Stories

Health Canada’s recent Tobacco Strategy progress report celebrates declining smoking rates and low youth smoking levels. The government aims to reduce tobacco use to under 5% by 2035. However, the report fails to differentiate effective nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) for quitting smoking. Around 300,000 Canadians quit smoking in 2024, with over half quitting unaided, 25% using NRTs collectively, and 21% turning to vaping products.

Germany is set to ban menthol and cooling additives in e-cigarettes to curb their appeal, especially to young users. The decision is based on the belief that these additives make vaping more attractive and potentially more addictive. Critics argue that evidence supporting increased nicotine uptake is lacking, but the government cites the precautionary principle. The ban would impact both e-cigarettes and refill containers, with estimated compliance costs for the industry.

Public health authorities are shifting focus to regulations on oral nicotine pouches as smoking rates decline worldwide. The debate centers on harm reduction benefits over past mistakes, such as youth vaping uptake. US FDA approvals for pouches aim to offer less harmful options to adult smokers. Usage remains low but is growing, particularly among younger adults. Concerns about youth uptake persist, prompting calls for stricter regulations. Sweden shows success in reducing smoking with pouch alternatives. Despite oral health risks, innovation in product design aims to minimize harm.

Azerbaijan's new tobacco legislation, approved by President Ilham Aliyev, bans electronic cigarettes and components, classifying them as tobacco products. The law prohibits their import, production, sale, and use, aiming for clearer regulation and enforcement. Heated tobacco products are not considered e-cigarettes under the law. Changes to the Tax Code and Advertising Law accompany the ban, with disposable e-cigarettes no longer subject to taxes. Effective April 1, 2026, the legislation addresses the import, export, manufacture, storage, distribution, and use of these products within the country.

Use of menthol-flavored (vs. tobacco-flavored) electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) may be associated with higher rates of complete switching among adults who smoke (AWS). This paper evaluates the association over 2 years, while considering robustness across different missing-data approaches. 22,905 US AWS and purchased JUUL ENDS were enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study and completed up to 10 follow-ups. To assess potential bias due to missingness, analyses: (a) compared participant characteristics by levels of missingness and (b) assessed whether tobacco or menthol JUUL was associated with missingness.

In theory, science should be self-correcting, but in practice, it often isn’t. In tobacco harm reduction (THR) research, several factors hinder this self-correction: funding that emphasizes harm rather than harm reduction, polarization in the field and ostracism of researchers with real or perceived industry ties, and confirmation bias in interpreting ambiguous results and peer review. These issues, however, are not unique to THR. Similar dynamics can affect objectivity and self-correction across science in general.

The FDA is considering approving Phillip Morris International's Zyn pouches as a less harmful alternative for smokers. FDA experts are inclined towards approval, though concerns about underage use and marketing efficacy remain. Zyn, with various flavors, is a fast-growing product in the tobacco industry. Phillip Morris aims to promote Zyn as reducing risks associated with smoking-related diseases. Evidence supports Zyn's potential health benefits, but long-term studies and impact on smokers switching are lacking. FDA must also assess potential harm to young people despite low teenage use of nicotine pouches.

Although smoking rates have dropped to their lowest levels since their peak in the 1960s and 1970s, worries are rising about a possible resurgence as tobacco companies target younger people via social media. Data from the Australian National University show that 24,000 Australians die each year from smoking-related causes, and experts caution that the country now faces the danger of complacency.

Even though new data show that alternatives such as vaping are helping thousands of Canadians stop smoking, the Liberal government continues to maintain strict restrictions on these nicotine replacement products. In 2024, around 300,000 Canadians successfully quit smoking, yet federal rules on many nicotine replacement options remain unchanged.

The AMA NSW submitted strategies to reduce nicotine consumption, focusing on tackling illegal tobacco trade, tightening tobacco regulations, enhancing educational campaigns, and assisting individuals to quit. The submission emphasizes the ineffectiveness of reducing tobacco excise in combating illegal trade, calling for evidence-based solutions. Measures include limiting tobacco shopfronts, banning specific nicotine products, and improving youth education on vaping risks. The AMA stresses the importance of prevention through educating minors and vulnerable groups. Initiatives aim to inform individuals about the implications of nicotine use and discourage smoking, reflecting a comprehensive approach to addressing smoking rates and illegal trade concerns.