July 19, 2013

nicotine, addiction and harm reduction: what does the science say?

Smoking and nicotine addiction are rarely out of the headlines, from the MHRA’s announcement that e-cigarettes be regulated as medicines, to the row about cigarette packaging. But what do the science and evidence say? Is plain packaging effective at reducing numbers of smokers, and will e-cigarette regulation lead to public health benefits or encourage people to smoke?

The SMC invited several leading experts to brief the media on the science behind nicotine, addiction and harm reduction.

• Do nicotine products really help people kick the habit?
• What do we actually mean by addiction, and cigarette addiction in particular?
• Why are some forms of nicotine delivery more addictive than others?
• Can nicotine ever actually be good for your brain?
• Will e-cigarette regulation be a help or a hindrance?
• Will we ever be able to predict who gets addicted to smoking and who doesn’t, or if some people’s biological make-up means they could smoke without risking their health?

Speakers:

Professor Robert West, Health Behaviour Research Centre, University College London

Professor Paul Aveyard, Professor of Behavioural Medicine, University of Oxford