GFN•TV: News and Interviews

Is regulation keeping up with the evidence?

As the European Union considers the future regulation of non-combustible tobacco and nicotine products, an important question emerges: is the available scientific evidence being assessed fully, consistently and transparently?

In this Science Lab presentation, Carrie Wade examines the EU’s Better Regulation Framework and the evidence used in the recent evaluation of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). She argues that sound regulation requires a broad and balanced evidence base—including quantitative and qualitative data, expert input, stakeholder perspectives, uncertainties and conflicting findings.

Dr. Joe Kosterich first took an interest in nicotine vapes when patients who struggled to quit smoking quit thanks to vaping. Then Australia made the products they relied on nearly impossible to buy legally. Shot on location at GFN 2026 in Warsaw, the Australian GP explains how restrictions drove vape sales into the black market, where consumers face unregulated products and criminal gangs fight for control. Kosterich argues that public health’s war on nicotine has lost sight of the people it was meant to help.

Featuring:
DR. JOE KOSTERICH
Physician, Health Industry Consultant
@drjoesDIYhealth
drjoetoday.com

What does the current evidence tell us about the cardiovascular impact of novel tobacco and nicotine products?

In this presentation from Global Forum on Nicotine 2026, Dr. Thomas Nahde discusses a narrative review examining cardiovascular health and the potential impact of switching from combustible cigarettes to non-combustible nicotine products.

The review brings together 221 publications, covering experimental research, clinical studies and population-level evidence. It examines cardiovascular toxicant exposure, biomarkers of potential harm, atherosclerosis-related mechanisms, and evidence surrounding e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches.

France has recently prohibited nicotine pouches. Jean-François Etter discusses what prohibition could mean for consumers, quality control, illicit markets and criminal groups and why the demand for nicotine pouches may not simply disappear.

In this GFN Science Lab presentation, Layla Malt explores findings from two actual-use studies involving 850 adults who smoke, examining how flavour preferences, motivation, cravings, and risk perceptions relate to changes in smoking behaviour.

The analysis highlights the role of non-tobacco flavours, consumer experiences, and individual preferences in the transition away from cigarettes, alongside follow-up data extending to 24 weeks.

A clear and worsening division within public health has turned the debate over nicotine into a moral panic, with potentially dire consequences. Shot on location at GFN 2026 in Warsaw, Poland, longtime nicotine researcher and former University of Geneva professor of public health Jean-François Etter examines the irrational push to prohibit safer nicotine products. He explores public health groupthink, how arbitrary nicotine limits leave people underdosed, and why innovation may ultimately render opponents of tobacco harm reduction obsolete.

Featuring:
JEAN-FRANÇOIS ETTER
Nicotine & Tobacco Harm Reduction Researcher
Former Prof. of Public Health, University of Geneva
@etterjfZ profetter.substack.com

A harm reduction approach should not stop at those who are still smoking. What about the millions who have already moved to safer nicotine products - and still depend on access to them? If public health is about reducing harm, shouldn’t their voices count too?

Which oral nicotine products carry the greatest risk to oral health?

In this GFN Science Lab presentation, Helen Cowie examines how the shift from smoking to smokeless and oral nicotine products changes the way tobacco harm reduction should be assessed.

The discussion explores the current evidence on oral health risks across different product categories, including combustible cigarettes, traditional oral tobacco, snus and nicotine pouches. While cigarettes and several traditional oral tobacco products have well-established oral health harms, the presentation highlights evidence suggesting a substantially lower risk profile for oral nicotine pouches compared with smoking.

A safer alternative exists - but why is it so often treated differently? When harm reduction depends on meeting people where they are, where do smokers fit in? The answer may challenge some long-held assumptions about nicotine, choice, and public health.

How does the scientific evidence on heated tobacco products (HTPs) compare with what we know about cigarette smoking? In this presentation from the GFN Science Lab, Dr. Leonie Price takes a look at multiple layers of evidence surrounding heated tobacco products — from aerosol chemistry and toxicant emissions to biomarkers of exposure, environmental exposure, and the behavior of smokers who switch to HTPs.