David Sweanor is an adjunct professor, Faculty of Law, and chair of the advisory board of the Centre for Health Law, Policy & Ethics at the University of Ottawa and has been actively involved in tobacco and health policy issues since the beginning of the 1980s. He has worked globally, and with numerous groups, including the International Union Against Cancer, World Health Organization, World Bank and the Pan American Health Organization and played a key role in achieving many global precedents in tobacco policy. He currently focuses much of his tobacco and nicotine related efforts on risk reduction strategies.
All videos (2)
PROHIBITION: WHAT LIES BENEATH? | THR Unfiltered
17 Jul 2026
What drives tobacco control policy—science or ideology?
In this episode of Tobacco Harm Reduction Unfiltered, Harry Shapiro speaks with Professor David Sweanor about prohibition, tobacco harm reduction, vaping, nicotine policy, and the future of public health. They explore why evidence-based regulation matters, the role of innovation in reducing smoking, and whether prohibition can ever achieve its intended goals.
Watch for an in-depth discussion on tobacco control, smoke-free alternatives, public health policy, and harm reduction from GFN26 – Global Forum on Nicotine 2026.
The real costs of prohibition | #GFN26 Panel #3
1 Jul 2026
At the Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN26), leading experts examine one of the most controversial questions in public health: What are the real costs of vaping prohibition?
This panel explores the unintended consequences of restrictive nicotine policies, including black markets, reduced access to safer nicotine alternatives, impacts on smoking cessation, and the broader implications for public health. Drawing on scientific evidence and international experience, the speakers discuss whether prohibition achieves its intended goals—or creates new problems.