Briefing Papers

Tobacco harm reduction and people experiencing homelessness – a UK perspective

With such high smoking rates among people who experience homelessness or rough sleeping in the UK, this Briefing Paper looks at the potential for tobacco harm reduction to help reduce the health inequalities seen in this vulnerable population.

English 1308 Web page
English 398 PDF Document
Chinese (Mandarin) 287 PDF Document
French 361 PDF Document
Portuguese 329 PDF Document
Russian 284 PDF Document
Spanish 301 PDF Document

Tobacco harm reduction consumer advocacy organisations

Tobacco harm reduction consumer advocacy organisations play a vital role in maintaining access to safer nicotine products around the world. Here we explore the development, role and importance of these grassroots groups.

English 1538 Web page
English 388 PDF Document
Arabic 410 PDF Document
Chinese (Mandarin) 404 PDF Document
French 502 PDF Document
German 382 PDF Document
Hindi 356 PDF Document
Indonesian 393 PDF Document
Japanese 363 PDF Document
Polish 363 PDF Document
Portuguese 337 PDF Document
Russian 388 PDF Document
Spanish 386 PDF Document
Swahili 282 PDF Document


The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the Conference of the Parties (COP): an explainer (updated April 2023)

With the Tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) taking place in November 2023, here's our updated guide to explain how the meeting works. Scroll down to access this document in multiple languages.

English 1932 Web page
English 1363 PDF Document
Arabic 703 PDF Document
Chinese (Mandarin) 685 PDF Document
French 792 PDF Document
German 807 PDF Document
Hindi 686 PDF Document
Indonesian 686 PDF Document
Japanese 638 PDF Document
Polish 785 PDF Document
Portuguese 754 PDF Document
Russian 738 PDF Document
Spanish 1156 PDF Document
Swahili 690 PDF Document

What are nicotine pouches?

Nicotine pouches are a relatively new product which can provide users of high-risk tobacco with an alternative that poses fewer risks to their health. Here we provide an introduction to the tobacco harm reduction potential of this category.

English 2221 Web page
English 446 PDF Document
French 68 PDF Document
German 366 PDF Document
Indonesian 332 PDF Document
Polish 368 PDF Document
Portuguese 90 PDF Document
Russian 97 PDF Document
Swahili 62 PDF Document

The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2022: The Right Side of History

This Briefing Paper summarises The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2022: The Right Side of History, which charts the history of tobacco harm reduction to date, and considers the future for a strategy that could end smoking.

English 1015 Web page
English 730 PDF Document
Arabic 758 PDF Document
Chinese (Mandarin) 747 PDF Document
French 665 PDF Document
German 548 PDF Document
Hindi 475 PDF Document
Indonesian 523 PDF Document
Japanese 678 PDF Document
Polish 537 PDF Document
Portuguese 598 PDF Document
Russian 505 PDF Document
Spanish 537 PDF Document
Swahili 598 PDF Document

What is snus?

Used in Scandinavia for more than 200 years, snus is providing smokers in Sweden and Norway with an alternative to combustible cigarettes, but what is it and why is it considered a safer nicotine product? This Briefing Paper aims to provide the answers.

English 928 Web page
English 542 PDF Document
Arabic 81 PDF Document
Chinese (Mandarin) 167 PDF Document
French 498 PDF Document
German 524 PDF Document
Hindi 54 PDF Document
Indonesian 620 PDF Document
Japanese 93 PDF Document
Polish 566 PDF Document
Portuguese 545 PDF Document
Russian 505 PDF Document

Tobacco harm reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa

With the number of tobacco users across the continent set to rise by 2025, we look at the current state of tobacco harm reduction in the region, assessing the progress made so far and the obstacles preventing greater adoption of safer nicotine products.

English 743 Web page
English 422 PDF Document
Arabic 516 PDF Document
French 452 PDF Document
Swahili 407 PDF Document

The right to health and the right to tobacco harm reduction

Tobacco harm reduction is not only a potentially life-saving public health intervention for the world’s 1.1 billion smokers, it's also supported by international human rights law. Here we make the case for promoting tobacco harm reduction as a health rights issue.

English 956 Web page
English 555 PDF Document
Arabic 528 PDF Document
Chinese (Mandarin) 523 PDF Document
French 709 PDF Document
German 546 PDF Document
Indonesian 436 PDF Document
Japanese 462 PDF Document
Polish 498 PDF Document
Portuguese 463 PDF Document
Russian 418 PDF Document
Spanish 608 PDF Document
Swahili 501 PDF Document

What is Tobacco Harm Reduction?

Tobacco harm reduction is a potentially life-saving intervention for millions of people across the world who use high-risk tobacco products, offering them the chance to switch to a range of safer nicotine products. Here, we provide a detailed introduction to the principles, history and evidence for this vital public health strategy.

English 2122 Web page
English 951 PDF Document
Arabic 1014 PDF Document
Chinese (Mandarin) 1429 PDF Document
French 1004 PDF Document
German 982 PDF Document
Hindi 819 PDF Document
Indonesian 864 PDF Document
Japanese 798 PDF Document
Polish 697 PDF Document
Portuguese 794 PDF Document
Russian 846 PDF Document
Spanish 1075 PDF Document
Swahili 1672 PDF Document

82 million vapers worldwide in 2021: the GSTHR estimate

The popularity of nicotine vaping products continues to grow around the world as smokers choose to make the switch to safer alternatives and our latest research estimates the global number of vapers increased by 20% between 2020 and 2021.

English 2891 Web page
English 390 PDF Document

Fighting the Last War: the WHO and International Tobacco Control

The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control isn't working. Here we use the key messages from the latest Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction report, Fighting the Last War, to argue why tobacco harm reduction must be adopted urgently by the WHO.

English 264 Web page
English 263 PDF Document

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Conference of the Parties (COP): an explainer (2021)

With the Ninth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) taking place from 8 - 13 November 2021, here's our guide to explain how the meeting works.

English 180 Web page

The UK and tobacco: successful elements of a harm reduction strategy and the chance to influence the international response to smoking

The UK is a world leader in tobacco harm reduction (THR), but it can still do more. Here, we argue COP9 presents the UK with the perfect opportunity to both display its THR credentials on the global stage and to champion the benefits of safer nicotine products.

English 317 Web page
English 354 PDF Document