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.
October 12, 2026 by washingtonexaminer.com
The FDA’s $7 billion bureaucratic black box is fueling black markets
The FDA review backlog is not just an administrative problem; it shapes the market smokers actually face. Legal smoke-free products wait in uncertainty, while illicit and unapproved products move faster than the system designed to regulate them. That imbalance leaves adult smokers with fewer accountable options and gives the black market more space to grow. Product review should be rigorous, but it also has to be timely enough to support harm reduction in the real world.
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
October 12, 2026 by substack.com
A Snapshot Is Not a Verdict
A snapshot can show where nicotine use is at one moment, but it cannot explain the whole journey. Smoking, vaping and switching are dynamic behaviours, shaped by timing, motivation, access and whether people move fully away from cigarettes. Treating one data point as a final verdict risks missing the direction of change that matters most for harm reduction. Better analysis follows the pathway, not just the photograph.
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
October 12, 2026 by gfn.tv
Why New Zealand Is Getting It Right?
New Zealand’s progress shows what tobacco policy can look like when harm reduction is treated as part of the solution. Smoking has fallen alongside access to vaping, suggesting that lower-risk alternatives can help accelerate the move away from combustion when smokers are given practical options. The lesson is not that regulation should disappear, but that it should support the direction of change already reducing harm. Public health should learn from countries where smoking is falling fastest, not dismiss the tools helping make it happen.
8.60% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 364,000 current smokers in New Zealand.
SOURCE: GSTHR
October 09, 2026 by regulatorwatch.com
Rule Reset | FDA Signals Major Overhaul of PMTA Process | RegWatch
A reset of the FDA’s PMTA process is overdue if regulation is meant to guide the market rather than paralyse it. The current pathway has left many smoke-free products trapped in uncertainty while cigarettes remain legally available and illicit alternatives gain space. A better system should be rigorous, transparent and fast enough to distinguish responsible products from those that do not meet standards. Harm reduction depends on regulation that can make timely decisions, not one that delays safer options out of reach.
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
October 09, 2026 by planetofthevapes.co.uk
New Briefing Paper from GSTHR
The new GSTHR briefing paper focuses on a shift that is already happening: people moving from cigarettes to safer nicotine products. These transitions are not theoretical policy models; they can be seen across countries where vapes, pouches, snus and heated tobacco products are changing patterns of nicotine use. That matters because the public health gain comes from reducing exposure to combustion, even when nicotine use continues. Regulation should understand these pathways before it disrupts them.
September 29, 2026 by gsthr.org
For many people, the route away from smoking is not one clean break but a transition. The latest GS…
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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”.