Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107138

Gail Bingham, President, RESOLVE, Inc., 1255 23rd St NW, Washington, DC 20037, 202-965-6200, gbingham@resolv.org

Products promising to reduce the risk of tobacco-related disease are the newest threats to efforts to decrease tobacco smoking - the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States. Consumers are interested in these products, partly as an alternative to quitting; the products are unregulated; tobacco companies do not know if reducing toxins in cigarettes actually results in reduced risk; and little independent research is being done on the validity of risk reduction claims before products are sold.

As new tobacco products come on the market, along with sophisticated advertising campaigns to sell them to the smoking and non-smoking public alike, the time is ripe for tobacco control and public health leaders to engage in dialogue about the science, policy and communications issues concerning harm reduction and cessation.

Panelists in this session will address the toxicological, psychological, economic and policy aspects of these new and unregulated nicotine delivery products. The session will be moderated by Gail Bingham, gbingham@resolv.org, 202-965-6200. Presentations will be 18 minutes each and will be made in the following order:

·Policy Concerns About Harm Reduction Products ·What the Evidence Shows: Biomarkers and Harm Reduction Products ·Informing and Educating the Public about the Risks of Reduced Exposure Tobacco Products ·Potential Economic and Policy Implications of Harm Reduction Products ·The Potential for Dialogue in the Current Legislative and Regulatory Landscape

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Understand the current research on tobacco harm reduction products and the current regulatory landscape for these products;
• Describe a proactive public policy strategy for addressing harm reduction products;
• Construct a plan for contributing to collaborative efforts to reduce the threat of tobacco harm reduction products to tobacco cessation efforts.

Keywords: Tobacco Policy, Smoking Cessation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation