Global Forum on Nicotine 2026

EN + ES + RU
Barriers to the marketing of novel tobacco and nicotine products, such as regulatory bans and restrictions, pose an existential threat to tobacco harm reduction and improving the health and lives of adult smokers. This workshop will take a dive into assessing the science base used to drive restrictions, focussing on several themes which are commonly used to push for stronger regulation or outright prohibition and presenting scientific counterarguments.

What are the fundamental principles of harm reduction and how can they be applied to many areas of human activity? How can tobacco harm reduction be integrated into mainstream practice to reduce the harms of smoking for those most at risk – illicit drug users, those with poor mental health and others marginalised through economic and legal constraints? What are the obstacles to integration and how might we address and overcome these?

GFN is driven by the latest science and evidence. GFN Science Lab provides the opportunity for the presentation of lab-based research, epidemiological research, modelling, market research on consumer behaviour and discussion of results - or expected results - of studies. Each presenter is given 15 minutes - including the time to show a five minute video - to present and discuss their work.

EN + ES
This session will explore the future of tobacco control in Iberoamérica, highlighting the consequences of prohibitionist and ideologically driven approaches. It will examine how such policies may overlook key public health and human rights principles by limiting access to lower-risk alternatives and failing to reflect the realities of people who use nicotine. The discussion will also consider the role of tobacco harm reduction (THR) as a more pragmatic, evidence-based approach to improving health outcomes.

This session will explore the impacts of banning tobacco harm reduction products - on consumers, retailers and manufacturers - and the wider consequences for society of criminal organisations becoming involved in the THR supply chain.

GFN is driven by the latest science and evidence. GFN Science Lab provides the opportunity for the presentation of lab-based research, epidemiological research, modelling, market research on consumer behaviour and discussion of results - or expected results - of studies. Each presenter is given 15 minutes - including the time to show a five minute video - to present and discuss their work.

Are multi-national organisations constraining national sovereignty in tobacco harm reduction policy? At the WHO’s COP11 in Geneva, the Secretariat and aligned NGOs pressed delegations to adopt sweeping “forward-looking measures,” including severe restrictions and possible prohibitions on non-combustible nicotine products, potentially limiting countries’ ability to pursue risk-proportionate approaches. Meanwhile, the European Commission’s review of the Tobacco Products Directive begins from the premise that safer nicotine products are as harmful as smoking and could introduce binding, disproportionate restrictions across all 27 Member States. This panel examines recent developments at global and European levels.

EN + ES + RU
Harm reduction approaches are now an established and fundamental part of the response to drug use. While tobacco harm reduction has an expanding evidence base it is often viewed in narrow terms, as if people who smoke exist in a discrete silo. This has meant the potential of THR to help communities with high smoking prevalence, such as people who use drugs, remains underexplored – despite the evident harms they experience and their impact on health outcomes. This session brings a drug harm reduction perspective to THR, drawing on frontline experience across a range of environments and sectors, seeking to highlight what works in terms of harm reduction for individuals and communities, plus opportunities for further development.

GFN is driven by the latest science and evidence. GFN Science Lab provides the opportunity for the presentation of lab-based research, epidemiological research, modelling, market research on consumer behaviour and discussion of results - or expected results - of studies. Each presenter is given 15 minutes - including the time to show a five minute video - to present and discuss their work.

GFN is driven by the latest science and evidence. GFN Science Lab provides the opportunity for the presentation of lab-based research, epidemiological research, modelling, market research on consumer behaviour and discussion of results - or expected results - of studies. Each presenter is given 15 minutes - including the time to show a five minute video - to present and discuss their work.

More than a billion adults globally smoke combustible cigarettes. The harm caused can be reduced if individuals switch completely to smoke-free products. Availability of a wide range of options can accelerate their switching journey. However, access to products is being restricted by either outright bans or flavour restrictions. Whilst aimed at preventing underage use, this overlooks the needs of adults who smoke. This session will focus on a rigorous, evidence-based evaluation of whether product/flavour bans achieve the objective of reducing youth use of smoke-free products, without undermining adult smokers’ access to effective switching options.