Policymakers in public health and tobacco control need to listen to both the science on tobacco harm reduction and the experiences of consumers who are benefiting from it every day.
Ideology must be set aside to prioritize progress toward the common goal of ending smoking. Those were some of the messages conveyed during the Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN), which took place June 16–18 in Liverpool, U.K.
Gerry Stimson, Emeritus Professor at Imperial College London and a founder of the GFN, said that much of what she has seen and heard during the event was encouraging.
“It feels as though we’re on the right trajectory,” he said. “Consumers all over the world are becoming aware of the opportunities offered by safer nicotine products, and innovations in the market will, I believe, lead to the eventual obsolescence of combustible cigarettes,” she said. “The question is how to speed up the process and scale up so that tobacco harm reduction reaches all smokers, everywhere, as quickly as possible.”
Multiple panel discussions took in subjects ranging from safer nicotine product regulation, tobacco harm reduction in low-income to middle-income countries and orthodoxy and dissent in science. Speakers’ prerecorded presentations for the panel sessions will remain available online at the conference website.
Tobacco Reporter – 2021-06-21.