting, they discussed collaboration and working together for the greater good.
While I have seen some movement towards balance, there has not been enough to make me stand up like Gus, openly cheer, and weep tears of joy.
Please stop fighting the people you disagree with. The nicotine space must lay its arms down and commence with peace talks.
Planting the seeds of compassion and kindness will foster communication, lead to creative problem-solving, and produce results much faster than pitchforks ever could.
Gus didn’t deserve the cruelty he was targeted with. No one does. Not even someone we disagree with. Don’t be the mean kid. Don’t tolerate those around you being the mean kid, either.
Dare to be different, like Gus. Embrace differences like Gus’s family.
~Skip
(PS: In response to this, please refrain from frustrated comments about Walz’s stance on vaping. That is not the point of this editorial and my topic - the need to embrace differences and treat others with kindness. Nor is this an endorsement for/against his nomination for VP.)
I (regrettably) tried a nicotine pouch. It made me question what I think about addiction. “Is it OK that people are dependent on nicotine, if nicotine is not in and of itself bad for you? … Because of that “mind-warpingly addictive” element, instinctively I want to say no – it’s not fine. One should not be addicted to things. … But is a nicotine habit substantially different from a caffeine one, for instance? We’re not, most of us, wringing our hands about the legality of coffee.”
The Majority of Brits Who Quit Smoking Now Do So With Vapes. “If you think that one of the most valuable benefits of vaping doesn’t apply, then you have little incentive to move from dual use to exclusive vaping,”
Kentucky vaping industry leader says demise of business is well underway. “Tony Florence owns six vape stores in Kentucky and a manufacturing facility. He said his father died from lung cancer and his interest in the business has been to provide an avenue to help people quit smoking cigarettes…He said HB 11, passed earlier this year, limits legal sales to relatively few products…More and more stores just going out of business. They are not renewing leases.”
Canada restricts sale of nicotine pouches. Here’s what’s changing. “These measures, which will take effect Aug. 28, include strict advertising restrictions, prohibiting certain flavours and limiting sales to behind the counter at pharmacies.”
San Antonio ISD opts out of state-mandated punishment for vapes and THC cartridges. “Each day of placement in a Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) results in an interruption of instruction, increases a student’s risk for failure and school dropout, the amendment said, citing research from the University of Texas at Austin.”
Without regulation, Congress hands over control of vaping to criminal networks. (Google Translate) “All bans are based on a logical flaw: bans do not somehow make the banned products disappear. A ban changes who supplies the devices and how they are supplied. It drives out responsible, law-abiding suppliers, replacing them with informal markets or criminal networks.”
Cabinet approves tobacco control bill. (Moldova) “The bill prohibits doctors from … promoting any tobacco or related products as alternatives to smoking.”
Health department shares concerns about vaping. “As the county’s health department and Post Overdose Response Team (PORT) continue their battle against opioid addiction, there is a new growing concern that appears less sinister but is dangerous to health — vaping.”
The Skippy Seal of Approval Collection:
The Head Scratcher Collection:
I had some tweets picked out for this part, but I changed my mind about sharing them. They were “mean kids” posts, and I see no reason to give them clicks and attention for unkind behavior.
‘Popcorn lung’: Doctor reveals shock truth about vaping. “QUESTION: Hi Dr Zac, my husband came home from a bachelor party with a vape, and now he’s hooked. He is addicted but won’t admit it. He says I should be happy he’s not smoking cigarettes… ANSWER: …Popcorn lung is very real, and will affect your husband eventually if he does not stop…” (Note: You can learn more about Popcorn Lung here.)
The events listed below focus on nicotine. Some do not support reduced-risk products. Some have covered nicotine in the past but may not cover that topic every year.
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 8-14, 2024 National Suicide Prevention Week
Sep 8-11, 2024, Atlanta, GA, US - 77TH TOBACCO SCIENCE RESEARCH CONFERENCE
Sep 9, 2024 (Virtual) - Mindfulness Training for Smokers *FACILITATOR TRAINING.
Sep 9, 2024 (Virtual) - Webinar Series: Clearing the Air: Steps to Going Smokefree.
*NEW* Sep 10, 2024 (Virtual) 11:00 AM CT - PAVe Dangers of Youth Vaping: What Parents Need to Know in 2024.
Sep 11-13, 2024, SCHAUMBURG, IL, US (Industry specific) - CSP Tobacco+ Forum.
Sep 12, 2024 (Virtual) - Design and effectiveness of a vaping cessation intervention for adolescent e-cigarette users: Results from a randomized trial.
Sep 16-17, 2024 (Virtual) - 7th Summit on Tobacco Harm Reduction by SCOHRE
Sep 17-19, 2024, Geneva, Switzerland - World Cancer Congress (Includes sessions about tobacco.)
Sep 20, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
Sep 20, 2024 (Virtual) - Conversations on Cancer: National Hispanic Family Cancer Awareness Week.
Sep 23, 2024, NYC, NY, US - New Approaches Conference
Sep 24-26, 2024, Athens, Greece - GTNF
Sep 25, 2024 - World Lung Day
Sep 27-Oct 1, 2024, Orlando, FL, US - American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition. Monday, Sept. 30: “What’s All the Buzz? New and Emerging Nicotine Products Addicting Youth,” Brian King, Ph.D., M.P.H
Sep 29, 2024 - World Heart Day
Sep 30, 2024, London - Nicotine addiction 2024: Action on smoking.
October - Healthy Lung Month
October - Health Literacy Month
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 14-17, 2024 (In-person) PA, US - Clearing the Air® Institute. American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation
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
November - COPD Awareness Month
November - Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Nov 6-8, 2024, Harrisburg, PA, 2024 James E. Anderson Pennsylvania Conference on Juvenile Justice. One of the workshops, Restorative Solutions: Rethinking Youth Tobacco, Nicotine, and Vaping Dependency
Nov 13-14, 2024, Accra, Ghana - Africa Conference on Tobacco Control.
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.
Nov 14-16, 2024, Ontario, Canada - CSAM-SMCA 2024 Scientific Conference.
Nov 21, 2024, Great American Smokeout
December 5, 2024, UK (Virtual and In-person), E-Cigarette Summit UK
Dec 30, 2024, World Safer Nicotine Day #WSND #WSND24
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. This is a good resource for information on conferences about addiction/behavior.
Wanted: Conference/Seminar Submissions…
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 Posters
CSAM-SMCA 2024 Annual Scientific Conference. Submission Deadline August 30, 2024
Call for Papers
Call for Abstract — The 2nd Africa Conference on Tobacco Control and Development. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 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.
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.
Feb 13-15, 2025, Boston, MA, US - 2025 AAAS ANNUAL MEETING. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
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
Mar 27-29, 2025 - Phoenix, AZ, US - 31st Nicotine Dependence Center Conference 2025: The Evolving Tobacco Landscape and Implications for Policy and Practice.
April 15-17, 2025, Arlington, VA, US - American Tobacco & Nicotine Forum (ATNF), formerly the TMA Annual Meeting & Conference (I’m not aware of a link available to the event yet)
Apr 27-30, 2025 - Bogotá, Colombia - 28th edition of the Harm Reduction Conference (HR25)
June 2025, Bangor, Maine, US - 2025 Tobacco Treatment and Prevention Conference.
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.
Sep 6-9 2026, Cape Town, South Africa - 18th World Conference on Public Health.
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