The Right Side of History

GSTHR: The Right Side of History does not seek to replicate or revisit the previous GSTHR reports in detail. Instead, it steps back and casts an eye over the history of THR. Where did this history begin? And how has it developed? We bring the story right up to date with a final section that attempts to look into the near future.

The emergence of safer nicotine products, especially vaping, has brought seismic disruption to the commercial, clinical, public health, and legislative landscapes. This disruption has dominated the history of tobacco harm reduction so far. This report emphasises that effective harm reduction interventions, at minimal cost to governments and health agencies, can end smoking within a generation. The alternative is a continuation of approaches that will continue to fail those most in need. The price will be counted in the millions of lives that could have otherwise been saved.

The Right Side of History: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2022 is the third of our biennial Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) reports. Since 2018, the series has been charting progress in the adoption of tobacco harm reduction (THR), an approach which encourages people who smoke or use risky tobacco to switch to the use of safer nicotine products (SNP). These products include nicotine vapes, Swedish-style snus, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products.

Table of contents:

Introduction: The threat of disruption
Chapter 1: Dying for a smoke
Chapter 2: The genesis of tobacco harm reduction
Chapter 3: A stuttering evolution towards the quiet revolution
Chapter 4: Community innovation - and commercial expansion
Chapter 5: ‘Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt’
Chapter 6: Follow the money
Chapter 7: Regulating for health
Chapter 8: The right to use and the right to choose
Chapter 9: Future shoot