Closing the Harm Reduction Gap: EMPOWERing People Who Smoke
Lindsay Reese, Marina A Murphy, Kim Murray · 2026
Read Closing the Harm Reduction Gap: EMPOWERing People Who Smoke by Lindsay Reese, Marina A Murphy, Kim Murray (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13278388.txt.
Description
Lindsay Reese and colleagues wrote a 2026 editorial arguing that tobacco control should empower people who smoke rather than only press for abstinence. Global rules have cut smoking in some groups, but remaining smokers often face poverty, stress, stigma, and poor access to care. Abstinence-only rules and bans can widen those gaps, the authors argue.
Non-burning nicotine products cut exposure to smoke toxins, yet are often dismissed or prohibited despite growing evidence of value for people unlikely to quit outright. The authors propose a framework called EMPOWER, built on evidence, practicality, risk-based rules, and person-centered communication. Policy should prize autonomy and equity over moral judgment, they conclude.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Lindsay Reese, Marina A Murphy, Kim Murray |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 20108 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |