The United States has reached a significant public health milestone: youth tobacco use has fallen to historic lows. This achievement is the result of years of dedicated prevention efforts, stronger age restrictions, public education, and a consensus that tobacco and nicotine products should never be used by minors. Yet, this progress often goes unnoticed amid public discourse that frequently paints a more dire picture. However, the latest data from the FDA's 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey tell a more encouraging story. Between 2022 and 2025, current use of tobacco products, combustible tobacco products, and e-cigarettes among youth declined. Nicotine pouch use remained low and stable, with 1.7% of students reporting current use in 2025, compared with 1.8% in 2024.
While celebrating this progress, we must not become complacent. Any youth use is unacceptable, and prevention must remain a top priority. However, the public health community now faces a different persistent challenge: adult 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, restrictions, and cessation campaigns. Complete cessation is always the best choice, but for adults who would otherwise continue smoking, 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 agency issued modified risk orders for 20 ZYN products, allowing them to be marketed with the claim that 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 help adult smokers understand relative risks.
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 the substantial differences in risk between combustible cigarettes and smoke-free nicotine products for adults who switch completely. The latest youth data demonstrate that preventing youth initiation and providing adult alternatives are not mutually exclusive goals.
PMI U.S. has been clear that smoke-free nicotine products are intended for current nicotine consumers aged 21 and older—not youth, not non-users, and not those attempting 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, and social media presence is limited to platforms allowing age restrictions. PMI U.S. does not pay influencers or engage in product placement in movies or TV shows.
These practices are part of a broader 10-point approach to underage prevention, which includes age-gated websites, monitoring underage use data, supporting retail compliance checks, and advocating for FDA regulation. No single entity can solve this alone. The right framework is practical and evidence-based: keep nicotine products away from youth, enforce minimum age laws, address illicit products, and require responsible marketing.
The U.S. has made extraordinary strides in reducing youth tobacco use. It is time to apply the same seriousness to helping adults who smoke. A mature tobacco policy should both prevent young people from starting and help adults transition to better alternatives. These goals belong together.
