Heart harm claims from study of just 17 vapers challenged by experts
Experts question whether a small study of 17 vapers can support claims about vaping’s effects on the heart.
Nicotine policy, in perspective.
Independent reporting and analysis on nicotine policy and harm-reduction in Europe.
The latest developments
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France rejects lifetime tobacco ban and targets health misinformation
French MPs have thrown out a plan to stop the next generation ever being legally sold tobacco.
Ireland’s vape flavour ban advances despite warnings it could send ex-smokers back to cigarettes
Ireland’s vape flavour crackdown has cleared its final Seanad hurdle despite warnings it could drive former smokers back to cigarettes and force independent shops to shut.
Investigations
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INVESTIGATION: Who’s behind the anti-nicotine propaganda?
Pharmaceutical companies selling costly treatments for smoking-related diseases also fund organisations campaigning for tighter restrictions on safer nicotine products. Peter examines whether those relationships deserve closer scrutiny.
Analysis & opinion
View allGutka: Tobacco Control’s Indifference to Improving Public Health
David Zaruk argues that global tobacco control’s approach to gutka exposes a contradiction in its public health priorities.
A story of two consultations: picking apart the Commission’s summary report
Peter Beckett examines what the European Commission’s summary of its nicotine consultations leaves out — and why the design of the questions matters.
More from our reporting
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Smokers still getting the wrong message on vaping risks, English data shows
New English survey data highlights a persistent gap between smokers’ understanding of vaping risks and the evidence on harm and quitting.
Science
View allHeart harm claims from study of just 17 vapers challenged by experts
Experts question whether a small study of 17 vapers can support claims about vaping’s effects on the heart.
Smokers still getting the wrong message on vaping risks, English data shows
New English survey data highlights a persistent gap between smokers’ understanding of vaping risks and the evidence on harm and quitting.
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Data
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Smoking among young Swiss people falls by almost a quarter in two years
The proportion of young people smoking in Switzerland fell by almost a quarter between 2023 and 2025, while monthly vaping remained broadly stable.
Estonia’s smoking rate falls by more than a quarter as vaping more than triples
Estonia has recorded one of Europe’s clearest recent shifts away from smoking, with current smoking falling by more than a quarter while vaping more than tripled between 2020 and 2024.
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Follow policy as it changes across Europe.