Welcome to this week’s Global Forum on Nicotine newsletter where we are thrilled to announce the first GFN26 panel, taking place in the Ballroom on Wednesday 3 June. In ‘The social impacts of prohibition’, our panel of experts will be remarking on the key impacts of prohibition from their respective perspectives and countries.

‘The social impacts of prohibition’ will be streamed for our online audience and simultaneously translated into Russian and Spanish. Later, the recording will be published on our YouTube channel.

GFN panels have an emphasis on discussion and our host, Reem Ibrahim, promises that this one will be  “fascinating” and that she is really looking forward to it.

She told us: “Obviously, there have been enormous social and cultural impacts on restrictions of safer nicotine products, whether that be advertising, taxes, or other government interventions. Consumer behaviour is affected by these changes, and of course, the likelihood that smokers end up quitting smoking is affected.”

Focuses for discussion naturally include how illicit markets have exploded and culturally normalised the purchase of nicotine products on the black market.

Then there is the thorny subject of how prohibitionist policies have produced unintended and counterproductive consequences on society – not least of which is the public understanding of the benefits and potential of safer nicotine products.

Reem also points to the equity implications of prohibition, saying: “For example, smoking rates are higher amongst lower socioeconomic groups, and so prohibitionist policies on safer nicotine hurt them the most.”

Let’s meet our fantastic panel for ‘The social impacts of prohibition’:

Reem Ibrahim

Reem, our host, is a Research Fellow, Policy and Media at Reason, where she turns public policy into sharp journalism and video. She reports and writes on issues including regulation, trade, and economic freedom.

Before joining Reason, Reem worked at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London, where she translated economic research into accessible commentary and media-ready analysis. She regularly appears on television and radio, including the BBC, LBC, GB News, TalkTV, and more. Her writing has been featured in several U.K. outlets, including The Daily Telegraph, The Spectator, City AM, The Express, and others.

Reem is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Carissa Düring

Carissa is the Director of Considerate Pouchers in Sweden, a global consumer advocacy group dedicated to promoting a smoke-free world and consumers' rights to alternative nicotine products.

She studies clinical psychology at Uppsala University in Sweden. As an advocate, Carissa writes and speaks about tobacco harm reduction from the consumer's perspective and their right to alternative nicotine products. She highlights how successful nicotine pouches have been in helping Sweden achieve the lowest smoking rates in the EU, and how the rest of the world can follow in its footsteps.

Carissa has also been featured in the documentary How Sweden Quit Smoking.

Jacob Grier

Jacob is a writer and journalist covering tobacco policy. His work has appeared in Reason, Slate, The Atlantic, and many other publications, and he is the author of two related books: “The New Prohibition: The Dangerous Politics of Tobacco Control” and “The Rediscovery of Tobacco: Smoking, Vaping, and the Creative Destruction of the Cigarette”.

With nearly two decades on the beat, his coverage spans smoking bans, harm reduction, innovation, and the unintended consequences of prohibition. He is also the founder of the link-sharing app Seabird. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Juan José Cirion Lee

Juan José is a postulant lawyer and an expert in individual freedom rights. Currently, he has promoted amparos against the prohibition of the use of vaping devices in Mexico, obtaining favourable sentences. Also, Juan José has obtained injunctions in favour of the personal recreational use of cannabis.

With a law degree from the Universidad Intercontinental, a Masters in Law from UNAM, and a Doctoral candidate at UNAM, Juan José is a Professor of Philosophy of Law at the UNAM, a Professor of Legal Argumentation at the Universidad La Salle, and Professor of Contemporary Legal Systems at the Postgraduate Studies Division of the UNAM.

He has been an invited speaker at forums in the Federal Chamber of Deputies and local legislatures in defence of the fundamental rights of individual liberties as well as acting as a legal advisor to companies in the vape market.

Juan José is the author of the book “The Harm Reduction Concept and Human Rights”.

Now let’s meet another one of our GFN26 media partners!

We are delighted that 2FIRSTS, the prominent news outlet reporting on safer nicotine products, will be joining us again for GFN26 as an official media partner.

Dedicated to covering emerging safer nicotine products and the latest developments in the industry, 2FIRSTS is a go-to source of up-to-date news relied upon by regulators and industry leaders.

Based in China, the 2FIRSTS website is available in both English and Chinese with more than 10,000 daily visits from a global audience of brands, distributors, regulators and safer nicotine product firms. Make sure to check them out here!

Keep an eye out for next week’s newsletter, where we’ll be bringing you more exciting conference updates!

The GFN26 Team