Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
August 28-September 3, 2024
Milestones
It has been three years since 15 past presidents of the SRNT published Balancing Consideration of the Risks and Benefits of E-Cigarettes and two years since Seth Mnookin wrote about the Vape Wars.
Where do we stand in 2024? Are we in the same place as we were in 2021-2022? Have we made any progress in finding balance? Are we going backward?
The good news is that UVA’s Institute for Engagement and Negotiation (IEN) held meetings earlier this year and recently published its findings. Their report, The Morven VII Dialogue: Accelerating Actions to Clear the Smoke: Finding Common Ground in a Polarized World, includes ten recommendations for a possible path forward.
I was happy to see another round of Morven Dialogues held this year. I hope everyone invited to participate was able and willing to attend. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and sharing mine after everyone has had a chance to read it.
It seems like I “preach” often about the need for inclusiveness in things related to nicotine. I mention planting seeds and building bridges often enough to make some of you do as big of an eye roll as a 13-year-old being told for the 20th time to go clean their room.
I hope to see a continued effort to include everyone at the table and strive to find common ground. Some of you have been working hard to make progress in this area. I want you to know I see you and appreciate you.
Until next time….
FDA Briefs U.S. Supreme Court on the Nicotine Brain Fallacy. “I will not comment on the myriad legal and regulatory implications of the case, but in their “scientific” discussion, lawyers for the FDA made numerous false statements about nicotine and e-cigarettes, such as…”
More on FDA vs. White Lion…
Altria to Challenge ITC's Initial Determination in JUUL & NJOY Patent Case. “Both parties have engaged with a mediator in an attempt to negotiate a resolution of these disputes. In addition, NJOY recently filed substantial equivalence Exemption requests with the FDA to allow NJOY to market an already-developed ACE product with minor modifications that the company believes will avoid three of the four JUUL patent claims at issue in the case.”
Vape retailers move to reinstate their legal challenge of 2024 Kentucky law. “Kentucky vape retailers plan to appeal the dismissal of their challenge to a 2024 state ban on selling some vaping products.”
Guiding principles for breaking down drug-related stigma in academic writing. “…although stigma relating to alcohol, tobacco and prescription medicines is increasingly well documented…This stigmatisation is produced through words like “criminal”, “abuser”, “junkie”, “alcoholic”, "smoker" and “addict”. These kinds of words have functioned in tandem with corresponding normative reactions such as fear and disgust, to justify and legitimise stereotyping, discrimination, punishment, social control and exclusion, and create significant obstacles to treatment, harm reduction, support, health and wellbeing.”
Could a Vape Flavour Ban Drive Vapers Back to Smoking? “Commenting to Medscape News UK, Professor Sanjay Agrawal, the RCP’s special adviser on tobacco, said that, as outlined in the report, "flavoured vapes for adults can be integral in the effectiveness of vaping as an aid to quit smoking. Therefore, it is important that any restrictions on vape flavours are based on current evidence to reduce the risk of adults returning to cigarette smoking”.
Plummeting Smoking Rates Mean a Paradigm Shift for Nicotine. “Third, in the private sector, the health and insurance industries must accept the risk profile of the new generation of nicotine products and recalibrate their plans. Many health and life insurance policies still equate smoking cigarettes with using non-tobacco nicotine products. That practice should change to reflect scientific reality and facts.”
Historic Lows in Traditional Tobacco Use Among Virginia Youth, Vaping Significantly Down. “Virginia is one of the few states that offers insight into the reasons why youth are vaping. It should be emphasized that flavors are not a major factor in why youth are vaping. In 2023, among high school students who had ever used an e-cigarette, the most cited reason for use was feelings of anxiety, depression, and/or stress, as reported by 28.2% of students. An additional 26.6% of students reported using e-cigarettes because they were curious. Only 4.3% of Virginia high schoolers who had ever used an e-cigarette reported they used them because they were available in flavors.”
Doctors should embrace e-cigarettes as a method of smoking reduction. “As a retired head and neck ENT surgeon for over 30 years, I’ve treated countless patients suffering the consequences of cigarette smoking. While some will continue to use tobacco regardless of medical recommendations, many smokers are trying — and failing — to quit. We need to consider less harmful alternatives.”
National Heart Foundation slams vaping with flawed evidence. “We should expect nothing less than the highest scientific standards from Australia's leading heart charity. However, the National Heart Foundation's recent statements on vaping lack robust scientific backing and misinterpret the available evidence.”
Health experts hit out at British Medical Association’s call for stronger vape laws. “But the BMA - which opposed the formation of the NHS - said the government should go “even further” by banning all flavours except tobacco and adding tighter packaging, advertising and marketing restrictions. The report has attracted sharp criticism from top health experts, who say banning all flavours except tobacco would seriously harm the efforts of people trying to give up smoking.”
OPINION: Ottawa’s anti-science war on safer nicotine alternatives. “…public health experts do a disservice to Canadians by focusing on nicotine itself, rather than the method of delivery.”
Brazil Scraps Flight Ban on Vapes, in Win for Consumer Advocacy. “Brazil is among the top few priority nations in Bloomberg’s latest call for grants, which includes up to $400,000 in funding to “support the maintenance of Brazil’s ban on e-cigarettes.”
Rethinking the smoking war. “But the mentality of the policymakers and advisers is about banning, not about finding ways to solve the actual problem, but by sweeping the problem under the carpet without realising they have been failing to do this for years and years and years.”
The pharmacy-vape model. Interview with Prof Ross Fitzgerald & pharmacist Chris Owen. 4BC 2Sept2024.
Exploring the Intended & Unintended Consequences of ENDS Policies
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
*NEW* Sep 5-7, 2024, Sidney, AU - Pharmacy Connect & PA Conference. Sep 5 - Vaping – are Australians going up in smoke? 2.00pm – 2.30pm)
Speaker: Colin Mendelsohn, Founding Chairman, Australian Tobacco Harm Reduction Association (Note, I did not search the agenda to see if other presentations of interest will be offered ~Skip)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.
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. Professor Ann McNeill will give the Society Lecture at the SSA’s Annual Conference. The title of the talk is, ‘Tobacco harm reduction – controversies and potential resolutions’.
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.
Committee Openings
*NEW* FDLI - Applications for 2025 Committee Service are Now Open. Application Deadline is September 20, 2024.
Wanted: Conference/Seminar Submissions…
TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminar call for papers/nominations. The submission deadline is October 7, 2024.
Call for Papers
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.
Thanks for stopping by! ~ Skip