Nicotine Science and Policy
By Harry Shapiro Aug. 13, 2026
Harry's blog 134: Filtering out lies and misinformation
The only major global journal focused on harm reduction has gone bust. Since 2017, Filter has advocated through journalism for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy and human rights, while also standing out for its coverage of tobacco harm reduction. Its closure is a significant loss - particularly at a time when well-funded opponents of tobacco harm reduction continue to thrive.
August 20, 2026 by theconversation.com
US teens are smoking and vaping less than their peers abroad
Lower youth smoking and vaping rates in the US deserve attention because they challenge the assumption that harm reduction for adults must come at the cost of youth protection. The real question is what policies, norms and enforcement patterns are helping to reduce adolescent use while still recognising that adult smokers need alternatives to cigarettes. Youth prevention and adult harm reduction should not be treated as opposing goals. A serious nicotine strategy has to protect young people without distorting the risk message for everyone else.
14.10% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 39.8 million current smokers in United States 17.10% of men are current smokers but only 11.10% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
August 20, 2026 by moregoodlessharm.com
What do AI assistants tell users about tobacco harm reduction?
AI assistants are becoming part of how people look for health advice, including advice on smoking and vaping. That makes the quality of their answers more than a technical issue: it can shape whether smokers understand relative risk, switching and the dangers of continued combustion. Vague or overly cautious responses may feel safe, but they can leave people with a distorted view of lower-risk alternatives. Digital health information should be accurate, proportionate and clear enough to support real-world harm reduction.
August 19, 2026 by gfn.tv
Can Governments Enforce Their Way Out of the Illicit Market Crisis? | #GFN Voices 2026 #4
Enforcement cannot fix a market that policy itself is helping to create. Illicit nicotine trade grows where demand remains high, legal access is restricted and safer products are pushed outside accountable channels. Police action may disrupt supply, but it cannot remove the incentives that make illegal sales profitable. A serious response to the illicit market crisis has to combine enforcement with harm reduction, realistic regulation and legal options that adults will actually use.
August 19, 2026 by substack.com
The Tobacco Control Antis Have a Problem
Australia’s tobacco debate has reached the point where defending the status quo is no longer enough. High excise, illicit cigarettes, restricted vape access and organised crime are now part of the same policy landscape. Stronger enforcement may be necessary, but it cannot answer the economic incentives that keep the black market attractive. A serious nicotine strategy would make safer legal options easier to access than illegal cigarettes.
11.00% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 2.4 million current smokers in Australia 12.90% of men are current smokers but only 9.30% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
August 19, 2026 by the360mag.com
Britain’s Latest Public Health Threat Is Cheesecake, According to the Government
Britain’s public health debate is drifting into absurdity. Treating everyday choices as threats to be managed from above risks replacing guidance with control and responsibility with restriction. The same instinct appears in tobacco and nicotine policy: regulate the behaviour, narrow the options, and call it protection. Public health works better with trust, proportion and evidence than with a constant search for the next thing to ban.
11.80% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 6.7 million current smokers in United Kingdom 13.60% of men are current smokers but only 10.10% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
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Blogs
Harry's blog 134: Filtering out lies and misinformation
The only major global journal focused on harm reduction has gone bust. Since 2017, Filter has advocated through journalism for rational and compassionate approaches to drug use, drug policy and human rights, while also standing out for its coverage of tobacco harm reduction. Its closure is a significant loss - particularly at a time when well-funded opponents of tobacco harm reduction continue to thrive.
Harry’s blog 133: Silence is consent
Two tobacco control consultations that demand your attention
I’m sure there are many of you like me who are deeply cynical about public consultations. They often feel like political tick box exercises allowing the issuing authority from local councils to international organisations to say they have ‘consulted with the people’, when in truth they knew exactly what they were going to do from the get-go.
Harry’s Blog 132: “Zyn! Went The Strings Of My Heart” (with apologies to Judy Garland)
FDA approval of 20 nicotine pouch products is another step forward for tobacco harm reduction
The FDA in the U.S. has granted marketing authorisation for Zyn nicotine pouch products (five variations on mint plus five other flavours in two different strengths).
In its letter to PMI (who own Zyn manufacturers Swedish Match), the FDA wrote:
Based on our review of your MRTPAs [Modified Risk Tobacco Applications] we determined that the proposed modified risk tobacco products, …as actually used by consumers would significantly reduce harm and the risk of tobacco-related disease to individual tobacco users and benefit the health of the population as a whole, taking into account both users of tobacco products and persons who do not currently use tobacco products. Therefore, we authorize marketing of the tobacco products as modified risk tobacco products with the following modified risk information – “Using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis”.