Stories

FDA's approach to tobacco and nicotine regulation should be a high priority for reformers of the federal bureaucracy. FDA's Center for Tobacco Products manages to combine near complete regulatory failure with vast costs to the regulated industries and to the FDA.

Today, Sweden has achieved an incredible milestone, becoming the first nation to officially declare itself “smoke-free.” With just 4.5% of Swedish-born adults still smoking, the country has smashed the globally recognized 5% benchmark, reaching this landmark 16 years ahead of the European Union’s target. Sweden’s achievement shines a light on a pioneering public health approach that has enabled it to leave behind the EU average smoking rate of 24%, which is five times higher than Sweden’s.

Leading independent researchers at UK universities has expressed their opinions about the implications of the Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Professor Sean Semple at the University of Stirling, the University of East Anglia’s Professor Caitlin Notley, Professors Jamie Brown and Lion Shahab at University College London, and King’s College London’s Professor Ann McNeill have all responded to the changes to vape legislation.

Leading public health experts said Japan could save millions of lives if it embraces innovative and proven tobacco harm reduction measures. In Tokyo, the event featured a series of discussions with harm reduction and public health experts, including Dr. Fredrik Nystrom, Professor Marewa Glover, Professor David Sweanor, Professor Kazumasa Oguro, Dr. Kenji Shibuya and Dr. Hiroya Kumamaru.

A study in Nicotine and Tobacco Research shows that switching from smoking to vaping improves respiratory health, but using both methods simultaneously does not. Research on adults transitioning from smoking to vaping reveals a decrease in wheezing symptoms, but not in cough resolution. Participants who completely switched to e-cigarettes experienced a reduction in wheezing. However, individuals who combined vaping with smoking did not show respiratory improvements. Those who quit nicotine entirely saw the most significant enhancements in cough and wheeze symptoms. The findings suggest the benefits of transitioning solely to electronic cigarettes for respiratory health compared to dual usage or continued cigarette smoking.

Tobacco use remains one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time, responsible for more than 8 million deaths annually worldwide. Despite decades of anti-smoking campaigns, over 1.1 billion people still smoke, and the numbers remain stubbornly high, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Globally, the healthcare burden caused by smoking-related diseases continues to strain resources, yet millions of smokers find it difficult or impossible to quit.

British American Tobacco (BAT UK) has welcomed the proposed new retail licensing system as key intervention to stop underage vaping but warns fines for breaking the law are too low. It says the £200 fines need to be increased if it is to be an effective deterrent but goes on to say it also supports a ban on flavours that resemble dessert, sweets or soft drinks.

Labour’s crackdown on vaping could backfire and lead to more people smoking, the government’s own impact assessment warns. An “unintended consequence” of banning disposable vapes and certain flavours “is that it could encourage more people to try smoking” it says.

A former director at the tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) was handed a role on an influential expert committee advising the UK government on cancer risks. Ruth Dempsey, the ex-director of scientific and regulatory affairs, spent 28 years at PMI before being appointed to the UK Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (CoC).

Sweden is set to become the first country in the world to achieve ‘smoke-free’ status when its tobacco smoking prevalence rate falls below 5% in the next few months. The Swedish Model has made tobacco harm reduction products as accessible, acceptable, and affordable as possible to adult smokers, effectively wiping out smoking in a country where 50 years ago, 49% of men were smoking regularly.