Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
June 10-12, 2024
Jun 15, 2024, (Virtual) 9 AM-9 PM EDT, CASAA fundraiser - “We are excited to bring you a full day of engaging conversations with notable guests, including Clive Bates, Annie Kleykamp, Colin Mendelsohn, Greg Conley, Matt Culley, Allison Boughner, Lindsey Stroud, Charles Gardner, Skip Murray, and Joe Gitchell.” Participate via YouTube, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.”
Have you seen the HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF VAPING & ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES? It’s one of many valuable resources on CASAA’s website!
Explainer-US Industry Wants to See the 'Voldemort of Administrative Law' Die. “E-cigarette manufacturers, distributors and retailers want the Supreme court to rein in Chevron deference. They have accused the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of reaching "far beyond" its legal authority to essentially ban all non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes, which these companies say have been used by millions of addicted cigarette smokers to transition away from traditional cigarettes.”
FOIAengine: Hundreds of FOIA Requests Signaled Challenge to FDA. “As often happens, we first got interested in this case because of the cascade of Freedom of Information Act requests coming into the FDA. In recent months, PoliScio Analytics’ competitive-intelligence database FOIAengine – which tracks FOIA requests in as close to real-time as their availability allows – logged hundreds of FOIA requests about e-cigarettes and vaping from law firms with numerous vaping-industry clients. The FOIA requests were signals that something important was happening.”
FDA Urges 11th Circ. To Back E-Cig Ban Over High Nicotine. (paywalled)
Adopting the Berridge et al.: Framework to understand differences in the e-cigarette policy between the Nordic countries. “In the same way that the e-cigarette policy varies bewteen Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, there are also big differences between the Nordic countries in how non-combustible nicotine products are regulated.”
Comprehensive E-cigarette Flavor Bans and Tobacco Use among Youth and Adults. “We find evidence that young adults decrease their use of the banned flavored e-cigarettes as well as their overall e-cigarette use, by about two percentage points, while increasing cigarette use. For youth, there is some suggestive evidence of increasing cigarette use, though these results are contaminated by pre-trend differences between treatment and control units. The bans have no effect on e-cigarette and smoking participation among older adults (ages 25+). Our findings suggest that statewide comprehensive flavor bans may have generated an unintended consequence by encouraging substitution towards traditional smoking in some populations.”
The Effect of E-Cigarette Flavor Bans on Tobacco Use. “Using data from the State and National Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, we find that the adoption of an ENDS flavor restriction reduces frequent and everyday youth ENDS use by 1.2 to 2.5 percentage points. Auxiliary analyses of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System show similar effects on ENDS use for young adults ages 18-20. However, we also detect evidence of an unintended effect of ENDS flavor restrictions that is especially clear among 18-20-year-olds: inducing substitution to combustible cigarette smoking.”
…In the news: Flavored Vape Bans Led to Increase in Teen Smoking: Study
Harm perceptions across vaping product features: An on-line cross-sectional survey of adults who smoke and/or vape in the United Kingdom. “Findings are consistent with pervasive misperceptions that nicotine is a major cause of harm, although e-liquid volume is likely to contribute to harms.”
From the Safer Nicotine Wiki team: a new page called “Nicotine - Addiction/Dependence” is being built to compare the abuse liability of reduced-risk nicotine products to smoked tobacco. Suggestions welcome!
“Our worst scenarios have come true”: vapers turn to cigarettes. (Google Translate) “Only six months after the abolition of flavors in e-cigarettes, 36% of vapers have turned to cigarettes, according to data revealed in a recent survey.”
Study suggests novel ways to use e-cigarette packaging to better protect consumers. “A study funded by Cancer Research UK and led by experts from the Institute of Social Marketing and Health, recruited 31 young people (11–17 years old) and 39 adults in England and Scotland to explore how warning messages on e-cigarette and refill packaging are perceived and whether alternative messages could help encourage smokers to switch to e-cigarettes.” (Study)
Fixing U.S. vape regulation – twelve proposals. “In practice, FDA's regulation of the US vape market amounts to not regulating at all. I offer a diagnosis and twelve remedies.”
Storm in a Teacup Over Soccer Stars’ Snus Use. “Obviously snus is not for everyone, as the figures in the study show,” he concluded, “but the overwhelming evidence, concerning snus use more widely, is that it is a relatively safe way to use a relatively benign substance, nicotine.”
Harm Reduction Policies Are Adopted Inconsistently Across Substances. “Most potential harms attributable to substance use stem from two distinct causes of risk: the substance itself (including how it is used) and the prohibition of the substances or related equipment. Harm reduction has been shown to effectively mitigate the risks associated with a wide range of behaviors and substances. Some common harm reduction interventions include: … Electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) products …”
More Evidence that Bans on Flavored Vaping Products May Increase Teen Smoking. “While the empirical evidence that restrictions on vaping products, including flavor bans, threaten to increase youth smoking continues to accumulate, federal agencies are looking the other way. This is no way to enhance the protection of public health.”
Australia-first anti-vaping campaign uses threat of social harm, not cancer, to get its message across. “In focus group research by the health department, it found more traditional campaigns on health harms were more easily deflected because people viewed vaping as a supposedly "healthier" alternative than smoking, even if they had not smoked before. But what did cut through in regards to vaping were messages of addiction, loss of control and the mental health impacts and social isolation it could cause — which is why the government's campaign has focused more on the pathway to addiction.”
U.S. unveils new task force aimed at cracking down on illicit e-cigarettes. “The U.S. Justice Department and the Food and Drug Administration on Monday launched a new task force that will take aim at the sale and distribution of illicit e-cigarettes, in a move to protect youth from illegal vaping products. … Its membership will include a variety of federal agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Trade Commission.”
Grant to study vaping’s impact on youth brains. “In this National Institutes of Health-funded R01 study, Dr. Dai will collaborate with researchers at UNMC, Boys Town National Research Hospital, the University of Western Ontario and the University of California, San Francisco to better understand the health effects of ENDS use on brain maturation.”
Senate to Hold Hearings on “Youth Vaping Epidemic” or “Never Let a ‘Crisis’ Come to an End” “Both the legislative and executive branches are in a hurry to solve the teen vaping epidemic before the public realizes that there isn’t one. As Michelle Minton wrote for the Reason Foundation last December, “The youth vaping epidemic, declared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2018, appears now to have been more of a teenage fad—one possibly partially fueled by media attention on the issue. But, while the vaping fad may be subsiding, the hysteria surrounding it continues unabated.”
Reefer Madness Finds A New Home With Nicotine. “Ethan Nadelmann, founder of the Drug Policy Alliance, is no stranger to the war on drugs. He has been a staunch advocate for drug reform for decades. At a 2019 drug policy reform conference, he brought the debate over reduced-risk nicotine products to the attention of attendees. “My fear is that not only are we taking a major step backwards [in cutting smoking rates], but we may be at the beginnings of the great new drug war of the 21st century,” he said.”
“Exciting news! The SRNT-E YouTube channel is live! Dive into video recordings of keynote speeches and sessions from our past conferences and webinars.”
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 13-15, 2024, Warsaw, Poland - GFN - Global Forum on Nicotine - Registration open! (Pre-Conference activities Jun 12)
Jun 14, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
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.
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. Note: not THR-friendly. 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.
Wanted: Survey Participants
Positions Available
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Research Project 2: Modeling the Process of Nicotine Addiction among Youths and Young Adults and Its Potential Future Consequences. Application Deadline is Sun Jun 16, 2024.
Call for Nominations
Reagan-Udall Foundation. There's still time to nominate a leader, team, or advocate for an Innovations in Regulatory Science Award, recognizing extraordinary contributions that have advanced regulatory science and made an impact on public health. The deadline for nominations is June 17, 2024
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
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
ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - HOW TO COME FROM BUZZWORD TO ACTION. The deadline to submit a summary of the paper is 20th June 2024.
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.
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
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…
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.
Petitions…
Some are listed on this Safer Nicotine Wiki advocacy page.
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
