GFN•TV will bring the conference's platform for rational and inclusive debate on the future role of safer nicotine products and tobacco harm reduction to an audience all year round. GFN•TV will also be broadcasting live from Warsaw in June. Tune in to hear world-leading experts, tobacco harm reduction advocates and nicotine consumers discuss the latest scientific, regulatory and policy developments. From our unique annual event, to year-round reporting of the issues that matter in tobacco harm reduction, GFN has got it covered.
GFN.TV Interviews #90 | BLACK MARKET MAJORITY | 76% of Global Vaping Is Now Illicit
Over seven out of every ten vapes sold worldwide now come from the illicit market. Worth an astounding $47 billion USD annually, the global black market for vaping products accounts for 76% of all vapes sold, dwarfing the legal trade and proving restrictions largely ineffective. Shot on location at GFN 2026 in Warsaw, Poland, Shane MacGuill of Euromonitor International explains how taxes, restrictions, product bans, and regulatory barriers are driving consumers into illicit markets around the world.
Featuring: SHANE MACGUILL Global Lead, Nicotine & Cannabis Euromonitor International euromonitor.com @ShaneMacGuill
📅 24 Jun 2026
Dealing with the health, wellbeing and ethical impacts of prohibition #GFN26
Safer nicotine products are increasingly popular for assisting those quitting smoking. Evidence continues to support the game-changing effect this can have on individual and community health. Some questions emerge from this. What should be the role of public health in this? Why do some public health professionals continue to ignore or dismiss the emerging evidence? Does ideology cloud judgements? Should personal choice and freedom be a priority? What legitimate role is there for regulation in this area?
📅 22 Jun 2026
The impact of prohibition on health and ethics #GFN26
How does prohibition of safer alternatives square with the Hippocratic oath? What are the ethics of accepting smokers' lives and wellbeing as collateral damage, in pursuit of the war on the nicotine industries? Why is giving alternatives to people who misuse substances viewed differently to permitting people who smoke access to less harmful alternatives? Supported by evidence from work successfully debunking bad science, including exposing research claims correlating viral TikTok videos about nicotine pouches to sales. Shouldn't we allow people to make informed judgements about their behaviour and their health?
📅 19 Jun 2026
THR Unfiltered #1 | Navigating the prohibitionist landscape of THR in the States #GFN26
Why is it easier to launch a deadly new cigarette than a safer alternative? In this video, Harry Shapiro (Director of DrugWise UK) sits down with tobacco policy journalist Jacob Grier to untangle the chaotic, confusing, and highly politicized world of tobacco harm reduction.
From the historic roots of the FDA’s Tobacco Control Act to the massive influx of unregulated products, they break down why public health regulation is failing consumers, creating monopolies, and inadvertently fueling a massive illicit market.
📅 17 Jun 2026
The social impacts of prohibition #GFN26
What happens when governments ignore science and choose outright prohibition over evidence-based public health? In this panel discussion, international experts and harm-reduction advocates break down the global shift toward nicotine prohibition and the severe, unintended consequences of banning safer nicotine alternatives.
📅 15 Jun 2026
'Safer nicotine products will replace combustible cigarettes’ - Michael Russell Oration 2026 #GFN26
In this compelling presentation, Dr. Alex Wodak explores the inevitable and rapid shift from combustible tobacco to safer nicotine alternatives. Moving beyond just the obvious health benefits, Dr. Wodak dives deep into the broader impact of these disruptive technologies and outlines why harm reduction advocates are crucial in shaping future legislation.
📅 12 Jun 2026
Tobacco harm reduction and illicit trade #GFN26
What happens when governments implement blanket bans on Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) products? In this insightful panel discussion, experts from around the world expose the dangerous, unintended consequences of over-regulation and prohibition - what moderator John Fell calls the "invisible foot."
From street-level corruption to billion-dollar criminal enterprises, our panel explores how prohibition fails to stop consumer demand and instead directly fuels global organized crime.
📅 10 Jun 2026
A beacon of reason in a ideological war | GFN26 Closing remarks by Konstantinos Farsalinos
Is public health losing its way? In his 13th presentation at the Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN), Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos delivers a powerful address on the "ideological war" surrounding tobacco harm reduction.
As supranational organizations and regulatory bodies lean heavily toward dogmatic prohibitions and restrictive frameworks, Dr. Farsalinos argues that the foundational principles of true public health - empathy, compassion, and human autonomy - are being left behind in favor of a moralistic "quit or die" agenda.
Tune in to discover why defending science-backed, safer alternatives isn't just a matter of medicine and epidemiology, but a fundamental fight for human rights and personal freedom.
