THR Global

Opinions & Editorial

Perspectives from around the world on tobacco harm reduction, public health, policy, science, and lived experience.

South African Tobacco Control Has Lost Touch With Reality
FeaturedTHR Global OriginalPolicy & Regulation

1 June 2026

South African Tobacco Control Has Lost Touch With Reality

South Africa's tobacco control policies are built on a simple assumption: make smoking more expensive, more restricted and less socially acceptable, and people will quit. Reality tells a different story.

Kurt Yeo • Policy & Regulation • Africa • South Africa

Latest Articles

Commentary, analysis, and perspectives from the THR community.

The Future of Harm Reduction Will Depend on Whether Health Systems Can Operate Beyond Criminalisation Frameworks
THR Global OriginalPolicy & Regulation

1 June 2026

The Future of Harm Reduction Will Depend on Whether Health Systems Can Operate Beyond Criminalisation Frameworks

This article argues that harm reduction cannot reach its full potential while health systems remain intertwined with punitive drug control frameworks. It explores how criminalisation creates invisible barriers to care, discourages service utilisation, fragments continuity of care, and embeds stigma into health system operations. Ultimately, it contends that the future of harm reduction depends not only on expanding services, but on creating healthcare environments that can operate independently of enforcement logic and prioritise health outcomes over punishment.

Melody Okereke • Policy & Regulation • Gobal • Nigeria

Vaping and Cancer: Between Plausible and Proven
External SummaryScience & Evidence

13 April 2026

Vaping and Cancer: Between Plausible and Proven

The article explains how this gap between data and story arises, especially when complex scientific results are turned into headlines that grab people's attention.

Ivan Garay • Science & Evidence • Global • 5 min read

The New Study That Isn't - Part 2
RepublishedScience & Evidence

26 March 2026

The New Study That Isn't - Part 2

Is the latest “vaping is as harmful as smoking” headline based on solid new science, or are we being sold a recycled narrative dressed up as breaking news?

Skip Murray • Science & Evidence • North America • United States

The Great Decoupling: Engineering Smoke-Free Nicotine
THR Global OriginalPublic Health Debate

17 March 2026

The Great Decoupling: Engineering Smoke-Free Nicotine

As we decouple nicotine from the lethal toxicity of smoke, are we finally entering an era where the world’s leading cause of preventable death can be engineered out of existence? The history of the last sixty years suggests that through technology and pragmatic policy, a smoke-free world is finally within our sight.

Kurt Yeo • Public Health Debate • Global • 10 min read