It’s a regular feature in the tobacco harm reduction calendar and because of the pandemic, the Global Forum on Nicotine is open to all and is now a free online two day event.
Experts from the world of THR are booked to speak – indeed there’s 30 of them – and the topics cover everything from advances in nicotine science, the effect of nicotine on COVID-19, the ethics behind THR and much more.
The impressive line-up of speakers reads like a who’s who of the nicotine and tobacco advocacy world including Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos MD and Professor Riccardo Polosa – two guys I’ve written about extensively. They really are champions of all things nicotine, especially vaping.
You might remember Professor Polosa addressing UK MP’s in the House of Commons – he famously held up a slice of burnt toast explaining that it was more carcinogenic than vaping!
Other speakers include Clive Bates, Marewa Glover, Ethan Nadelmann, Fiona Patten, David Sweanor and Alex Wodak, with a special talk from the Louise Ross, the vice chair of the New Nicotine Alliance UK.
Attacks On Tobacco Harm Reduction “Intensifying”
Martin Cullip of the NNA warned last Christmas 2020 was going to be a real battle to stop politicians in Europe and around the world from attacking vaping in particular.
There’s already rumblings about banning ‘novel nicotine products‘ and flavours – and there’s definitely moves afoot to bring in draconian legislation and high taxes on e-cigarettes.
I’ve written about the current threats in Denmark and Finland and the link above shows the EU is planning to tax vaping and e-liquids in line with lit tobacco products – meaning much higher prices – bad news indeed.
Then of course we have the World Health Organization that has moved from sabre rattling about the so called dangers of vaping and Snus – to an almost warlike footing.
I wrote recently about the WHO actually celebrating what they called the ‘defeat of e-cigarettes‘ in Finland and its latest No Tobacco Day [next Sunday] event has gone about as dirty as it could possibly get.
As you can see, the WHO is using kids as a battering ram to get across it’s ridiculous, completely false and fake message that vaping is hooking the kids – quite shocking really.
Therefore the Global Forum on Nicotine is more important than it ever was and will hopefully create compelling evidence that novel nicotine products, far from being a danger to public health, are indeed a blessing.
Paddy Costall, co-director of the conference, said:
Since we started in 2014, GFN has always welcomed participants from a hugely diverse range of groups, professions and disciplines, something of which KAC Communications is rightly proud.
Simply put, we believe in freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of speech.
In the last year, the intensity of attacks on pro-tobacco harm reduction researchers, academics and professionals across the world have increased significantly, with organisations discredited and ad hominem attacks launched on individuals for their beliefs or connections.
As always, and perhaps even more so in this critical year, GFN is open to everyone with an interest in nicotine science and policy.
It is open to everyone who wants to reduce the toll of tobacco-related death and disease worldwide.
And it is open to everyone who recognises that global tobacco control will fail without the strategic addition of tobacco harm reduction, in the form of widespread access to safer nicotine products.
We look forward to welcoming you on the 11 and 12 June – and hope to see many of you in Warsaw, where we plan to meet again in June 2021.
GFN Open To All – Register and How To Get Involved
The Global Forum on Nicotine takes place online on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 June.
Checkout the programme of GFN open for all events.
You can register for your spot on the GFN Registration Page – it’s free 😉
If you can’t make the two full days – you can still register and the event will be available to view once it ends – so no excuses!
