Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter

June 24-26, 2024

Jun 26, 2024

Latest Dance Step:

Vaping Bill Passes: A Pyrrhic Victory for Mark Butler. “Today, the Labor government’s amended *Vaping Reform Bill was successfully passed in the federal Senate. Starting from 1 October 2024, vapes will be available only through pharmacies as a pharmacist-only (Schedule 3) medicine, removing the need for a doctor’s prescription.”
Australian Vape Sales to be Restricted to Pharmacies. “However, the statistics also show that of those using nicotine liquid, which increases effectiveness in stopping smoking, 87 percent are sourcing it illegally.”

Previous Moves:

Vapes to be sold behind the counter under watered-down ban. “Australians will be able to buy plain-packaged nicotine vapes from pharmacies without a prescription from October, after the Albanese government walked back its world-leading plan to outlaw all e-cigarette sales without a doctor’s prescription.”
Butler’s backflip. Still a disaster and bound to fail. “As criminologist Dr James Martin noted, on X, “Seriously, why not have licensed vape retailers, that are subject to penalties if they sell to kids? We’ve driven down smoking and alcohol consumption amongst teens using precisely this model. All without denying adult consumers.”
Australia and New Zealand: A Natural Experiment in Vaping Policy. “Avast natural experiment has been unfolding Down Under. Resembling a large-scale controlled trial, it has much to teach us about the impacts of diametrically opposed regulatory approaches to nicotine vaping.”
Not Tobacconists or Garbologists. “The Senate’s expectation that community pharmacies become vape retailers, and vape garbage collectors, is insulting.”
As Australia cracks down on vaping, there are concerns that without support some young people could turn to cigarettes. "You see these things on TikTok with people having lung issues," she says. "That did start to play on my mind, 'Well, is it actually going to be worse [than cigarettes]?'" “So, she returned to smoking.”

“So, she returned to smoking.”

The Coalition could have sat back and waited to watch the vaping ban unfurl, but instead, they've chosen option two: INHALE. “For months now, the Coalition has been ruminating internally over how to handle the Albanese government's impending ban on the importation and sale of disposable vapes.”
Should Australia entrench its already failed vaping laws? “There were 281 submissions to the recent Federal Senate Inquiry into the bill. But it is not widely known that 236 submissions opposed the bill. This is in part because of unambiguous scientific evidence about the efficacy of vaping as an aid to quitting smoking cigarettes, and its significant harm-reduction effects relative to smoking combustible cigarettes.”

Tobacco & Vaping 101: Canadian Provinces. “Canadian lawmakers often face misinformation regarding adult smoking and vaping habits. This misinformation can lead to misguided legislation and regulation. The analysis provided contains current data on the use of cigarettes and e-cigarette products among adults and youth in Canada and 10 provinces, along with information on cigarette sales and provincial tobacco tax revenues.”
Vaping Taxes by State, 2024. “As of June 2024, 32 states and the District of Columbia levy an excise tax on vaping products. Some states tax based on manufacturer, wholesale, or retail price (ad valorem), while other states tax based on product volume or number of cartridges (ad quantum). And some apply a bifurcated system with different rates for open and closed systems.”
Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products. “The Eurobarometer survey on Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products provides information on the prevalence and consumption of tobacco and related products in the EU, as well as European citizens' attitudes to tobacco, e-cigarette and heated tobacco products control policies. According to the survey, Europeans are generally in favour of measures aimed at controlling the use of these products.”

Banning Flavored Tobacco Products Doesn't Work—We Have the Trash To Prove It. “Two new studies conducted by the market researcher WSPM Group show just how many tobacco products are being consumed and disposed of in Washington, D.C., and New York City. Researchers went through the trash in the two cities and found that over 99 percent of the vapes collected from the urban trash cans were flavored tobacco products, despite consumers in those cities being barred from legally purchasing those products.”
EU Ministers, Failing on Smoking Cessation, Weigh Vape Flavor Ban. “We know from the decades-long War on Drugs that prohibitions do not cause banned products to disappear or demand to dissipate,”
FDA Belatedly and Arbitrarily Approves Menthol Vapes. “In the ENDS context, as Farrelly's comment reflects, that evaluation comes down to weighing the benefit of a given product in helping adult smokers quit against the risk that it will appeal to teenagers. But those judgments, which hinge on predictions of how adults and teenagers will respond to a particular product, are inherently uncertain and debatable.”
Menthol vapes approved in U.S. for first time. “The move supports the vaping industry’s assertion that vapes can drastically reduce the harms of smoking, which kills eight million people a year - including 480,000 in the U.S.”
The biggest hurdle to overcome the smoking epidemic? Misinformation. “Many people, including most health professionals, continue to mistakenly believe that nicotine itself causes the terrible health consequences we know come from the burning of tobacco. Many have also been misled to wrongly believe that certain reduced-risk products, such as e-cigarettes, are just as harmful as or even more dangerous than cigarettes, which dissuades many people who smoke from taking critical action that can dramatically reduce their risk.”

For global coverage of calls to action, please click here: Advocating For Tobacco Harm Reduction.

The events listed below focus on nicotine. Some may not support reduced-risk products. Some have covered nicotine in the past but may not cover that topic every year.

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 *NEW* Early bird registration ends July 31, 2024
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.

Wanted: Survey Participants

Exploring Vapers' Attitudes towards Potential Restrictions of Vaping in the UK. Update: Now open to anyone 16 or older (Previously 16-30)
*NEW* Seeking participants from the following countries: Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, Costa Rica and Peru. Encuesta sobre consumo de nicotina y experiencia de personas usuarias

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

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.
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.
*NEW* Call for proposals - FDLI Enforcement, Litigation, and Compliance Conference: For the Drug, Device, Food, and Tobacco Industries. Submission deadline is July 12, 2024
TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminar call for papers/nominations. The submission deadline is October 7, 2024.

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