What are heated tobacco products?
Appearing on the market in the mid-2010s, heated tobacco products include brands such as IQOS, glo and Ploom. This Briefing Paper provides an introduction to this safer nicotine product category and explores their tobacco harm reduction potential.
From cigarettes to snuff to nicotine pouches: the unusual Icelandic model for tobacco harm reduction
While snus has provided an increasingly popular off-ramp for those looking to switch away from smoking in Sweden and Norway, Icelanders have taken to a different selection of safer nicotine products, and this Briefing Paper uncovers the story of their rise.
Nicotine and medical research – a background
Despite misconceptions about nicotine, due to its association with smoking, this Briefing Paper explains why researchers are increasingly interested in the therapeutic potential of nicotine with respect to Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and mental health.
Tobacco harm reduction and the FCTC: issues and challenges at COP11
From 17th – 22nd November 2025, COP11 is taking place in Geneva. This Briefing Paper explores the efficacy of the FCTC in reducing smoking, and considers the challenges posed by COP11 to consumer access to safer nicotine products and tobacco harm reduction progress.
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the Conference of the Parties (COP): an explainer (updated September 2025)
The Eleventh Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is taking place from 17th – 22nd November 2025. This updated guide for COP11 explains what COP meetings are, how they work, and why they are important.
Why is tobacco harm reduction needed and what is the evidence it works?
Our latest Briefing Paper explains the importance of tobacco harm reduction as well as providing a range of country case studies demonstrating the power of safer nicotine products to bring down rates of smoking.
The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2024: A Situation Report
This Briefing Paper summarises The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2024: A Situation Report, which uses the latest evidence and new data projections to report on the current global THR situation and its potential to rapidly reduce the burden of disease and mortality associated with risky tobacco use.
Dead ends - the tobacco industry's quest for a ‘safe’ combustible cigarette
Tobacco companies spent decades denying any link between smoking and disease, while also trying to develop a ‘safe’ cigarette. This Briefing Paper sets out to tell the story of this quest, looking at the roles played both by those within and outside of the tobacco industry.
Safer nicotine product taxation and optimal strategies for public health
This Briefing Paper examines the current global situation regarding the taxation of safer nicotine products and how this relates to product accessibility, before offering evidence-based policy recommendations for optimal taxation strategies in support of harm reduction goals and public health.
How snus is replacing smoking in Norway: a revolution led by consumers and product innovation
While Sweden recently became the first smokefree country, its neighbour, Norway, is also experiencing plummeting smoking rates. This Briefing Paper explores why so many Norwegians have switched from deadly cigarettes to much safer snus.
Pro-consumer laws and an endorsement for vaping: why smoking is disappearing in Aotearoa New Zealand
This Briefing Paper tells the story of Aotearoa New Zealand's rapid and growing embrace of vaping, providing another important case study showcasing the potential of tobacco harm reduction to help bring down smoking rates.
A smokefree UK? How research, policy and vapes have cut smoking rates
The number of people who vape in the United Kingdom is soon set to exceed the number who smoke for the first time. This Briefing Paper explores the United Kingdom’s progress towards becoming smokefree, highlighting both the successes and the challenges.
Smoking and vulnerable populations: supporting smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction in social work
Social workers build relationships with individuals who are often from marginalised or vulnerable communities where smoking rates are disproportionately high. This Briefing Paper calls for tobacco harm reduction to become more integrated into their work to reduce the harms from smoking.
Cigarette sales halved: heated tobacco products and the Japanese experience
In the ten years following the introduction of heated tobacco products to Japan, sales of cigarettes have fallen by 52% in Japan. This Briefing Paper explores some of the factors that have helped bring about this startling decline alongside the rapid growth of heated tobacco products.
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.