Workshop Session

Hot Takes: Smoking Practices and Emerging Risks Amid Stimulants, Fentanyl, and Torches

Saturday, April 25, 2026

4:45 PM - 6:00 PM PT

Location: Harbor G-I, Level 2

Presenter(s)

Honora Englander, MD

Professor of Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University
Portland, Oregon
Elizabeth M. Salisbury-Afshar, MD, MPH, FAAFP, DFASAM, FACPM

Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health
University of Wisconsin, Madison School of Medicine and Public Health
Madison, Wisconsin
James Duffy

Founding Director
Smoke Works
Boston, Massachusetts
William H. Eger, PhD(c), MPH

PhD Candidate
UC San Diego
San Francisco, California
AW

Alexander Y. Walley, MD, MSc, DFASAM

Professor of Medicine
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Boston, Massachusetts
Michael Incze, MD, MSEd

Associate Professor
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Kayla Houston, BS

Alcohol and Other Drug Outreach Worker
Father Joe's Villages
San Diego, California

As smoking surpasses injection as the most common route of fatal overdose, clinicians and community providers should understand the emerging risks and harm reduction needs of people who smoke drugs. This interactive workshop explores evolving smoking practices, related health harms, and effective risk mitigation strategies. Participants will engage in hands-on demonstrations and discussions led by clinicians, researchers, and people with lived experience to inform safer smoking interventions and improve care across diverse settings.

Learning Objectives:

Learners will be able to:

Describe current trends in drug smoking practices and associated health risks, including burns, pulmonary disease, and overdose.
Demonstrate safe handling techniques for smoking devices (e.g. dabbers, pipes) and heat sources (e.g. torches), and apply communication strategies for engaging clients who smoke drugs.
Identify evidence-based harm reduction interventions and opportunities to integrate safer smoking practices into clinical and community programs.

Disclosure(s):

Honora Englander, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Elizabeth M. Salisbury-Afshar, MD, MPH, FAAFP, DFASAM, FACPM: No financial relationships to disclose

James Duffy: No financial relationships to disclose

William H. Eger, PhD(c), MPH: No financial relationships to disclose

Kayla A.E Houston, Bachelors of Science: No financial relationships to disclose