Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
June 7-10, 2024
SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW FDA VAPING REGULATIONS: A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR THE INDUSTRY. “The U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has scheduled a conference for June 20 to consider four petitions related to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of vaping products. This session will address the ongoing legal battles surrounding the FDA's marketing denial orders (MDOs) for various e-cigarette manufacturers.”
Update on FDA’s Scientific Review of JUUL Product Applications. “Today, the FDA rescinded the MDOs issued in June 2022 to JUUL Labs, Inc. This action is being taken, in part, as a result of the new case law, as well as the FDA’s review of information provided by the applicant.”
Speaking of the law and litigation, some groups issued statements after the FDA JUUL news, encouraging the FDA to quickly deny JUUL’s PMTA. Regarding those statements, Cliff Douglas, CEO of Global Action to End Smoking said, “Let me suggest that, in light of the update on @FDATobacco's review of JUUL products, every organization that supports FDA regulation should ALLOW the agency to engage in the scientific review process that the statute requires of it to arrive at a thoughtful evidence-based determination of whether JUUL products will be authorized as being appropriate for protection of public health. Unless groups arguing otherwise have inside information about all of the information now under confidential review by the agency, I recommend they desist from demanding the agency make a predetermined decision, especially when the agency clearly has found that its initial denial was in error and further information in their possession must be considered. That is legally, ethically and indeed morally how this process should work.”
The “Gateway” hypothesis: evaluation of evidence and alternative explanations. “In any case, common liability factors explain at least a substantial proportion of the association between ENDS use and cigarette smoking. As a result, and given that cigarettes and ENDS are substitutes, policies that are based on misinterpreting this association as a causal gateway effect are likely to be ineffective and even unintentionally harmful, in terms of increased cigarette smoking rates.” See the Tweetorial.
Can this article change your mind about how minds change? “Changing people’s minds and mindsets might seem unrealistic at this point in history, but there’s an emerging wealth of research showing the vast majority of people are far more willing to update their beliefs and change their minds if the conditions are conducive to it.”
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 in thegeneral population that nicotine is a major contributor of harm .”
Calcasieu officials working to decriminalize vaping in schools. “ “We don’t feel like kids should always be charged for something that they did. Everybody makes mistakes, especially kids, we’ve all been kids. Being able to do this it’s a big deal,” Heather Hardin said. “The idea was that we could intervene early with youth before they became involved with the justice system, or at that point of contact to keep them from going deeper into the system and putting them at risk for going through the court system and potentially out of home placement,” Office of Juvenile Justice Assistant Director Joshua Campbell said. “
Rockford-area vape store going out of business after 10 years. Here's why. “I saw then how this was going to end up," he said. "Only big tobacco is going to get approved, and now eight years later, that has been the case. They've handed the vape industry over to big tobacco. ... Government regulations, specifically the FDA, have made it impossible to continue operating in America.”
Do Bans on Disposable Vapes Really Solve Anything? “There is a trade-off in play, and much like we have seen elsewhere on nicotine issues, a manufactured moral panic is being used to obscure that trade-off,” he [Prof David Sweanor] explained. “It makes a deemed threat to young people seem to be the only issue at play, and no one needs to consider the health or rights of adults for whom such products can be a lifesaver.”
PAPAIOANNOY: The promise of vaping goes up in smoke. “Misleading Canadians by exaggerating the risks of alternatives to cigarettes is no less reprehensible than misleading them, as cigarette companies did for decades, by downplaying the risks of smoking.”
FDA Scraps Its Juul Marketing Denials; Authorization Now Possible. “Tobacco harm reduction advocates contend that transitioning adults away from cigarettes is by far the biggest public health impact of products like Juul’s. They lined up to condemn the FDA’s 2022 decision to deny Juul—with many seeing it as a political move, driven by a vengeful anti-vaping lobby.”
Compliance Vital for Vape. “Still, many retailers have expressed confusion over how to handle products that are in the premarket tobacco product application (PMTA) process but have not yet received an MDO or MGO. What’s more, a number of vape manufacturers have taken legal action to dispute the FDA’s MDO decisions, which has resulted in emergency stays on products while these lawsuits work their way through the courts, adding to retailer confusion over which products are safe to sell and where any given product is in the approval process.”
P.E.I. signs agreement to discourage vaping. “The Prince Edward Island government has signed a taxation agreement aimed at discouraging vaping.”
Most shops ‘refuse’ to sell vapes to children. “I’m pleased to see that retailers in Plymouth are taking measures to ensure that anyone who looks under the age of 18 is asked for identification when buying vapes.”
Valley City [ND] Voters to Decide on Proposed Repeal of Vape Product Ban. “Valley City voters are set to make a crucial decision on the proposed repeal of the vape product ban. The upcoming primary election will determine whether the ban on e-liquids and flavored vaping cartridges will be lifted. Advocates for the repeal argue that the ban infringes on personal freedom and negatively impacts local businesses. On the other hand, supporters of the ban emphasize the importance of protecting public health, particularly among the youth. The outcome of this vote will have significant implications for the community and its approach to vaping regulations.”
New vape recycling service launched by VPZ in Cwmbran. “Director at VPZ, Doug Mutter said: "We are proud to open in Cwmbran and bring our own innovative recycling services to tackle the environmental problem of disposable vaping alongside offering affordable reusable alternatives to support adult smokers in their journey to quit.”
Positions Available
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY - HOW TO COME FROM BUZZWORD TO ACTION. Deadline for summary of paper is 20th June 2024.
*NEW* 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
*NEW* Harm Reduction in Europe: Histories, Choices and Hopes. Submission Deadline: 30 June 2024
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* CALL FOR YOUNG RESEARCHER EDITORIALS (YRE): PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTHY LONGEVITY. Manuscript Submission Deadline 14 July 2024
*NEW* Maternal and Child Health. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: July 15, 2024
*NEW* 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.
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* Cancer prevention. Submission Deadline: 11 October 2024
*NEW* 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
*NEW* Generating stronger evidence to inform policy and practice: natural experiments on built environments, health behaviours and chronic diseases. Submission deadline: November 30, 2024
*NEW* Cancer Causes and Control. A special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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…
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
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.
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)
Jun 14, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
*NEW* 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.
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
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. 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
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.
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
