R Street’s Harm-Reduction program aims for integrated harm reduction with tobacco, opioid and sexual behavior as central elements. We believe that “abstinence only” approaches to risky behaviors will not work on a population-wide basis. As such, we emphasize harm-reduction approaches that accept that harmful behavior may continue even as we seek to mitigate – if not eliminate – the harms involved.
The Issue
Publications
Concerns that aim to protect non-users are often more influential in driving policy changes than evidence that points to a benefit for smokers. And, this will only result in policies that aim to…
Dear Mayor Jones,
I am writing in regard to Boulder’s proposed ordinance, which would ban the sale of flavored-tobacco products in Boulder, including most vaping products. I am the Western…
, Filter
Federal Court Ruling Threatens Smaller Vape Companies’ Survival
Chelsea Boyd
Smaller manufacturers of vaping products face a major obstacle to survival after the release a few weeks ago of long-overdue application guidelines for market approval. The guidelines could eliminate…
Regulators are Getting Away With Mass Constitutional Violations
Caroline Kitchens
From Reason Foundation:
When all is said and done the Deeming Rule will wipe out most of the e-cigarette industry, leaving only a handful of companies standing, the majority of whom are…
Tobacco Harm Reduction 101: A Guidebook For Policymakers
Richard B. Belzer & Brad Rodu
From the Heartland Institute:
In a 2017 Policy Study published by the R Street Institute, Associate Fellow Richard B. Belzer examined the potential financial impact to Medicaid costs in a scenario…
A hallmark of science is reproducibility: if an experiment is conducted twice using the same methods, the result should be the same. In most epidemiologic research, reproducibility usually extends…
San Francisco’s Decision on Vaping Is at the Very Least Absurd
Carrie Wade
From Inside Sources:
R Street Institute, a public policy research organization, for example, ran a report in 2017 estimating the expected savings to Medicaid if people switched to e-cigarettes….
Although e-cigarettes are currently available on the market, for a variety of reasons, such as a lack of application guidance and unclear deadlines, no e-cigarette has yet been formally approved by…
July 11, 2019
Senator Joanne M. Comerford
Chair, Joint Committee on Public Health
State House, Room 70-C
Representative John J. Mahoney
Chair, Joint Committee on Public Health
State…
The Stupidity of Cigar Legislation
Carrie Wade
From Ministry of Cigars:
The American Food & Drug Administration (FDA) did a study. A systematic review of the risk of cigar smoking. The FDA reviewed 22 different studies to draw their…