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| Our policy for addressing industry involvement is (of course) subject to change and negotiation: - if you would like to make suggestions, or comments, please email updates@UKNSCC.org. The policy was last amended on 12th May 2016. The UK Nicotine & Smoking Cessation Conference exists to further the knowledge and practice of smoking cessation practitioners, and policy makers and organisations seeking to reduce the harm from tobacco. This means that we have a policy on the involvement of delegates from pharmaceutical companies, e-cigarette manufacturers, and the tobacco industry, and this is set out below. Industry delegate involvement Delegates from commercial companies or consultants/individuals that provide products or services to the field are permitted to attend the event, but they must:
Industry delegates are also not permitted to:
This means that companies who do not have any products, do not meet the test of "provide products or services to the field" and are therefore not permitted send staff as individual delegates or exhibit. Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control For companies that do produce products for the field, the recent development of novel nicotine delivery devices (including e-cigarettes) by companies that were either founded by tobacco companies, or bought by them, raised the issue of the position of the conference with relation to Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. We have received conflicting advice about the scope and applicability of Article 5.3 to the UKNSCC in this regard. Last year, we sought guidance from the FCTC secretariat in Geneva, and our understanding of their advice is that as the conference is not a government event, and there is no formal policy formulation at the conference, that the convention does not directly apply, but may apply to some of the delegates. They advised that where there is engagement with an arm of the tobacco industry, to comply with the letter and spirit of the Convention we should ensure transparency in line with recommendation (2) of the FCTC. This is the principle of transparency: "Parties, when dealing with the tobacco industry or those working to further its interests, should be accountable and transparent." As some of the companies producing new medications, ecigarettes, and vaping devices are subsidiaries of tobacco companies with whom we are having dealings because they have products that will be of interest to delegates, we have established the above guidance to ensure complete transparency. The conditions of attendance for industry delegates, and making the recordings of the main hall sessions available free of charge via the conference online archive mean that the role of exhibitors and delegates is completely transparent. In addition, all presentations - along with a conflict of interest statement - are posted on the website. It seems clear that when drafting Article 5.3 the possibility of the tobacco industry manufacturing products that might be part of the solution, rather than the problem wasn't envisaged and this places everyone in an unexpected situation. We believe that the UKNSCC is an important forum for these discussions, and product evaluations to take place, and that our industry policy balances the needs of the field and those of smokers, with the need to limit the influence of tobacco companies, and maintain transparency. e-cigarettes We have been asked why we have allowed manufacturers of e-cigarettes to exhibit and attend the UKNSCC. The reasoning is that our principle concern as organisers is to ensure that we deliver an event which allows stop smoking practitioners, academics, and policy makers to meet, discuss, and learn about all the latest developments in the field so that they are better able to reduce the health and social consequences of smoking. In recent years the conference has heard from keynote speakers including Professor Peter Hajak, Dr Hayden McRobbie, and Professor John Britton that e-cigarettes have the potential to dramatically reduce the harm caused by tobacco - and could even bring an end to smoking. They are legal, and there are arguments on both sides of the regulation debate. We believe that the UK Smoking Cessation field is a mature and educated field, well able to discuss these issues, and that removing this important (if controversial) product type and industry from the event would weaken it's appeal and value to the field, and consequently the service provided to smokers. By allowing discussion and learning to take place at the conference, practitioners return to their role better able to discuss and advise on this key issue. | ||||
