Nicotine Science and Policy
By Harry Shapiro July 10, 2026
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”.
August 03, 2026 by substack.com
Two Presentations, One Crisis: When the Evidence Points Beyond Enforcement
Two presentations can reveal one crisis when the same evidence points are interpreted in opposite ways. In nicotine policy, that crisis is not only about disagreement — it is about whether science is being used to clarify risk or to defend existing positions. When data on safer products is filtered through ideology, smokers may be left with confusion instead of useful guidance. Public health needs evidence that informs decisions, not evidence selected to protect a narrative.
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 03, 2026 by vapingpost.com
Nicotine Pouches Are Not Cigarettes. Regulation Should Reflect the Difference
A nicotine pouch is not a cigarette without smoke; it is a different product category altogether. That distinction matters for regulation, because rules designed around combustion do not automatically make sense for oral, smoke-free nicotine. Pouches still need standards, age controls and monitoring, but policy should reflect their actual risk profile rather than the stigma attached to cigarettes. Regulation is most credible when it recognises differences instead of flattening them.
July 31, 2026 by gfn.tv
Why Prohibition Is Failing Public Health? | GFN Voices 2026 #1
Prohibition can give the impression of control while making the underlying risks harder to manage. When legal access to safer nicotine products is restricted, demand does not disappear; it can shift towards illicit supply, misinformation or continued cigarette use. That is where public health loses ground: not in the intention to reduce harm, but in the failure to account for real-world behaviour. Effective policy should reduce risk where people actually are, not where theory assumes they should be.
July 31, 2026 by substack.com
The History of Safer
Safer nicotine did not appear out of nowhere. Its history is shaped by smokers looking for alternatives, scientists measuring risk, and policies that often struggled to keep up with both. From snus to vaping and nicotine pouches, the same lesson keeps returning: removing combustion can change the health equation. Understanding that history matters, because the future of tobacco policy should not repeat the mistakes that kept cigarettes at the centre for so long.
July 31, 2026 by 2firsts.com
Italy and Greece Oppose Ireland’s Nicotine Product Bill, Raising EU Regulatory Concerns
Italy and Greece challenge Ireland's proposed strict regulations on nicotine products, citing concerns about EU market coordination. The dispute centers on balancing public health goals with market harmonization. Ireland aims to enhance controls on vapes and nicotine pouches, focusing on marketing, packaging, and sales restrictions. This conflict highlights the evolving fragmentation of European nicotine regulations, affecting companies operating across the region. The objections emphasize the need for harmonizing national rules with EU frameworks. The debate underscores the challenges of aligning public health objectives with single market principles in the nicotine industry.
July 31, 2026 by planetofthevapes.co.uk
Ireland says it wants fewer people smoking, yet its vape policy risks making switching harder. If f…
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Blogs
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”.
Harry’s Blog 131: Hidden harms
New publications from K•A•C discuss the challenge of smoking in treatment services caring for those who are HIV positive or coping with drug problems.
Smoking rates among those who are HIV positive and those who use drugs (as well as those with mental health problems where there may well be overlap) are anything from two to four times higher than the general adult smoking rates of most developed countries. One study of those receiving opiate substitute treatment recorded a smoking prevalence rate of 85%. Why should this be?
Harry’s blog 130: Follow the science not the money
For the sake of public health, end virtue signalling about THR funding
I arrived into the world of tobacco harm reduction (THR) from drugs and HIV harm reduction in 2015. I was invited into KAC by two valued colleagues from my previous world who were perfectly up front (and have never hidden the fact) that the funding for the organisation came from the Foundation for a Smoke Free World which in turn was funded by Philip Morris International. And the reason that they were prepared to use this money to further the cause of THR was that no other prospective funders for a harm reduction project were interested. Nobody back in the day was excited by the fact that if you could separate nicotine use from combustion the relative risk was massively reduced and the potential health gains enormous.