THR Reports
Burning Issues: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2020 - Executive Summary
Harry Shapiro - Knowledge•Action•Change
A brief summary of our second GSTHR report which documents the development of tobacco harm reduction and use, availability and regulatory responses to safer nicotine products around the world.
No Fire, No Smoke: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2018
Harry Shapiro - Knowledge•Action•Change
No Fire, No Smoke: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2018 was the first in the series of biennial GSTHR reports. Inspired by the drug harm reduction reports of Harm Reduction International, published on a biennial basis since 2006, this landmark publication was the first to document the history and development of tobacco harm reduction, as well as the use, availability and regulatory responses to safer nicotine products around the world. This GSTHR report mapped for the first time the global, regional and national availability and use of safer nicotine products, the regulatory responses to these products, and the public health potential of tobacco harm reduction. This report explores in detail the potential of safer nicotine products to unlock a public health revolution, if and when these products are embraced globally.
The GSTHR report series is founded on the principle of harm reduction. Harm reduction refers to policies, regulations and actions focussed on reducing health risks, usually by providing safer forms of hazardous products or encouraging less risky behaviours, rather than simply banning products or behaviours. Harm reduction is a proven public health strategy.
Table of contents:
Chapter 1: Introduction: tobacco harm reduction
Chapter 2: The continuing global epidemic of cigarette smoking
Chapter 3: Safer nicotine products: a global picture
Chapter 4: Consumers of safer nicotine products
Chapter 5: Safer nicotine products and consumer health
Chapter 6: Regulation and control
Chapter 7: Human rights, public health and tobacco harm reduction advocacy
The "vaping timeline" infographic can be downloaded here.
Tobacco Harm Reduction: A Burning Issue for Asia
Harry Shapiro
The focus of this GSTHR briefing is Asia. Sixty per cent of the world’s smokers live in this region and almost half the global deaths from smoking occur here. Asia is also home to nine in every ten users of smokeless tobacco (SLT), leading to high rates of oral cancer. In a number of countries, public health is severely undermined where governments either control or have a significant stake in domestic tobacco companies. New solutions are needed to tackle the public health threat from smoking and tobacco use - but safer nicotine products are banned in many countries. Would tobacco harm reduction improve public health in Asia? And if so - what are the obstacles that stand in its way?
The formal launch event for the briefing took place online on Sunday 18 April 2021 and was co-hosted with Association of Vapers India.
