On Wednesday 4 November 2020 from 10:00 GMT, Knowledge-Action-Change is set to launch Burning Issues: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2020, a major new report documenting both the advances and significant challenges facing tobacco harm reduction in 2020.
The report is the second in a biennial series from the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR), a unique project established to map the development of tobacco harm reduction and use, availability and regulatory responses to safer nicotine products around the world.
The launch event, being held in partnership with THR Malawi, will be livestreamed over three interactive sessions from London, Lilongwe and locations around the world. Guest speakers include the internationally renowned neuropsychopharmacologist Professor David Nutt, who will be providing a keynote address, along with Australian MP and Leader of the Reason Party Fiona Patten, the Counterfactual’s Clive Bates, INNCO President Samrat Chowdhery, NNA UK’s Martin Cullip and Chimwemwe Ngoma of THR Malawi.
The audience will also hear from key members of the GSTHR team, including Executive Editor Harry Shapiro and Project Director Professor Gerry Stimson, who will explore the report’s findings in detail. Burning Issues takes stock, addressing both progress and achievements in the field since the first edition was published in 2018, but also identifying the major obstacles preventing tobacco harm reduction from fulfilling its public health potential worldwide. With over 8 million deaths still attributable to smoking-related causes every year, the report authors hope that the findings, conclusions and recommendations will be of interest to policymakers at all levels, particularly during the current EU TPD review process and in advance of the WHO’s delayed COP9, now set for 2021.
Registered audience members will be invited to pose their questions live at the end of each panel. Sessions will be available for playback and the full report will be available for download from 4 November. Registration is free and all are welcome. For the full programme and to register, visit events.gsthr.org
