When we opened speaker applications for Rethinking Nicotine: Science, Harm Reduction, and Sensible Policy, we hoped for thoughtful proposals. What we received was something much bigger.

An incredible number of creative, deeply grounded, and action-oriented applications poured in from across the country and beyond. Reading through them was a reminder that this movement is growing — and that people are ready for a different conversation about nicotine. One rooted in evidence. In dignity. In lived experience.

More Than a Conference

Rethinking Nicotine is intentionally designed to bring together the tobacco harm reduction (THR) and traditional harm reduction communities — two movements that share core values but are too often siloed. Our goal is to identify overlap, build bridges, and strengthen grassroots efforts to resist punitive nicotine policies.

If you believe nicotine policy deserves evidence instead of moral panic, autonomy instead of stigma, and public health instead of prohibition — this space is for you.

Not able to attend in person? Register for livestream access. If cost is a barrier, we want you there. Email ssdp@ssdp.org to request a scholarship.

Register To Attend In Person or Virtually – Students Get In For Free!

Let’s rethink nicotine — together.

Schedule At a Glance

Monday, March 16th

6:00-9:00 pm – Pre-Conference Welcome Part, hosted by SSDP Pittsburgh Community Chapter (get details)

Tuesday, March 17th

9:00 am  – Doors Open

10:00 – 10:05 am – Welcome

10:05 – 11:00 am –  Nicotine as the New War on Drugs

11:00 – 12:00 pm – Science, Public Health & Risk: What the Evidence Actually Shows

12:00 – 1:00 pm – Lunch

1:00 – 1:45 pm –  Failures of Prohibition: Countries as Case Studies

1:45 – 2:25 pm – Tobacco Harm Reduction is Harm Reduction

2:25 – 2:35 pm – Break

2:35 – 3:15 pm -Grassroots & Legislative Strategies for Sensible Nicotine Policy

3:15 – 3:55 pm -Tech Tools & Education: Modernizing Harm Reduction

3:55 – 4:00 pm – Closing

4:30 – 6:30 pm – Happy Hour

Register To Attend In Person or Virtually – Students Get In For Free!

Panel Details

Nicotine as the New War on Drugs

For decades, the War on Drugs has relied on fear, stigma, and criminalization rather than evidence. Today, that same logic is
increasingly applied to nicotine. This panel examines how moral panic, misinformation about relative risk, and abstinence-only
frameworks are shaping policy in ways that ignore lived experience and undermine public health.
Drawing from grassroots organizing, peer support spaces, and decades of tobacco policy leadership, speakers will explore how
stigma distorts science, how prohibitionist reflexes fuel unintended consequences, and why dignity and autonomy must be
central to nicotine harm reduction. From defeating punitive campus policies to challenging long-held misconceptions about
nicotine itself, this session asks a fundamental question: will we repeat the mistakes of the drug war — or finally choose evidence
over fear?
● Moderator: Kat Murti, Executive Director, SSDP

● Cliff Douglas – Veteran Advocate for Public Health and Ending the Smoking Epidemic
● Julia Hilbert – Vice Chair, SSDP and Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Coordinator, Prevention Point Pittsburgh
● Skip Murray – Tobacco Treatment Specialist and Freelance Writer

Science, Public Health & Risk: What the Evidence Actually Shows

Science, Public Health & Risk: What the Evidence Actually Shows Misinformation about nicotine risk continues to shape
public opinion and public policy. This panel critically examines the science behind claims of “gateway” effects, exaggerated health
harms, and population-level risk trends. Speakers will unpack common methodological flaws in nicotine research, explore how
misinterpretations travel from academic journals to media headlines, and discuss the real-world consequences of conflating
nicotine with combustible tobacco. The session will also highlight how harm reduction is (or is not) integrated into clinical
settings, syringe service programs, and recovery spaces — particularly for people who use drugs and face disproportionate
tobacco-related harm. Evidence matters. When science is misrepresented, policy suffers — and so do the people it is supposed
to protect.
● Moderator: Kat Murti, Executive Director, SSDP
● Floe Foxon – Scientist and Data Analyst, Pinney Associates, Inc.
● Jacob James Rich – Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation
● Arielle Selya – Senior Scientist, Pinney Associates, Inc.

Failures of Prohibition: Countries as Case Studies

AAround the world, governments are repeating a familiar pattern: restrict
safer nicotine products, ignore consumer demand, and watch illicit markets flourish. This panel examines the political economy
of vape bans and overregulation through case studies from the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, and the United States.
Speakers will analyze how moral panic, bureaucratic incentives, and regulatory bottlenecks have reversed harm reduction
progress and expanded counterfeit markets. From the UK’s shift away from its former leadership in tobacco harm reduction to
Mexico’s constitutional battles over vape prohibition to the FDA’s failure to approve the harm reduction products that consumers
actually want , these stories demonstrate a consistent lesson: prohibition does not eliminate use — it simply reshapes risk.
● Moderator: Kat Murti, Executive Director, SSDP
● Reem Ibrahim – Research Fellow, Policy and Media, Reason
● Sofia Hamilton – Senior Health Policy Analyst, Americans for Prosperity
● Jorge Valderrábano – SSDP Ambassador and CEO, Ágora
● Tim Andrews – Director of Consumer Issues at Americans for Tax Reform

Tobacco Harm Reduction is Harm Reduction

Around the world, governments are repeating a familiar pattern: restrict
safer nicotine products, ignore consumer demand, and watch illicit markets flourish. This panel examines the political economy
of vape bans and overregulation through case studies from the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico, and the United States.
Speakers will analyze how moral panic, bureaucratic incentives, and regulatory bottlenecks have reversed harm reduction
progress and expanded counterfeit markets. From the UK’s shift away from its former leadership in tobacco harm reduction to
Mexico’s constitutional battles over vape prohibition to the FDA’s failure to approve the harm reduction products that consumers
actually want , these stories demonstrate a consistent lesson: prohibition does not eliminate use — it simply reshapes risk.
● Moderator: Kat Murti, Executive Director, SSDP
● Reem Ibrahim – Research Fellow, Policy and Media, Reason
● Sofia Hamilton – Senior Health Policy Analyst, Americans for Prosperity
● Jorge Valderrábano – SSDP Ambassador and CEO, Ágora
● Tim Andrews – Director of Consumer Issues at Americans for Tax Reform

Grassroots & Legislative Strategies for Sensible Nicotine Policy

Policy change does not begin in federal agencies — it begins
in communities. This panel brings together advocates working at the federal, state, and grassroots levels to examine how
sensible nicotine policy is built, defended, and sustained. Speakers will address federal-level attacks on harm reduction
infrastructure, state legislative trends, and the critical role of consumer advocacy in shaping transparent, evidence-based
regulation. The conversation will focus on practical strategies: how to respond to rollbacks, how to engage lawmakers effectively,
and how informed constituents can shift policy conversations away from prohibition and toward public health outcomes. At its
core, harm reduction depends not only on science, but on organized, empowered communities willing to demand better policy.
● Moderator: Kat Murti, Executive Director, SSDP
● Daniel Fishbein – Policy Manager, Office of Federal Affairs Drug Policy Alliance
● Lindsey Stroud – Founder and President, Tobacco Harm Reduction 101
● Maria Papaioannoy – Founder and Spokesperson, Rights4Vapers (R4V)

Tech Tools & Education: Modernizing Harm Reduction

This panel explores how technology, education, and community-driven
tools can expand access to accurate information and reduce risk in real time. From app-based nicotine harm reduction
education to technology-enhanced early warning systems that detect changes in supply and communicate risk quickly, speakers
will demonstrate how innovation can support autonomy without defaulting to criminalization. Grounded in trauma-responsive,
community-centered practice, this session highlights how education empowers individuals to make informed choices — and how
digital tools can strengthen, not replace, human connection.
● Moderator: Kat Murti, Executive Director, SSDP
● Tim Andrews – Director of Consumer Issues at Americans for Tax Reform and creator of prohibitiondoesnotwork.com
● Skip Murray – Tobacco Treatment Specialist and Freelance Writer
● Merryn Spence – Drug Education Program Coordinator, SSDP
● Tonja Catron – Executive Director, The SOAR Initiative

REGISTER TO ATTEND