Nicotine pouches may be helping some smokers and vapers quit more harmful tobacco products, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. An article today (September 15) in U.S. News & World Report cited the study of 110,000 Americans that found people who had recently quit smoking were nearly four times more likely to use nicotine pouches daily than current smokers. Use was virtually nonexistent among people who had never used tobacco.
According to the article, the findings suggest that pouches are being used as harm-reduction tools, even though they are not officially authorized as smoking cessation aids. Smokeless tobacco users were more than 10 times as likely to use the pouches, while occasional smokers and vapers were also significantly more likely to adopt them, the study said.
The article acknowledged that while nicotine is addictive and carries cardiovascular risks, switching from combustible tobacco to pouches could represent a net public health benefit.