Inspire Part 2: Professor Luke Clancy: Clearing the Air - Evidence-Based Tobacco Control

This episode features an evidence-based dialogue with Professor Luke Clancy on contemporary tobacco control. The discussion critically analyses tobacco's disease burden, cessation knowledge gaps in respiratory medicine, industry evolution toward novel nicotine products, adolescent neurodevelopmental risks of nicotine addiction, and missed opportunities in tobacco control during COVID-19. Listen to learn: The key health impacts of tobacco every respiratory MDT member must know. How the tobacco industry is using tech, AI, and synthetic nicotine to addict a new generation. Why framing e-cigarettes as "95% safer" was a public health disaster. The sobering lesson COVID-19 taught us about our priorities in tobacco control. Professor Clancy's one key message for making a difference in Ireland and beyond. Guest: Professor Luke Clancy, Director General of the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland, and a leading figure in Irish public health policy. Hosts: Margaret Higgins & Sandra Green Chapters: 00:00 - 01:32 | Introduction & Rapid-Fire Round 01:32 - 07:09 | Framing the harms of tobacco use 07:09 - 15:10 | The Formidable Tobacco Industry: Evolution & Tactics 15:10 - 20:31 | The Problem of Nicotine Addiction: E-Cigarettes & Harm Framing 20:31 - 25:07 | The COVID-19 Wake-Up Call & Missed Opportunities 25:07 - 27:02 | Conclusion & One Key Message Show Notes: ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs): The long-running study tracking substance use in Irish and European youth. HSE Smoking Cessation Service: Praised by Clancy for doing "a great job, better than in many countries." TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland (TFRI): Professor Clancy's institute. Irish Thoracic Society: Supporters of the Breathwork podcast. This episode is sponsored by AstraZeneca with no involvement in the input or content discussed. Produced with the support of the Irish Thoracic Society. For more, or to get involved, please use the links in the podcast description.