Description
Opinion Poll: The Household Case for Innovation: A Five-Country Survey on Smoking Cessation and Quality of Life by We Are Innovation
In this episode of the World Nicotine Congress podcast, host Elise Rasmussen speaks with Federico Fernández, CEO of We Are Innovation, a global network of more than 50 think tanks, foundations and NGOs that champions innovation as a way to solve pressing human problems. Now present in 32 countries across four continents, the network applies the same logic to smoking that it applies to any other field: where innovation can reduce harm and improve lives, it should be allowed to.
The conversation centres on We Are Innovation's latest Ipsos survey, which takes an unusual angle by asking not smokers themselves but their families and inner circles how they view innovative nicotine products as a way to quit. The findings point to a "seeing is believing" effect: when a loved one switches away from combustible cigarettes, household dynamics improve and support for adult access to these products rises sharply. Federico and Elise explore why the public overwhelmingly sees these products as safer than smoking, why almost no one calls for prohibition, and how this opens the door to sensible, risk-based regulation.
They also discuss the contrasting paths taken around the world, from Japan's heated tobacco transformation and Sweden's success with nicotine pouches to prohibition in France and Argentina's recent reversal of decades of vaping bans. The episode closes on the FDA's authorisation of flavoured products, the upcoming revision of the EU Tobacco Products Directive, and Federico's firmly optimistic outlook for 2026 and beyond.
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