ICYMI: Three Recent Positive THR Developments

In case you missed it, this spring has been marked by at least three key encouraging developments in the tobacco harm reduction debate.

First, the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) data show not only youth cigarette smoking at a historically low 1.4%, but also youth vaping at its lowest level in a decade, a reduction of 74% from its peak. As Cliff Douglas, a longtime public health advocate, wrote in a must read article titled, “From Crisis to Progress: What the 2025 Youth Tobacco Survey Really Shows”: Overall youth vaping now stands at 5.2%, its lowest level in a decade.

Douglas heralded the numbers as, “one of the most important public health victories of our time.”

Second, according to a new report from the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), cigarette smoking among U.S. adults has fallen to record low levels, dropping from nearly 11 to 10 percent of adults between 2023 and 2024.

Finally, a new peer reviewed academic study from the UK-based Society for the Study of Addiction concludes that nicotine products – such as vapor products – are a key tool for smoking cessation and transitioning from combustible cigarettes. According to the authors, findings “consistently showed greater smoking cessation with nicotine-containing e‑cigarettes than other interventions

While the recent news is encouraging, it also highlights the need for more action by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As more adult consumers move from cigarettes to less harmful, smoke-free options like vapor and pouches, FDA has authorized only a small fraction of the products these adult consumers seek, leaving few options in the legal marketplace. By authorizing more legal and regulated products, FDA can help build on recent progress and create a framework that supports a responsible, common sense regulatory approach that meets the needs of modern adult consumers.

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