Faculty Opinions recommendation of Obsolete tobacco control themes can be hazardous to public health: the need for updating views on absolute product risks and harm reduction.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil Grunberg
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Tobacco Control

scholarly journals Origins of tobacco harm reduction in the UK: the ‘Product Modification Programme' (1972–1991)

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (e1) ◽  
pp. e12-e18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse Elias ◽  
Pamela M Ling
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
British Government ◽  
Tobacco Harm Reduction ◽  
Parliamentary Debate ◽  
Product Modification ◽  
The Uk

ObjectiveTo better understand the current embrace of long-term nicotine maintenance by British governmental agencies and tobacco harm reduction by several leading British public health organisations, describe the context and deliberations of the UK’s first formal tobacco risk reduction programme: ‘Product Modification’.MethodsAnalysis of previously secret tobacco industry documents, news archives and Parliamentary debate records.ResultsFrom 1972 to 1991, the British government sought to investigate safer smoking through the ‘product modification programme'. The Independent Scientific Committee on Smoking and Health (ISCSH) advised the British government on these efforts and collaborated with the tobacco industry, with which government then negotiated to determine policy. The ISCSH operated from four industry-backed premises, which contributed to the ISCSH’s support of safer smoking: (1) reduced toxicity indicates reduced risk; (2) collaboration with the tobacco industry will not undermine tobacco control; (3) nicotine addiction is unavoidable; (4) to curtail cigarette use, solutions must be consumer-approved (ie, profitable). These premises often undermined tobacco control efforts and placed the ISCSH at odds with broader currents in public health. The product modification programme was abandoned in 1991 as the European Community began requiring members to adopt upper tar limits, rendering the ISCSH redundant.Policy implicationsEndorsements of reduced harm tobacco products share the same four premises that supported the product modification programme. Current tobacco harm reduction premises and policies supported by the British government and leading British public health organisations may reflect the historical influence of the tobacco industry.

scholarly journals The electronic cigarette: a knight in shining armour or a Trojan horse?

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 201-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil W. Schluger
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Electronic Cigarettes ◽  
Smoking Behaviour ◽  
Public Health Community ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Community

SummaryElectronic cigarettes have caused a sharp debate in the public health community, with some promoting them as a means of harm reduction for tobacco users and some taking a strong stand against them because of fear of renormalising smoking behaviour and interrupting tobacco control progress. People with mental health problems smoke at high rates and e-cigarettes seem a potentially attractive method of cessation in this population, and their use should be studied carefully.

How to Think—Not Feel—about Tobacco Harm Reduction

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 1299-1309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth E Warner
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Youth Smoking ◽  
Tobacco Harm Reduction ◽  
Reduced Risk

Abstract Introduction The debate over tobacco harm reduction (THR) has divided the tobacco control community into two camps, one expressing serious reservations about THR whereas the other believes that reduced-risk products like e-cigarettes will disrupt the cigarette market. The often emotional debate would benefit from dispassionate data-based evaluation of evidence. Methods After briefly discussing harm reduction in public health and specifically in tobacco control, this paper identifies major issues concerning e-cigarettes and reviews relevant evidence. Issues include: e-cigarettes’ risks compared to cigarette smoking; the effect of vaping on youth smoking; vaping’s impact on adult smoking cessation; the net long-term public health implications of vaping; and differences in views on policy issues. The intent is to provide a broad overview of issues and evidence, directing readers to more detailed reviews of specific issues. Findings Principal findings include the following: (1) while longitudinal studies suggest that vaping increases never-smoking young people’s odds of trying smoking, national survey data indicate that adolescents’ 30-day smoking prevalence decreased at an unprecedented rate precisely whereas vaping increased. Use of all other tobacco products also declined. (2) Recent population-level studies add evidence that vaping is increasing adult smoking cessation. (3) Vaping is likely to make a positive contribution to public health. Conclusions THR can be a complement to, not a substitute for, evidenced-based tobacco control interventions. Tobacco control professionals need to focus on objective assessment of and discussion about the potential costs and benefits of THR. Implications Participants on both sides of the divisive THR debate need to examine the complicated issues and evidence more objectively. This entails considering both the potential benefits and costs associated with reduced-risk products like e-cigarettes. Furthermore, it requires examining different kinds of evidence when considering specific issues. For example, those concerned by longitudinal study findings that vaping increases students’ trial of cigarettes should consider US national survey evidence that youth smoking has decreased at an unprecedented rate. A review of the major issues suggests that the potential of vaping to assist adult smokers to quit outweighs the potential negatives.

scholarly journals Public health policy implementation and evaluation in portugal and israel (Project PH.PIE): the intersectoral pledge and the case of health literacy for tobacco control in the building of the Homo Salus

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Saboga-Nunes ◽  
A C Fernandes ◽  
D Levin-Zamir
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Public Health Policy ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Civic Society ◽  
Health Policy Implementation

Abstract Despite the overwhelming accumulated evidence of the negative effects of nicotine intake, the prevalence of tobacco use is not expected to decline in the near future in several countries. Israel and Portugal both signed the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and implemented several strategies to achieve Positive Public Health Outcomes (PPHO) (e.g. policy making, legislation). Nevertheless during the past 10 years the number of smokers in Israel has decreased from 28% (in 2000) to about 20.6% (in 2017), while in Portugal, the number of smokers has not changed (2002, 19.2%). However, it has increased for women and adolescents. The goal of PH.PIE project (Public Health Policy Implementation & Evaluation) is to document policy development and implement Health Impact Assessment (HIA) towards a knowledgeable civic society, searching for the real PPHO. Tobacco control is a selective topic because of its high relevance in public health. PH.PIE considers policy making and stakeholder analysis to comprehend HIA of strategic public health issues and PPHO. The tobacco industry during the last 10 years has invaded the market with a comprehensive new approach, built around the concept of harm reduction and turnaround strategies to counteract WHO FCTC principles. This way, public health has apparently lost its grip from its own argumentative discourse, while several stakeholders have positioned themselves in the co-working facelift of nicotine use with smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes, and other forms of use that have not been scrutinized in terms of their real potential on public health terms. Harm reduction approaches take the front line, in contrast to smoking cessation efforts as a cornerstone of WHO FCTC. We argue in this paper that health literacy can be critical tool in re-making nicotine addiction in the homo salus upbringing.

The neoliberal governance of heroin and opioid users in Philadelphia city

2021 ◽  
pp. 174165902199119
Author(s):  
Philip R Kavanaugh ◽  
Jennifer L Schally
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Media Portrayals ◽  
Neoliberal Governance ◽  
Public Nuisance ◽  
Fiscal Austerity ◽  
Opioid Users ◽  
Governmental Response

Drawing on 147 news accounts and five policy documents on the heroin and opioid crisis in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania published between 2016 and 2018, our analysis highlights how media portrayals of opioid users as both tragic victims and public nuisance prompted a schizoid governmental response that draws on rhetorics of treatment and harm reduction to legitimate more punitive interventions. By describing how the state’s quasi-medical responsibilization strategy devolved to fold criminalization into its broader response, we argue the effort to wage a kinder/gentler war on overdose invests in familiar tropes of a recalcitrant drug user class that is a threat to public health. In doing so we provide a basis to critique how drug users are governed in this time of fiscal austerity, resource hoarding, and perpetual, continually evolving drug crises.

Commentary on the harm reduction reference group of justice health and forensic mental health network and corrective services NSW, Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Anne Silano ◽  
Carla Treloar ◽  
Thomas Wright ◽  
Tracey Brown ◽  
Colette McGrath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Reference Group ◽  
New South ◽  
Forensic Mental Health ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health Network ◽  
South Wales

Purpose This commentary aims to reveal how a steering committee has effectively responded to advancing accessibility to harm reduction resources, hepatitis C virus (HCV) policy and health strategies within adult prison settings in New South Wales (NSW). Design/methodology/approach By reviewing the audit approach taken by the of the Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network and Corrective Services New South Wales Harm Reduction Reference Group (JHFMHN/CSNSW HRRG), this commentary emphasizes the committee’s success in identifying contemporary harm reduction issues that affect people in custodial settings. This commentary is a compilation of data gathered through the 2018 JHFMHN/CSNSW HRRG audit and corresponding program materials. Conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the working group’s audit were drawn by critically appraising the JHFMHN/CSNSW HRRG’s Final Audit Report (JHFMHN and CSNSW, 2018) with reference to current harm reduction literature. Findings The HRRG has provided leadership, professional representation and strategic advice on the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of best practice harm reduction strategies in prison settings. The HRRG developed and maintained networks and information exchange between the state-wide HCV health network, corrections services and the NSW harm reduction sector at large. Public health partnerships and advocacy that involve all key players, such as the HRRG, will continue to be crucial to remove barriers to enhancing HCV harm reduction measures especially in NSW prison settings. Social implications Strategies such as primary prevention and treatment can mitigate the spread of HCV in the custodial system. This audit of access to harm reduction resources was conducted on behalf of the diverse group of professionals, scholars and stakeholders comprising the HRRG. This audit and other advocacy efforts of this committee can facilitate future access to quality healthcare and the necessary policies required to support a healthier prison population at large. Originality/value Collaborating with health authorities, researchers and social service workers can enable prison health-care systems to be guided by wider health workforce programs and public health standards. This collaboration can reduce the professional isolation of custodial health-care staff and promote a balanced approach to harm reduction policies by ensuring an equitable focus on both health and security imperatives.

scholarly journals The place for harm reduction and product regulation in UK tobacco control policy

2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. Gilmore ◽  
J. Britton ◽  
D. Arnott ◽  
R. Ashcroft ◽  
M. J. Jarvis
Keyword(s):  
Harm Reduction ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Control Policy ◽  
Tobacco Control Policy ◽  
Product Regulation

scholarly journals Prevalence of Tobacco Use and Efforts for Tobacco Control in The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heeje Lee ◽  
Minah Kang ◽  
Sangchul Yoon ◽  
Kee B. Park
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Republic Of Korea ◽  
World Health ◽  
Online Media ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Media Content Analysis ◽  
Public Health Campaigns ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Tobacco use is one of the main public health concerns as it causes multiple diseases. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is one of the 168 signatory countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) member states agreed to adopt the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC). However, there is lack of information regarding the tobacco use in the DPRK and the government’s efforts for tobacco control. The aim of the study was to find the prevalence of tobacco use among the DPRK people and the government’s efforts to control tobacco use among its population, through literature review combined with online media content analysis. In 2020, the prevalence of tobacco smoking in males of 15 years and older was 46.1%, whereas that in females was zero. The online media contents showed the DPRK government’s stewardship to promote population health by controlling tobacco use. Furthermore, the DPRK government has taken steps to implement the mandates of the FCTC including introduction of new laws, promotion of research, development of cessation aids, as well as public health campaigns.

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