I’m proud to announce that Joel Rubenstein has joined GINN as our newest Focal Point. Joel brings more than 25 years of leadership in the health, wellness, and consumer healthcare sectors, with a proven track record across CPG, Rx, and OTC categories. His career spans US and Global marketing roles at Pfizer, Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline;…
Sweden is on track to become the first country in Europe to achieve smoke-free status, defined as having fewer than 5% of the adult population smoking. Behind this milestone is a powerful shift in consumer behavior—particularly among women—driven by the rising popularity of oral nicotine pouches. A recent press release from Smoke-Free Sweden highlights how…
Balancing Harm Reduction and Public Health in the Global Nicotine Dialogue As policymakers prepare for the WHO’s 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the question of whether to ban flavours in nicotine pouches and other reduced-risk products is front and center. While the WHO frames flavours as…
A new preprint study conducted by researchers at Emplicure provides promising evidence that bioceramic calcium sulfate-based nicotine pouches may offer faster and more efficient nicotine delivery than conventional cellulose-based formats. The findings, currently hosted on Research Square, could shape future innovations in nicotine pouch design and regulation. The study, titled Comparative study of calcium sulfate…
At the 2025 Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw, Emplicure Chief Clinical, Regulatory & Quality Officer Dr. Anna Franzén delivered a compelling presentation during the panel “Nicotine Pouches: What’s the Real Story?”. What Dr. Franzén Shared Dr. Franzén emphasised three critical pillars for nicotine pouches: Established safety of medicinal nicotine — highlighting how regulatory frameworks for nicotine…
I’m proud to announce that Joseph Magero will officially serve as GINN’s Focal Point for Sub-Saharan Africa. Joseph is a long-standing leader in the tobacco harm reduction (THR) movement—someone whose passion for public health and policy innovation has made a profound impact across Africa. His work spans public education, grassroots advocacy, and regional policy engagement,…
On Friday, GINN brought together leading voices from across the nicotine pouch industry for a high-impact networking event in Dubai—marking another key milestone in our global engagement efforts. Held one year after GINN’s inaugural launch in the same city, the Get Together welcomed GINN members, partners, and stakeholders for a dynamic day of collaboration, commercial…
On World No Tobacco Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Chronicle issued a strong call for governments to ban all flavours in tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and oral nicotine pouches. Their rationale is clear: flavours like bubblegum, cotton candy, and menthol are being used to attract youth and…
By Rohan Pike, GINN Focal Point on Anti-Illicit Trade As the UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill moves toward implementation, independent retailers are bracing for the fallout—not from enforcement, but from the lack of it. The Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) has sounded the alarm: small stores are already struggling to survive, and without proper…
Across Europe, the idea of a “smoke-free generation” is gaining traction among lawmakers. Proposed policies seek to ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after a certain year—effectively making smoking illegal for future generations. While these proposals may appear to be a bold public health move, they are increasingly coming under scrutiny for…