Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
August 17-20, 2024
A Seat at the Table - Part 2
I know I sound like a broken record. You can roll your eyes if you want to because I will most likely keep talking about this until I reach “happy camper” status or am dead, whichever comes first. I’m rooting for happy! LOL
Over the past few months, there has been a fair amount of discussion about whether industry people should have a seat at the table (conferences, regulatory process, research, etc.). I agree that it’s an important conversation!
Including the end users of the industry's products is missing from the conversation. Without us, there is no need for industry, distribution, retailers, regulators, researchers, or conference/webinar/podcast organizers.
All roads lead to us. If people want to influence our behavior, impact our health, decide how many choices we’re allowed to have, when and where we can or can’t do things, and what we can spend our money on, why don’t our voices matter?
Planning has already begun for several of next year’s events. Thank you to the conferences, webinars, etc., that invite us to attend. Brownie points to those who include us on the agenda with other panelists or guests.
The rest of you? I’m watching. I dare you to impress me.
#NothingAboutUsWithoutUS
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My project for this edition of the newsletter: Updating Events and Opportunities. If you know of any I’ve missed, please give me a shout. (I included some that are not THR-friendly but might still be of interest to some of my readers.)
To create this newsletter, I search the Internet for items to include. This is depressing, as negative things get much more press than positive things.
Sometimes, I’ll come across something with all the misinformation in one tidy package from someone the public would expect to trust. Here’s an example: Michael Fiorelli of Adagio Health discusses some of the dangers of vaping. I do not think people like this are purposely lying. I think they are misinformed, sincerely believe what they say, and are sure they are being helpful. I have no idea how we can fix this…
Adversarial Collaborations - Joe Gitchell
History Lesson - Charles Gardner - Part Two
What are the best and worst parts of advocating for THR? - Skip Murray (See replies)
Follow Suggestion - Vapers Digest
SHORTCHANGED | Truth on Nicotine & Relative Risk Denied to Public. Cliff Douglas (Recorded in June)
The Northern Garrett High School Boys Tennis Team Shares Their Thoughts on Vaping.
How's vaping in the Czech Republic? | Vaping Unplugged Podcast with Jan Mošovský Ep. 57.
Smoking: Advocating the Swedish experience. “AS the world continues to grapple with the devastating health impacts of smoking, countries like Nigeria must consider Sweden’s groundbreaking approach to tobacco harm reduction.”
Following in Grandpa's Footsteps. “In Tahir’s eyes, I’m just another industry shill who was out to make a buck by keeping people addicted to nicotine. To him, my heart is as dark as the tar left in the lungs of those who smoke cigarettes.”
Australian Vaping News. August 2024 - Brought to you by Mendelsohn and Wodak.
Free vape offer for adult smokers in B&NES. “Brenda, a B&NES resident and ex-smoker shared her experience: “I attended the Specialist Stop Smoking clinic for support when I was given a code to get a free vape kit and the advisor also recommended some patches. I am smokefree and doing really well. The vape is helping a lot and I find the patches also help. I coughed at first when using the vape but it got better as I became used to it.”
Policymakers must tell smokers the truth — vaping is a safer alternative if they can’t quit. “My father’s passing from a smoking-induced heart attack in his early 50s was the biggest catalyst in my journey to become smoke-free. What finally helped me reach my goal was an innovation I stumbled across more than 10 years ago — vaping.”
UMass Chan study finds experts most credible among young adults in social media campaigns. “When we saw the results, we were surprised but encouraged that young people were finding experts most credible,” said Dr. Stevens.”
Four big screen actors who switched to safer nicotine products. “But Nicholson is one celeb that proves it’s never too late to give up and make the switch to vaping. Now in his 80’s, the actor took up vaping in his mid 70’s…”
ZYN, snus and the sometimes confusing world of terminology. “Regardless of your views on nicotine, I’d hope we could all see that every pouch used instead of a cigarette smoked is a win.”
Cigarettes Are More Popular With Americans Than Vaping. “U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has said vaping "could be a major form of harm reduction for adults" but warned the practice was "not zero risk."
Tobacco impact: Expert advocate Swedish experience. “As the world continues to grapple with the devastating health impacts of smoking, a Biomedical Scientist and a healthcare technology researcher, Gabriel Oke has said that countries like Nigeria must consider Sweden’s approach to tobacco harm reduction. “
Public Health and Freedom of Choice: The Complexities of THR in Pakistan. “While awareness campaigns are important, empowering individuals with accurate and comprehensive information about the risks of smoking and the availability and effectiveness of less harmful alternatives can play a pivotal role.”
E-cigarettes more effective than ever against smoking. “According to an American and Canadian study, vaping is associated with higher quit rates in the three-year period 2019-21 compared to 2014-16.”
Kenya’s Senate Seeking Submissions of Memoranda for a Bill to Amend Regulations of Tobacco and Nicotine Products. Submission Deadline: August 26
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.
*NEW* Aug 20, 2024 (Virtual) - Improving Tobacco Cessation: CMS Guidance and State Strategies.
*NEW* Aug 22, 2024 (Virtual) - Pennsylvania Menthol Summit.
Aug 23, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars. Grand Rounds: "Cigarette package inserts for enhanced communication with smokers"
Aug 23, 2024 (Virtual) 10am - 11am EST - Exploring the Intended and Unintended Consequences of ENDS Policies: Licensure Laws, Flavor Bans, and Taxation
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 8-11, 2024, Atlanta, GA, US - 77TH TOBACCO SCIENCE RESEARCH CONFERENCE
*NEW* Sep 9, 2024 (Virtual) - Mindfulness Training for Smokers *FACILITATOR TRAINING.
*NEW* Sep 9, 2024 (Virtual) - Webinar Series: Clearing the Air: Steps to Going Smokefree.
*NEW* Sep 11-13, 2024, SCHAUMBURG, IL, US (Industry specific) - CSP Tobacco+ Forum.
*NEW* 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 20, 2024, (Virtual) 2:00-3:00 PM ET - TOPS Tobacco Online Policy Seminars.
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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
*NEW* 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.
*NEW* 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. *NEW* This is a good resource for information on conferences about addiction/behavior.
Wanted: Conference/Seminar Submissions…
Call for abstracts for SRNT 2025 (←link to info). Submissions may be for symposia, individual paper presentations, and posters describing cutting-edge research in nicotine and tobacco. Notes: There is a new submission portal, and applicants need to create a new account and familiarize themselves with the system. There are restrictions on who is eligible to participate. The submission deadline is August 23, 2024.
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
*NEW* CSAM-SMCA 2024 Annual Scientific Conference. Submission Deadline August 30, 2024
Call for Papers
*NEW* 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.
*NEW* 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
*NEW* Mar 27-29, 2025 - Phoenix, AZ, US - 31st Nicotine Dependence Center Conference 2025: The Evolving Tobacco Landscape and Implications for Policy and Practice.
*NEW* 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)
*NEW* Apr 27-30, 2025 - Bogotá, Colombia - 28th edition of the Harm Reduction Conference (HR25)
*NEW* 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.
*NEW* 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