Nicotine Science and Policy
By Harry Shapiro Aug. 4, 2026
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.
August 05, 2026 by substack.com
The Wrong Question About Vaping
Every cigarette avoided is a risk reduction, even when the alternative is not risk-free. That is the point often lost in vaping debates. For adults who smoke, the comparison should begin with continued exposure to combustion, not an impossible standard of harmlessness. Public health should ask which choices reduce harm in real life, not which ones fit a perfect abstinence model.
August 05, 2026 by thehill.com
FDA authorizes 4 flavored nicotine pouches
Flavoured nicotine pouches receiving FDA authorisation complicates the idea that flavour alone should make a product unacceptable. The decision suggests that regulators can assess smoke-free products on evidence, exposure and population-level impact rather than category assumptions. Adult smokers need options that are both lower risk and acceptable enough to support switching. If authorisation is based on science, policy should allow that science to be communicated clearly.
August 05, 2026 by businesstech.co.za
Product differentiation has been accepted. Now the bill must reflect it.
Recognising that nicotine products differ in risk is only the first step. The harder task is ensuring that legislation reflects that distinction in practice. When smoke-free products are regulated as though they are equivalent to combustible cigarettes, policy loses the opportunity to encourage lower-risk choices while maintaining strong safeguards for young people. Evidence-based regulation should distinguish products according to their risk profile, not simply group them under the same label.
August 05, 2026 by clearingtheair.eu
Ireland’s de facto vape flavour ban delayed after Italy and Greece object
Ireland’s de facto vape flavour ban has hit a pause because other EU countries are asking the proportionality question. Italy and Greece’s objections highlight a wider concern: whether national restrictions on safer nicotine products can be justified when they may reduce adult switching and fragment the single market. Youth protection remains important, but it should be pursued through targeted enforcement rather than broad measures that remove useful alternatives. A delay is not a defeat for public health; it is a chance to get the policy right.
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 conce…
August 04, 2026 by worldvapersalliance.com
India continues punishing vapers, while having high tobacco usage rates
India’s tobacco burden remains enormous, yet people who vape continue to face punishment instead of proportionate policy. Criminalising or heavily restricting lower-risk alternatives does not make nicotine demand disappear; it narrows the legal routes away from combustible tobacco. A country with high tobacco use needs more harm reduction, not fewer options for adults trying to reduce risk. Public health should focus on moving people away from the deadliest products, not penalising those who choose a safer path.
9.30% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 100.2 million current smokers in India 16.70% of men are current smokers but only 1.40% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
- Page 1 of 46
Blogs
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”.
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?