Nicotine pouches offer path to reduced tobacco harm-study

An international study has found that nicotine pouches may help adult tobacco users quit more harmful products.

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Lead researcher Cristine Delnevo, director of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies

Researchers at the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies recently published a study in JAMA Network Open that provides the first national estimates of daily nicotine pouch use among U.S. adults. While the products are not marketed as cessation aids, the study found that many users had recently quit smoking or vaping, suggesting the products may support harm reduction efforts.

"For people who smoke or use other nicotine products and don't want to stop using nicotine, switching completely from the more harmful product and moving down the risk continuum with nicotine pouches is likely good for public health," said lead researcher Cristine Delnevo, director of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies.

Nicotine is a chemical compound naturally found in the tobacco plant. It is addictive, but does not itself cause cancer, according to studies.