Global - Clearing the Air

News

Ireland weighing nicotine pouch ban, says chief medical officer

Ireland’s Department of Health is considering new restrictions on nicotine pouches as part of its efforts to curb nicotine use among young people. The proposal, which could extend existing tobacco control laws, comes as health officials debate how to balance youth protection…

News

COP11 agenda dismisses harm reduction as ‘tobacco industry narrative’

The World Health Organisation’s upcoming tobacco control summit, COP11, is under fire for framing harm reduction as a “tobacco industry narrative” - a move that critics say sidelines evidence and consumer voices. WHO sets tone for closed debate Set to take place…

News

FDA shift opens door to flavoured vapes

In a major turnaround, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has signalled support for tobacco harm reduction - and suggested that more flavoured vapes could soon be authorised for sale. Speaking at the annual Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) Tobacco…

News

WHO’s harm reduction stance ‘contradicts science,’ says former agency director

A former World Health Organisation (WHO) director has accused the agency of ignoring science and blocking progress on tobacco harm reduction. Professor Tikki Pang warns that the WHO’s current position risks stalling efforts to cut smoking in the Asia-Pacific - the region…

News

Secret celeb vapers revealed: from Selena Gomez to Leonardo DiCaprio

While smoking has fallen out of fashion among celebrities, vaping has quietly taken its place. According to the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction, an estimated 114 million people vape worldwide - and more than half of them are former smokers. Though…

News Science

Vaping carries far lower risk of wheezing than smoking, new CoEHAR study finds

Smokers were nearly twice as likely to develop wheezing compared with vapers. The risk of respiratory symptoms rose sharply according to the number of cigarettes smoked daily. Exclusive vape use appears substantially less harmful than smoking, with risk levels near those of…

News

Five WHO blunders that exposed its failures on vaping

The World Health Organisation portrays itself as the ultimate health authority. But its approach to vaping and other safer nicotine products has faced growing criticism for contradictions and missteps. Here are five major failures that have undermined global harm reduction efforts. 1.…

News

Exclusive: EU’s Leaked COP11 Position Signals Harsh Crackdown on Safer Nicotine Products

A leaked European Union draft position for next month’s WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) meeting reveals a sweeping push to extend tobacco-style restrictions, and even possible bans, to all non-smoked nicotine products, including vaping devices, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches.…

News Harm Reduction

Voices of Harm Reduction Pt 9: Derek Yach

As we count down to the WHO’s bi-annual summit on tobacco control - which is increasingly used to spread misinformation about harm reduction, we sat down with former WHO Director for Non-Communicable Diseases Derek Yach. Derek’s had a long and fascinating career…

Subscribe to Newsletter