Recent federal data confirms a significant public health achievement: youth tobacco use in the United States has reached historic lows. According to an analysis by the FDA of the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey, current use of tobacco products, combustible tobacco products, and e-cigarettes declined between 2022 and 2025. Notably, youth use of nicotine pouches remained low and stable, with 1.7 percent of students reporting current use in 2025, compared with 1.8 percent in 2024. This progress reflects years of prevention efforts, stricter age restrictions, public education, and a broad consensus that tobacco and nicotine products should not be used by anyone under the legal age.
However, the public health challenge is not over. While youth use has declined, cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, according to the CDC. Millions of adults continue to smoke despite decades of warnings and cessation campaigns. Complete cessation is always the best choice for health, but for adults who would otherwise continue smoking, access to accurate information about scientifically substantiated smoke-free nicotine alternatives is crucial.
This is where the FDA's recent action on ZYN nicotine pouches becomes significant. After a scientific review, the agency issued modified risk orders for 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products, allowing them to be marketed with a specific FDA-authorized claim: "using ZYN instead of cigarettes puts adults at lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis." The FDA did not declare these products safe, nor did it suggest that non-users should start using nicotine. The authorization simply provides adult smokers with accurate information about relative risks, helping them make informed decisions.
This distinction is vital. Nicotine products are addictive and not risk-free, and they are not intended as nicotine replacement therapies like patches or gum. However, science-based policy should recognize meaningful differences in risk between combustible cigarettes and smoke-free nicotine products for adults who completely switch. The latest youth tobacco data demonstrates that these goals are not mutually exclusive. Historic lows in youth tobacco use can coexist with a marketplace that includes FDA-authorized smoke-free alternatives for adults.
Maintaining this progress requires continued vigilance from all stakeholders. PMI U.S., the manufacturer of ZYN, has implemented responsible marketing practices to prevent youth access. These include featuring only individuals aged 35 or older in advertising, requiring independent online age verification on branded websites, limiting social media presence to platforms with age-restricted controls, and avoiding influencer endorsements and product placement in movies or TV. These practices are part of a broader 10-point approach to underage prevention, which includes retail support programs, real-world monitoring, and support for FDA enforcement actions against illicit products.
The United States has made extraordinary progress in reducing youth tobacco use, and that progress must be protected. The next step is to apply the same seriousness to adult smokers. A mature tobacco policy should be able to do both: prevent young people from starting and help adults who continue to smoke transition to better alternatives. These objectives are complementary, not contradictory, as the recent data and FDA actions illustrate.
