12 JUNE 2024
Side event: GSTHR Roadshows, Wednesday
THR at the Crossroads in LATAM, part 1
Country regulatory update
This event will provide valuable insights into the current state of vaping across Latin America, with a focus on health. The seminar is part of the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction programme.
Simultaneous translation (EN/ES) will be available.
Moderator
Francisco Ordóñez

Panellist (Chile)
Ignacio Leiva

Panellist (Mexico)
Tomas O'gorman

Panellist
Tomasz Jerzyński

THR at the Crossroads in LATAM, part 2
Health, science, sustainability and human rights
This event will provide valuable insights into the current state of vaping across Latin America, with a focus on health. The seminar is part of the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction programme.
Simultaneous translation (EN/ES) will be available.
Moderator
Gina Reyes

Panellist (Argentina)
Diego Verrastro

Panellist (Mexico)
Juan José Cirión

Panellist (Mexico)
Roberto Sussman

Panellist
Boris Platonoff

Taxation, Regulation and THR – Delivering for Better Health
The GSTHR Road Show event will look at the vital role taxation and regulation can play in helping people move on from smoking.
With an expert panel, including policy and legal experts as well as those with experience or different national approaches, this promises to be a unique opportunity to consider how these levers can be used to improve the lives of millions of smokers.
Simultaneous translation (EN/ES) will be available.
Panellist
David Sweanor

Panellist
Clive Bates

Panellist
Carissa Düring

Moderator
Arkadi Sharkov

Panellist
Giorgi Mzhavanadze

Panellist
Alex Gogoana

Time | Ballroom E |
---|---|
10:00 - 10:45 | THR at the Crossroads in LATAM, part 1 |
11:00 - 12:00 | THR at the Crossroads in LATAM, part 2 |
14:00 - 16:30 | Taxation, Regulation and THR – Delivering for Better Health |
12 JUNE 2024
Pre-conference meetings, Wednesday
Consumer meeting - open
Host
Fiona Patten

Time | Kometa |
---|---|
11:00 - 12:30 | Consumer meeting - open |
14:00 - 16:30 | INNCO meeting |
13 JUNE 2024
Day 1, Thursday
Opening and Keynote #1 - Health and economic benefits of tobacco harm reduction
- What does the current evidence tell us about the potential health and economic benefits of safer nicotine products?
- How should we weight this evidence?
- What more do we need to know, what is the prognosis for the future and what are the short and long-term costs of different policy alternatives?
- How might legislators and regulators balance health and economic imperatives to achieve positive outcomes?
- What factors might make for an effective legislative and regulatory framework?
- How should future progress be monitored, and policies adjusted in response?
Host
Grzegorz Król

Speaker
Andrzej Fal

Respondent
Michelle Minton

Workshop EE & CA Session - From Oversight to Action: Addressing Smoking Rates in Vulnerable Populations (RU language w/ EN translation)
Russian language session with simultaneous English translation
It is widely recognized that smoking rates among key and vulnerable populations surpass those of other groups. However, across much of the globe, support services often overlook this issue. Consequently, many will face mortality not due to their substance use or mental health conditions, but rather as a result of smoking-related diseases. This session aims to discuss the reasons for this oversight, with a particular emphasis on Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and to generate ideas for effective interventions to address this critical issue.
Host
Kasia Kowalczyk

Speaker
Alla Bessonova

Speaker
Gintautas-Yuozas Kentra

Speaker
Uladzimir Pikirenia

Speaker
Jarkyn Shadymanova

ISoNTech, part 1
Host
Martin Cullip

Workshop - Media engagement for consumers
Host
Nancy Loucas

Host
Heneage Mitchell

Speaker
Lindsey Stroud

Science Lab #1
Host
Ian Jones

Author & presenter
Carrie Wade

Title: Estimating HPHC Exposure on a “Per Stick Basis”
Presenter
Karin Jacobson

Title: Comprehensive Literature Review on the Indoor Air Quality Studies for Heated Tobacco Products (by Yoko Miyamoto)
Presenter
Marewa Glover

Title: Empowering Lady Health Workers for Smoking Cessation: Lessons from a Rural Pakistan Initiative (by Nazia Shaheen)
Presenter
Roberto Sussman

Title: Reviews of Overheating ENDS Aerosol: Recent Updates (by Sebastien Soulet)
Presenter
Sud Patwardhan

Title: Bridging the policy-practice gap in tobacco cessation
Workshop - Smoking cessation in the 21st century
Host
Marewa Glover

ISoNTech, part 2
Host
Martin Cullip

Science Lab #2
Host
Summer Hanna

Presenter
Ondrej Koumal

Title: Evolution of Tobacco Sales and Use Following Introduction of Heated Tobacco Products in Japan
Presenter
Tomasz Jerzyński

Title: Global Survey of Consumer Organizations Advocating for Safer Nicotine Products
Presenter
Andrea Patton

Title: Why Do Youth Use E-Cigarettes? Analysis of the National Youth Tobacco Survey 2016 to 2023
Presenter
Roberto Sussman

Title: Environmental Vape Aerosol, Is It Harmful to Bystanders?
Rhetoric, Regulation and Reality: consumer experience of the increasingly complex THR landscape
Despite considerable scientific evidence to support the efficacy - and relative safety - of safer nicotine products (SNPs) powerful voices continue to place obstacles in the way of consumers. Consumers are an often neglected voice in the debates that often result in disproportionate regulation, restrictions on sales and use and outright bans applied to SNPs. There are some notable exceptions, where consumers have had their voices heard and garnered support from legislators, resulting in a more balance and nuanced approach.
This session will attempt to ’take stock’ of where we are and what the next steps might look like, and will be consumer lead, with panellists from different regions reflecting on how the debate has been conducted and what influence they may have been able to bring to bear. What are the challenges and what strategies can have a positive impact? How can the science supporting SNPs be effectively promoted and how can the consumer experience be incorporated - ’nothing about us without us’? Who are the key actors and how might they be engaged in a constructive way? What can most effectively assist consumer advocacy to succeed?
Host
Tom Gleeson

Speaker
Joseph Magero

Speaker
Ignacio Leiva

Speaker
Carissa Düring

Speaker
Asa Saligupta

Panel Discussion #1 - The costs of prohibition
An examination of the health, social and economic costs of prohibition, with a panel reflecting on parallel experiences with illicit drugs and alcohol. The panel comprises politicians, thought leaders from the drug and alcohol fields and a consumer/vape trader perspective.
Host
Ethan Nadelmann

Panellist
Fiona Patten

Panellist
Lindsey Stroud

Panellist
Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh

Panellist
Harry Shapiro

Michael Russell Oration and Awards
Bridging the Divide: Taking Global Action to End Smoking
Host
David MacKintosh

Speaker
Cliff Douglas

Awards Host
Gerry Stimson

Time | Ballroom | Ballroom ABC | Ballroom DEF | Foyer | Kometa | Sphinx Restaurant | TV Studio | Wisła |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
09:00 - 09:30 | Commentary Team #1 | |||||||
09:30 - 11:00 | Opening and Keynote #1 - Health and economic benefits of tobacco harm reduction | |||||||
11:00 - 11:30 | Tea/coffee break | |||||||
11:30 - 13:00 | Workshop EE & CA Session - From Oversight to Action: Addressing Smoking Rates in Vulnerable Populations (RU language w/ EN translation) | ISoNTech, part 1 | Science Lab #1 | Workshop - Media engagement for consumers | ||||
13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch break | |||||||
13:30 - 14:00 | Commentary Team #2 | |||||||
14:00 - 15:30 | Workshop - Smoking cessation in the 21st century | ISoNTech, part 2 | Science Lab #2 | Rhetoric, Regulation and Reality: consumer experience of the increasingly complex THR landscape | ||||
15:30 - 16:00 | Tea/coffee break | |||||||
16:00 - 17:30 | Panel Discussion #1 - The costs of prohibition | |||||||
17:30 - 18:15 | Refreshment break | |||||||
17:45 - 18:15 | Commentary Team #3 | |||||||
18:15 - 19:30 | Michael Russell Oration and Awards | |||||||
19:30 - 23:59 | Conference Party |
14 JUNE 2024
Day 2, Friday
Keynote #2 - Over/misinterpretation of the precautionary principle in relation to safer nicotine
Whilst no activity has a total absence of risk, science has to embrace risks and challenges to evolve. The over/misinterpretation of the precautionary principle is often an impediment to progress. Drawing on his experience of working with dependence in other fields, Dr McGovern will examine, in relation to nicotine use:
- How should we categorise/quantify risk?
- Is there a hierarchy of risk(s)?
- What are the consequences of avoiding all risks?
- How can equivalence assist in assessing risk?
- Who should determine the limits of risk – for the individual and communities?
Are there lost opportunities for tobacco harm reduction to have a significant impact on personal and societal health improvement, due to the inappropriate application of the precautionary principle?
Host
Sarah Cooney

Speaker
Garrett McGovern

Respondent
Alex Wodak

Workshop - What does 'independent' mean, in relation to THR science?
Scientific data are critical to our understanding of the harm reduction potential of novel tobacco and nicotine products. Such data can be used in shaping evidence-based regulation and to inform consumers of the relative risks of tobacco product use. Increasingly, there are calls to preclude data generated by manufacturers in informing policy, as this data is seen by some as not ‘independent’ and biased by commercial goals. This panel session will explore:
- What does independent mean when it comes to tobacco harm reduction science?
- Why might manufacturers’ data not be acceptable?
- Are manufacturers’ data on nicotine products any different from pharmaceutical industry data on novel drugs?
- Does not being independent mean that we should not trust the data? Should we ignore it? Or just acknowledge it and move on without looking at it?
- What are the dangers of ignoring evidence seen as ‘dependent’ and what does that mean for THR? Are there unintended consequences?
- How do we move forward from here? How do we make sure both dependent and independent evidence is used to inform consumers and to help shape regulation?
Host
Ian Fearon

Speaker
Marewa Glover

Speaker
Sarah Cooney

Speaker
George Hardie

Speaker
Colin Mendelsohn

Film Festival #1
Host
Emmanuel Mwape

Presenter
Emil Todorov

Presenter
Marewa Glover

Presenter
Jeffrey Zamora

Presenter
Marilena Marchetti

Presenter
Jeffrey Zamora

Science Lab #3
Host
Karin Jacobson

Presenter
Rosalia Emma

Title: Replica Project: A Journey Through Multicentric Research Endeavors
Presenter
Konstantinos Farsalinos

Title: Flavored E-Cigarette Use at the Time of Quitting Smoking: Comparison Between Young Adults (18-24 Years Old) and Adults (>24 Years Old)
Presenter
Anna Masser

Title: "Why Nicotine Content is not Nicotine Uptake”
Presenter
Elaine Round

Title: Accelerating Towards A Smokeless World
Workshop - Regulation round up – global perspectives
Host
Barnaby Page

Speaker
Michael Landl

Speaker
Peter Beckett

Speaker
Lindsey Stroud

Speaker (Pre-recorded video)
Alan Zhao

Speaker
David Yu

Workshop - LATAM Session (ES language w/ EN translation)
Spanish language session with simultaneous English translation
This workshop will explore the horizontal relationship of physicians, consumer advocates, and regulators to promote science-based communication and harm reduction alternatives to advance public health.
Host
Jeffrey Zamora

Host
Carmen Escrig

Speaker
Jorge Palma

Speaker
Diego Verrastro

Speaker
Tomás O'Gorman

Speaker
Fernando Bueno

Film Festival #2
Host
Emmanuel Mwape

Presenter
Miguel Castro

Presenter
Gina Reyes

Presenter
Aman Mahajan

Presenter
Bengt Wiberg

Presenter
Bornface Kachiza

Presenter
Anime Ganiza

Science Lab #4
Host
Summer Hanna

Presenter
Mirko Casu

Title: Digital and Mobile Health Innovations: Enhancing Smoking Detection and Cessation
Presenter
Chase Wallace

Title: Smoke Free Sweden 2023: Sweden Is About to Become the First Smoke-Free Country
Presenter
Colin Mendelsohn

Title: What Are the Harms of Vaping in Young People Who Have Never Smoked
Presenter
Karin Jacobson

Title: Navigating the Uncharted Waters of Unintended Consequences in Tobacco Regulation Policies
Presenter
Martin Fitzpatrick

Title: An Observational Study of a Heated Tobacco System Among Adult Smokers with No Intention to Quit
Workshop - Regulatory risk, investment and tobacco harm reduction
For Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) to become widespread, affordable and appealing, reduced-risk alternatives to harmful tobacco products must be legally available and accessible. Achieving this requires sustained, substantial investment. The pace of harm reduction is closely tied to investment levels, influenced by potential risks and returns. Regulatory risk and uncertainty increase the returns required by investors, reducing available capital. Consequently:
- Reduced Investment in Product Development: Lower investment hinders the development of safer and more appealing products supported by scientific research. Without this, regulators are unlikely to consider them as effective harm-reduction solutions, and existing RRPs do not appeal to most smokers.
- Limited Accessibility in the Global South: Insufficient investment in cost reduction makes these products inaccessible to consumers in the Global South, home to 80% of harmful tobacco users.
- Hesitancy to Enter High-Risk Markets: Companies and investors are less likely to enter markets with high regulatory risk
Host
Pieter Vorster

Speaker
Sud Patwardhan

Speaker
Jonathan Fell

Speaker
Marina Murphy

Panel Discussion #2 - Legislation and regulation - health and economic consequences
An examination of the health and economic impact of tobacco control measures and the role for proportionate regulation and risk management for alternative nicotine products.
Host
Clive Bates

Panellist
David Sweanor

Panellist
Nevena Crljenko

Panellist
Konstantinos Farsalinos

Panellist
Joe Thompson

Film Festival Awards
Host
Emmanuel Mwape

Time | Ballroom | Ballroom ABC | Ballroom DEF | Foyer | Kometa | TV Studio | Wisła |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
09:00 - 09:30 | Commentary Team #4 | ||||||
09:30 - 11:00 | Keynote #2 - Over/misinterpretation of the precautionary principle in relation to safer nicotine | ||||||
11:30 - 13:00 | Workshop - What does 'independent' mean, in relation to THR science? | Workshop - Regulation round up – global perspectives | Science Lab #3 | Film Festival #1 | |||
13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch break | ||||||
13:30 - 14:00 | Commentary Team #5 | ||||||
14:00 - 15:30 | Workshop - LATAM Session (ES language w/ EN translation) | Workshop - Regulatory risk, investment and tobacco harm reduction | Science Lab #4 | Film Festival #2 | |||
16:00 - 17:30 | Panel Discussion #2 - Legislation and regulation - health and economic consequences | ||||||
17:45 - 18:30 | Film Festival Awards |
15 JUNE 2024
Day 3, Saturday
Keynote #3 - THR market influence - past, present and future
Vivien is a nicotine market specialist, and until recently, the Managing Director & Senior Analyst, Global Beverages, Tobacco and Cannabis, at TD Cowen, in New York City.
In her keynote she will address a number of themes, among them:
- What factors prompted and drove initial investment in this field?
- What is the state of the current market?
- Who are the major investors/stakeholders?
- What might be the impact of regulation – and possible prohibition – on future investment and the development of the next generation of safer nicotine products?
- Are there lessons to be learnt from other emerging markets, for example the market for medicinal and recreational cannabis?
Host
David Sweanor

Speaker
Vivien Azer

Respondent
Jonathan Fell

Panel Discussion #3 - Rating the evidence - good and bad science
The hosts, together with a panel representing scientists, consumers and other stakeholders will review a selection of scientific papers, published in the past 12 months, on nicotine and THR-related issues, identifying the best and worst examples.
Host
Clive Bates

Host
Arielle Selya

Panellist
Gizelle Baker

Panellist
Roberto Sussman

Panel Discussion #4 - The global culture war over THR
An examination of the nature of the THR debate, including different factions' objectives and the tactics being used, such as misinformation, emotive appeals and personal attacks. Panellists will share their own experiences, discuss why the debate is being conducted as it is, and ask how we should best operate in a challenging and often hostile environment.
Host
Will Godfrey

Panellist
Marewa Glover

Panellist
Rohan Sequeira

Panellist
Maria Papaioannoy-Duic

Panellist
Christopher Snowdon

Closing remarks
Host
Jessica Harding

Time | Ballroom | Foyer |
---|---|---|
09:30 - 11:00 | Keynote #3 - THR market influence - past, present and future | |
11:00 - 11:15 | Tea/coffee break | |
11:15 - 12:45 | Panel Discussion #3 - Rating the evidence - good and bad science | |
12:45 - 13:30 | Lunch break | |
13:30 - 14:45 | Panel Discussion #4 - The global culture war over THR | |
14:45 - 15:00 | Closing remarks |