Reflections from the Global Tobacco Nicotine Forum 2026

The Global Tobacco Nicotine Forum (GTNF) always leaves me with plenty to think about and this year was no different. This year, one thing stayed with me more than most: the consumers who stood up and told their own stories.

It was genuinely moving to see consumer advocates in the room sharing their own stories—especially when you consider the backlash they often face for attending an “industry event.”  It takes bravery to step into this space and use your voice to influence outcomes that can feel well beyond your reach. 

But there’s no better way to help manufacturers, academics, or government officials understand why access to lower-risk alternatives is important to them. How bans and restrictions affect their choices. What regulation looks like when you’re the person living with the outcome.  

They also spoke about the frustration of trying to discuss tobacco harm reduction with healthcare professionals who may not have the information or may not accept the science behind it. These aren’t abstract policy debates.  

Yet consumers are still too often talked about rather than talked with. That’s why it was especially valuable to have Dr. Bret Koplow in the room—just days after taking over as Director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP)—to hear those stories firsthand. 

Dr. Koplow acknowledged something many of us have been saying for years: public understanding of nicotine and the differences between tobacco and nicotine products is still badly out of step with the science. Inside regulatory circles, terms such as APPH, PMTA, MGO, and the continuum of risk are familiar. Outside them, not so much—and that gap is where confusion grows. 

He also spoke about doing more adult consumer education, including with healthcare professionals. That was encouraging to hear, especially after listening to consumers describe how hard it can be to get clear, evidence-based information from the people they trust with their health. Science cannot stay trapped in conference rooms, journals, and regulatory filings. It has to reach the adult consumers who need it the most.  

Keeping nicotine products away from anyone under 21 remains fundamental, but so does recognizing that millions of American adults still smoke.  

Dr. Koplow discussed stronger age controls and technologies such as identity verification that can help restrict access to adults 21 and older. For Nicokick, this is part of our everyday operations. 

As an online nicotine pouch retailer, age and identity verification are central to how we serve adult consumers responsibly. Strong safeguards also give policymakers more options than blanket restrictions—because existing demand doesn’t simply just disappear when legal access does.  

If adult consumers can no longer find the products they want through regulated channels, some will look elsewhere, creating an opening for illicit sellers to operate outside the very standards policymakers are trying to strengthen. The consumers at GTNF made that tradeoff clear.  

Dr. Koplow was also direct about the unauthorized market and the need for stronger enforcement. Companies that invest in science, compliance, and the FDA nicotine product review process should not be left to compete indefinitely with products that have sidestepped it.

That's even more important for adult consumers. An FDA-authorized nicotine product or one that's currently under the agency’s review should not be indistinguishable from a product that has never completed the FDA’s process.  

The same principle applies to the PMTA process for nicotine pouches. Earlier engagement, clearer guidance, and identifying deficiencies sooner can make review more efficient without lowering the scientific standard.

A regulated marketplace only works when there’s a meaningful difference between following the rules and ignoring them.  

For me, that was the real takeaway from Lisbon. We can debate nicotine regulation, tobacco harm reduction, PMTAs, enforcement, and youth protection for hours. But if the people most affected are missing from the conversation, something is off. 

It was refreshing to hear consumer advocates speak plainly about the trade-offs, frustrations, and real-world impact of regulation. And it was important that Dr. Koplow was there to hear them. 

As CTP moves into its next chapter, I hope those voices stay in the room. Not at the edge of the discussion, but at the center of it.