In this photo illustration, ZYN nicotine cartridges and nicotine pouches are displayed on a table in New York City on January 29, 2024.
Michael M. Santiago | Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images
Tobacco product use among middle and high school students has dropped to its lowest level in 25 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.
The CDC and FDA record data on youth tobacco product use through the National Youth Tobacco Survey, which found that 2.25 million middle school students reported they had used any tobacco product in the past 30 days, down from 2.8 million in 2023.
The decline reflects a decline in the number of students using e-cigarettes, from 2.13 million in 2023 to 1.63 million in 2024.
“We are moving in the right direction when it comes to reducing tobacco product use among our nation’s youth,” Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a press release Thursday. “But we cannot let our guard down. We need to “Continued vigilance in reducing all forms of tobacco product use among youth remains an important part of these efforts to ensure we leave no one behind.”
Tobacco product use declined most among female students, with Hispanic students also experiencing declines. The agencies said evidence-based strategies, including price increases, media campaigns and smoke-free policies, may be partly responsible for the decline in tobacco product use.
Among students who report using tobacco products, e-cigarettes remain the most used tobacco product at 5.9%, but nicotine pouches are now the second most used tobacco product at 1.8%, followed by cigarettes at 1.4%.
The CDC said in September that nicotine pouch use among students has actually increased, but not enough to be considered a significant increase, from 1.2% in 2023 to 1.8% in 2024.
“Youth use of any form of tobacco products — including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches — is unsafe,” Deirdre Lawrence Kitner, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, said in a September report stated in the press release. “We must remain vigilant and committed to public health efforts to ensure that all youth can live healthy, smoke-free lives.”
Zyn is the most popular nicotine pouch brand, accounting for 68.7%, followed by On, accounting for 14.2%.
Zyn, its oral nicotine sachet brand Philip Morris Internationalwhich surged in popularity on social media earlier this year leading to nationwide shortages. Philip Morris announced plans in July Investment of US$600 million In response to the surge in demand, the company opened a new Zyn production facility in Colorado.
The survey surveyed 29,861 students from 283 schools between January 22 and May 22.
About The Author
