GFN News

What are the fundamental principles of harm reduction and how can they be applied to many areas of human activity? How can tobacco harm reduction be integrated into mainstream practice to reduce the harms of smoking for those most at risk – illicit drug users, those with poor mental health and others marginalised through economic and legal constraints? What are the obstacles to integration and how...

Among more than 100,000 people who used heroin in England, smoking accounted for 24% of premature deaths, nearly matching illegal drugs at 28%. Yet smoking remains routinely overlooked within drug treatment and harm reduction services. Shot on location at GFN 2026 in Warsaw, Poland, David MacKintosh of the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction explains how integrating safer nicotine could deliver...

Author: Anna Franzen

Barriers to the marketing of novel tobacco and nicotine products, such as regulatory bans and restrictions, pose an existential threat to tobacco harm reduction and improving the health and lives of adult smokers. This workshop will take a dive into assessing the science base used to drive restrictions, focussing on several themes which are commonly used to push for stronger regulation or outright...

PROHIBITION: WHAT LIES BENEATH? | THR Unfiltered by GFN.TV

Author: Anna Masser

More than a billion adults globally smoke combustible cigarettes. The harm caused can be reduced if individuals switch completely to smoke-free products. Availability of a wide range of options can accelerate their switching journey. However, access to products is being restricted by either outright bans or flavour restrictions. Whilst aimed at preventing underage use, this overlooks the needs of...

Europe is escalating its war on safer nicotine by pursuing new restrictions on vaping, nicotine pouches, flavors, and affordability despite overwhelming evidence that these products can displace smoking. Shot on location at GFN 2026 in Warsaw, Poland, Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos describes the policy shift as a “tremendous setback.” He examines why Europe is abandoning common sense, refusing to lea...

This session explored the future of tobacco control in Iberoamérica, highlighting the consequences of prohibitionist and ideologically driven approaches. It will examine how such policies may overlook key public health and human rights principles by limiting access to lower-risk alternatives and failing to reflect the realities of people who use nicotine. The discussion will also consider the role...

Harm reduction approaches are now an established and fundamental part of the response to drug use. While tobacco harm reduction has an expanding evidence base it is often viewed in narrow terms, as if people who smoke exist in a discrete silo. This has meant the potential of THR to help communities with high smoking prevalence, such as people who use drugs, remains underexplored – despite the evid...

Can we rethink nicotine addiction? Is the word "addiction" helping—or hurting—the conversation? In this episode of THR Unfiltered, recorded during the Global Forum on Nicotine 2026 #GFN26 we speak with behavioral scientist Dr. Arielle Selya about the science behind nicotine dependence, addiction, and tobacco harm reduction. The discussion explores why researchers often prefer the term "dependence"...

The panel will discuss the various forms of prohibition, examine the main objections to prohibition, and ask under what circumstances, if any, prohibitions are justified. We consider the likely consequences of prohibition, especially in the counterintuitive case where prohibition applies to products safer than the market norm. What are the merits of two common strategies for addressing the costs a...

The session will explore the economic dimensions of prohibition through a political economy lens. Drawing on data and insights from multiple markets, it considers how regulatory actions may influence consumer behaviour, demand across product categories and public perceptions. It will also examine potential fiscal effects and the dynamics of illicit trade in response to prohibition. Bringing togeth...

Over seven out of every ten vapes sold worldwide now come from the illicit market. Worth an astounding $47 billion USD annually, the global black market for vaping products accounts for 76% of all vapes sold, dwarfing the legal trade and proving restrictions largely ineffective. Shot on location at GFN 2026 in Warsaw, Poland, Shane MacGuill of Euromonitor International explains how taxes, restrict...

Safer nicotine products are increasingly popular for assisting those quitting smoking. Evidence continues to support the game-changing effect this can have on individual and community health. Some questions emerge from this. What should be the role of public health in this? Why do some public health professionals continue to ignore or dismiss the emerging evidence? Does ideology cloud judgements?...

How does prohibition of safer alternatives square with the Hippocratic oath? What are the ethics of accepting smokers' lives and wellbeing as collateral damage, in pursuit of the war on the nicotine industries? Why is giving alternatives to people who misuse substances viewed differently to permitting people who smoke access to less harmful alternatives? Supported by evidence from work successfull...

THR Unfiltered #1 | Navigating the prohibitionist landscape of THR in the States by GFN.TV

What happens when governments ignore science and choose outright prohibition over evidence-based public health? In this panel discussion, international experts and harm-reduction advocates break down the global shift toward nicotine prohibition and the severe, unintended consequences of banning safer nicotine alternatives.

In this compelling presentation, Dr. Alex Wodak explores the inevitable and rapid shift from combustible tobacco to safer nicotine alternatives. Moving beyond just the obvious health benefits, Dr. Wodak dives deep into the broader impact of these disruptive technologies and outlines why harm reduction advocates are crucial in shaping future legislation. Welcome to the "post-smoking world"—and how...

What happens when governments implement blanket bans on Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) products? In this insightful panel discussion, experts from around the world expose the dangerous, unintended consequences of over-regulation and prohibition - what moderator John Fell calls the "invisible foot." From street-level corruption to billion-dollar criminal enterprises, our panel explores how prohibitio...

Is public health losing its way? In his 13th presentation at the Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN), Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos delivers a powerful address on the "ideological war" surrounding tobacco harm reduction. As supranational organizations and regulatory bodies lean heavily toward dogmatic prohibitions and restrictive frameworks, Dr. Farsalinos argues that the foundational principles of true...

In this episode, researcher Chimwemwe Ngoma breaks down a comprehensive national study analyzing the tobacco use patterns of over 30,500 adults. While an overwhelming 95% of Malawians do not use tobacco, the data reveals a stark socioeconomic divide: smoking prevalence among the poorest communities is double that of the wealthiest. Tune in to discover how factors like education and wealth influenc...

The battle over safer nicotine products is certainly about health, but it’s also about something more important: autonomy. As governments embrace nicotine restrictions driven by moral panic and public health paternalism, adult choice is increasingly treated as a threat instead of a right to be respected. In this episode of GFN Interviews, Reem Ibrahim of Reason examines the growing conflict betwee...

What does it take to implement life-saving public health programs in the Middle East and Africa? In this episode of GFN Insights, Amjad Malaeb from MENAHRA shares the critical challenges and breakthroughs of harm reduction in this region. In this interview, public health expert Amjad Malaeb dives into his five-year journey working with the Middle East and North Africa Harm Reduction Association (M...

Is the UK’s "smoke-free generation" plan destined to backfire? In this episode of GFN News, host Zuzanna Kopacz sits down with author and freelance writer Jacob Grier to unpack the practical realities and hidden dangers of the newly passed UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill. While the policy aims to create a smoke-free generation by phasing out legal tobacco sales for anyone born after 2009, Grier argues t...