Canada in dialogue

The Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN) is due to stage a free-to-attend, tobacco-harm-reduction dialogue in Vancouver, Canada, in April.
The dialogue, Tobacco harm reduction: different strokes for different folks, or a consistent approach?, is to be held in partnership with the BC Centre for Disease Control and the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.
It will be held from 09.00 to 16.30 on April 9, at the Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver.
‘The huge growth in the availability of safer nicotine products, with new technologies, such as vaping and heat not burn, as well as oral tobacco products, such as snus, has created greater opportunities for smokers to switch from a proven dangerous and unhealthy way to consume nicotine to much safer methods, according to a press note from the GFN, which has previously run series of dialogues in the UK and Ireland.
‘The emerging science surrounding both the technology and the products is positive and encouraging.
‘Vancouver has a proud tradition for supporting harm reduction for illicit drug use, including pioneering supervised consumption rooms for injecting drug use. The principles of harm reduction are well understood and have been enacted for many years with positive results.’
Participants will be addressed by international and local presenters, including:

• Dr. Mark Tyndall, executive medical director, BC Centre for Disease Control;
• Professor Marjorie MacDonald, School of Nursing, University of Victoria;
• Professor Gerry Stimson, professor emeritus, Imperial College, London;
• Jacques Le Houezec, independent consultant in public health and tobacco dependence, France;

The presenters are due to examine:

• The history of harm reduction in Vancouver, the lessons learnt and the implications for this approach in relation to tobacco and smoking.
• Tobacco harm reduction as the ‘new kid on the block’ and what the emerging evidence is telling us.
• What does regulation look like and what are the elements that make for appropriate and effective regulation?
• The consumer experience – what products do people use and what are the results for them?
• What are the key issues for policy-makers and how can we ensure buy-in from all stakeholders?

Attendance at the dialogues is free, but participants are required to register at: https://gfn.net.co/dialogues/register.
More details about the dialogue are at: https://gfn.net.co/dialogues/vancouver-2018.