Science Matters

Science and technology are moving and so is product development. The evidence on harm reduction is clear, and yet, the people shaping policy are still too often disconnected from the consumer, and the scientists building a strong evidence basis.

That disconnect has consequences.

When scientists publish findings on reduced risk products, it can take years for that knowledge to filter into clinical guidance or regulation. When innovators develop alternatives that significantly reduce exposure to harmful compounds, they face fragmented and inconsistent regulatory responses across borders.

The result is a system where good intentions collide with unintended outcomes.

Flavour restrictions are a clear example. They are often introduced with the aim of protecting young people. However, evidence discussed by public health experts shows that restricting access to flavoured vaping products can reduce switching away from cigarettes and in some cases drive people back to smoking. Policies designed to reduce harm risk entrenching it if they are not grounded in behavioural and real-world evidence.

Another persistent challenge is the misunderstanding of nicotine itself. In conversations with clinicians across multiple regions, global health expert Derek Yach has highlighted how widespread the belief remains that nicotine causes cancer. It does not. The primary harm from smoking comes from combustion and inhalation of toxic by-products, not from nicotine as a molecule. That same molecule is routinely prescribed in nicotine replacement therapies. When medical professionals misunderstand this distinction, opportunities to guide patients toward less harmful alternatives are lost.

These are not academic disagreements. They are life-and-death policy questions. And too often, they are debated in isolation.

That is why in March 2026, WNC will bring together politicians, scientists, clinicians, technologists, investors and public health leaders in Brussels. Not to talk past one another, but to engage directly. Not to manufacture consensus, but to improve clarity.

Brussels matters. It sits at the heart of European regulation and increasingly shapes global policy reference points. Decisions made there reverberate far beyond Europe.

The main thread of our inaugural conference this year is science and the role it has in shaping: i) the policy environment; ii)  Innovation; and iii) the consumer. 

We cannot solve the smoking problem in three days. But we can create the conditions for better decisions by ensuring the right people are in the same conversation.