Amidst public discourse often highlighting the dangers of youth vaping and nicotine use, a quieter yet significant public health achievement has emerged: youth tobacco use in the United States has fallen to historic lows. This progress is not accidental; it is the result of sustained prevention efforts, stricter age restrictions, public education campaigns, and a widespread agreement that nicotine products should not be used by minors. However, this success does not signal that the problem is solved. Any youth use remains unacceptable, and prevention must stay at the forefront of nicotine product regulation and marketing.
The current public health challenge is to protect this hard-won progress while addressing a persistent issue: adult cigarette smoking. According to the CDC, cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Millions of adults continue to smoke despite decades of warnings, taxes, and cessation campaigns. While complete cessation is always the healthiest choice, for adults who would otherwise continue smoking, having access to accurate information about scientifically substantiated smoke-free alternatives is crucial.
This is why the FDA's recent action on ZYN nicotine pouches is significant. After a thorough scientific review, the FDA issued modified risk orders for 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products, permitting 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 encourage non-users to start. Instead, it authorized a claim to assist adult smokers in understanding relative risks.
This distinction is vital. Nicotine products are addictive and not risk-free. They are not substitutes for quitting nicotine altogether, nor are they intended as nicotine replacement therapies like patches or gums. However, science-based policy should recognize that there are meaningful differences in risk between combustible cigarettes and smoke-free nicotine products for adults who switch completely.
The latest youth tobacco data indicate that these goals are not mutually exclusive. According to the FDA's analysis of the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey, current use of tobacco products, combustible tobacco products, and e-cigarettes declined between 2022 and 2025. Furthermore, 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.
These numbers should provide policymakers with confidence, not complacency. They demonstrate that historically low youth tobacco use can coexist with a marketplace that includes FDA-authorized smoke-free alternatives for adults. Sustaining this progress requires continued vigilance from regulators, retailers, manufacturers, parents, educators, and public health leaders.
PMI U.S. has been explicit that smoke-free nicotine products are intended for current nicotine consumers aged 21 and older—not youth, not non-users, and not those trying to quit nicotine altogether. The company's responsible marketing practices reflect this commitment. Advertising features only individuals aged 35 or older, branded websites require independent online age verification for visitors 21 and older, and social media presence is limited to platforms that allow age-restricted controls. PMI U.S. does not pay social media influencers to endorse its products and does not engage in product placement in movies or television programs.
These practices are part of a broader 10-point approach to underage prevention that includes responsible marketing, retail support programs, real-world monitoring, and a call for collective action. The approach encompasses age-gated website access, monitoring of underage-use data, responsible marketing standards, retail technology advancement, responsible social media policies, FDA regulation, continued innovation for age restriction, support for enforcement against illicit products, responsible retail practices, and support for compliance checks such as mystery shopping by the FDA.
No single company, regulator, or public health organization can achieve this alone. The right framework is practical and evidence-based: keep nicotine products away from anyone under 21, enforce minimum age of purchase laws, address illicit products, maintain clear product standards, and require responsible marketing.
The United States has made extraordinary strides in reducing youth tobacco use, and that deserves recognition and protection. The next step is to apply the same seriousness to addressing adult smoking. 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 goals are not in conflict; they belong together.
