Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
Thinking 'bout THR Newsletter
November 5-7, 2024
I’d like to talk about a friend of mine
Today, my inbox notified me of a new piece in Filter and a documentary accompanying it: “906 Vapor” Tracks Assault on Grassroots Tobacco Harm Reduction. I am unable to stop the tears.
I was honored to be on a panel in Washington, D.C., last year to talk about tobacco harm reduction. Lindsey Stroud moderated the event, and my fellow panelists were Alex Clark from CASAA and Marc Slis. Mark owned 906 Vapor at the time.
After the event, I had the opportunity to talk in-depth with Marc. His passion for helping people was impossible to miss. He was grateful to have positively impacted many lives in the community he loves.
Talking to Marc a year later when he closed his shop was gut-wrenching. His heart was broken, and the anger that was consuming him spilled out freely. He was angry at the regulatory system that failed the people he served for years and at heavy-handed “do-gooders” with plenty of cash to fund a variety of misleading anti-vape campaigns.
What made him the most angry was knowing that some of the people he helped would end up returning to smoking after he closed, and they would face horrific diseases and early death.
While I talked to Marc, I could hear his despair, his sense of guilt, and his sense of failure. I found it hard to choke back the tears while we talked; I think we both struggled with that.
When you’ve dedicated your life to helping others, it is hard to pick up and move on after losing doing what you loved. You have to go through a grieving process. For many of us, it was never about the money. If it were, we would have been smart enough to get out before we went broke.
Watching the video opened old wounds for me. It reminded me of the day I locked my vape shop’s doors for the last time. I tweeted, “And with the simple turn of a key in a lock, it's over. Lakes Vape & Rec Supply is officially closed. My heart is broken and I wish I could go crawl in a hole somewhere and never come out. A piece of me just died. I'm not thrilled right now that the rest of me is still here.”
If it weren’t for the kindness of a stranger, my life would have concluded the following morning. I’m not alone in ending up there. Since then, I’ve had conversations with three other despondent shop owners and one e-liquid manufacturer who also believed they had nothing left to live for.
Those of us who have owned small businesses and dedicated our lives to helping people quit smoking have experienced losses that go well beyond the financial ones. Many of us have suffered a toll on our mental health and our confidence, and most of us no longer believe we live in a country that defends what is right and just.
And none of us forget that today and every day, 1,300 of our fellow Americans will die from smoking, and we’ve lost our means to do something about it. We’re pissed that not enough people care or are willing to do a damn thing to help save the small businesses that have contributed to avoiding thousands of premature deaths from smoking.
I’m going to guess that the Filter piece and documentary going live today will reopen Marc’s wounds and slow down his recovery process. I’d appreciate it if you could pause for a few seconds and think positive thoughts for Marc.
In a world hungry for people who care, Marc cared enough to fill the shoes of 100 people. To lose him from the smoking cessation space was a blow to the entire effort.
I’m going to back away from the computer now. It is too painful to talk anymore about this.
Until next time….
PS: I’m sending this a couple of days early because I don’t want to change my mind about talking about the pain of losing a small business. Loving to help people while the world thinks you’re a monster addicting kids isn’t an easy thing to wake up to every day. But it is much worse to hand over the keys to your space and walk away. Waking up hurt and angry every day is not the best way to live.
FDA Renews Authorization for 8 General Snus Products to be Marketed with Reduced Risk Claim. “Following FDA’s rigorous scientific review, FDA issued a renewal of modified risk granted orders to Swedish Match USA, Inc., for eight General Snus products. With this renewal, these products may continue to be marketed – as they have been authorized to do so since 2019 – with the following modified risk claim: “Using General Snus instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.”
School tells vaping teens to wear a vest, get parents permission. “The measure is meant to cause a bit of friction,” school director Hielke ter Veld told the Telegraaf. “We wanted to do something to engage parents and children in a conversation. We want to involve the parents in school policy,” she said.”
Is vaping bad for you, and how are the rules changing? “Why is vaping better than smoking? Cigarettes contain tobacco, tar and a range of other toxic cancer-causing chemicals, and are one of the largest preventable causes of illness and death in the UK.”
Misinformation Really Does Spread like a Virus, Epidemiology Shows. “When it comes to misinformation, “going viral” appears to be more than a simple catchphrase. Scientists have found a close analogy between the spread of misinformation and the spread of viruses. In fact, how misinformation gets around can be effectively described using mathematical models designed to simulate the spread of pathogens.”
Nicotine: The new “war on drugs.”
Dr James Martin - “This is a terrible idea. Criminalising consumers of illicit tobacco - people who are disproportionately from lower SES groups and who have been priced out of the legal market - will further entrench disadvantage and strain the criminal justice system.”
Pippa's Live - “#141st Tobacco and Vape Wars Firebombing hits a shop in West End in Brisbane at around 3am today!…It’s just a matter of time before there are serious deaths occurring from these incidents. We warned the government that the black market would take over the nicotine consumer market hundreds of times over the years, only to be ignored!”
‘There’s people in the back’: Neighbours rush to save pair inside firebombed shop - “Sahinkaya, the neighbour who helped rescue two people from the burning Meadow Heights milk bar, said the firebombings of small tobacco and convenience shops was “shocking” and had caused several to close in his suburb over the past year.”
Tobacco stores firebombed in Adelaide as organised crime networks battle to control illicit trade. “Meanwhile, those already caught in the crossfire try to pick up the pieces and hope the next casualty is not a human life.”
Vaping Risks: Known and Unknown. (The American Journal of Managed Care) “Diacetyl: a chemical that has been connected to bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), also referred to as “popcorn lung”
3 Facts About E-Cigarettes Everyone Should Know. (Duke UNC - Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training) “A few studies looking at flavors, such as vanilla, have shown that they are at best respiratory irritants and at worst cause tissue damage. Then, of course, there are conditions such as popcorn lung, known to be caused by diacetyl, a buttery-flavored chemical additive.”
We need answers about vaping. “Here is some of the information Dr. George Zlupko, founder of Altoona Lung Specialists, presented beyond pointing out that vaping’s long-term effects include mood disorders, possible cancers, “popcorn” lungs and other forms of lung damage.
Do You Still Vape? What's The Worst Flavor For Your Lungs. “My roommate was trying to quit smoking and he thought this was a great idea. Which in theory it was a good idea....until all the flavors, marketing to a younger demographic, and people were getting popcorn lung from over using.”
This one has been making the headlines the last couple of days. Alveolar macrophage function is impaired following inhalation of berry e-cigarette vapor. Examples:
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.
November - COPD Awareness Month, Lung Cancer Awareness Month, National Homelessness Awareness Month
Nov 13-14, 2024, Accra, Ghana - Africa Conference on Tobacco Control.
*NEW* Nov 14, 2024, (Virtual) 1:30-3:00 PM ET - Using Quality Communications to Build Trust in Public Health.
Nov 14-15, 2024, UK - SSA Annual Conference. 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, Ontario, Canada - CSAM-SMCA 2024 Scientific Conference.
Nov 15, 2024, 1:00 PM CT (Virtual) - Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) - “Flavored E-cigarette Sales Restrictions and Young Adult Tobacco Use in the United States”
Nov 18-20, 2024, Olomouc, Czech Republic, (In-person) - Czech Annual Cancer Research Meeting. Note: Keynote talks: Prof. David Khayat on Cancer Risk Factors: The Role of Tobacco Harm Reduction.
Nov 20, 2024 (Virtual) 12 PM ET - Are Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes Substitutes or Compliments, and Does it Matter?
Nov 21-23, 2024, National Harbor, MD, US Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management - Fall Research Conference. (APPAM)
Nov 21, 2024, Great American Smokeout
Nov 22, 2024, (Virtual) 9:30 AM BST - Behavioural Research UK: Public engagement in research and policy.
December 5, 2024, UK (Virtual and In-person), E-Cigarette Summit UK
Dec 6, 2024, 1:00 PM CT (Virtual) - Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) - “Estimating the Cross-Tax Elasticity of Tobacco Demand with Respect to Cannabis Taxation in the US: Using Nielsen Retail Scanner Data”
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.
Surveys:
Help Wanted:
Wanted: Conference/Seminar/Webinar/Comment Submissions…
Advancing Smoking Cessation: FDA and NIH Priorities. The deadline to submit written comments to the docket is Nov 21, 2024.
Call for Papers/Abstracts
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
The changing media landscape and tobacco-related content. The submission deadline for abstracts is 29 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
Call for Papers / Abstracts
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
Tenth International Congress on Peer Review and Scientific Publication. Call for abstracts opens Dec 1, 2024. Deadline for submissions is Janurary 31, 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
14th Workshop on the Economics of Risky Behavior Call for Submissions. Submission deadline: 10 March 2025 (Event)
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 10, 2025, 1:00 PM CT (Virtual) - Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) - “Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes in the Context of Non-Combusted Nicotine Products”
Jan 15-19, 2025, Seattle, WA, US - Society for Social Work and Research.
Jan 16-17, 2025, (In-Person, Partial Virtual) Manchester, UK - RCGP & AP Managing addictions in primary care 2025. (Note: Tobacco is on the agenda)
Jan 24, 2025, 1:00 PM CT (Virtual) - Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) - “Flavorants and Addiction: An Empirical Analysis of Cigarette Bans and Taxation”
Jan 27-28, 2025, Las Vegas, NV, US - E-Vapor and Tobacco Law Symposium.
Feb 7, 2025, 1:00 PM CT (Virtual) - Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) - “Financial Incentives for Smoking Cessation – A Cochrane Review”
Feb 13-15, 2025, Boston, MA, US - 2025 AAAS ANNUAL MEETING. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE
Feb 21, 2025, 1:00 PM CT (Virtual) - Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) - “Impact of Advertising on Smoking Cessation: Role of Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising”
Mar 5, 2025 York, UK (In-person & Virtual SCAH - Smoking Cessation and Health Conference.
Mar 7, 2025, 1:00 PM CT (Virtual) - Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) - “Harm Reduction for Addictive Consumption: When Does it Improve Health and When Does it Backfire?”
Mar 12-15, 2025 New Orleans, LA, US - SRNT 31st Annual Meeting
Mar 21, 2025, 1:00 PM CT (Virtual) - Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) - “Estimating the Effect of E-cigarette Nicotine Restrictions on E-cigarette and Cigarette Sales in Canada”
Mar 27-29, 2025 - Phoenix, AZ, US - 31st Nicotine Dependence Center Conference 2025: The Evolving Tobacco Landscape and Implications for Policy and Practice.
Apr 4, 2025, 1:00 PM CT (Virtual) - Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) - “The Intergenerational Effects of Cigarette Taxes on Smoking”
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 11-12, 2025, Madrid, Spain - 14th Workshop on the Economics of Risky Behavior.
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 3-5, 2025 Chicago, IL, US - e 10th International Congress on Peer Review and Scientific Publication.
Sep 10-12, 2025 Romania - SRNT-E Conference.
Nov 13-15,2025 Hyatt Seattle, WA, US - Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management - Fall Research Conference. (APPAM)
Nov 17, 2025 (all week) Geneva - FCTC COP11
Nov 17, 2025 (all week) Geneva - GoodCOP/BadCOP - Taxpayers Protection Alliance
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.
Nov 5-7, 2026, Boston, MA, US - Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management - Fall Research Conference. (APPAM)
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.
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