Policies meant to restrict access to nicotine pouches are turning out to be counterproductive, especially for workers, whose access to tobacco alternatives is already constrained by time, location, and economic pressures. In New Brunswick, Canada, a construction worker’s story powerfully illustrates the human cost when safer options are forced off convenience shelves and buried behind…
At the New Approaches Summit 2025, the conversation around oral pouches moved beyond nicotine. What began as a harm reduction innovation has now evolved into a platform with potential far beyond smoking alternatives. Oral pouches, once defined by snus and nicotine, are being reimagined as discreet, fast-acting vehicles for functional microdosing and even emerging therapeutic…
Bangladesh is at a crossroads in its fight against tobacco. Despite decades of tobacco control policies, the country still faces some of the highest smoking and smokeless tobacco use rates in the world. More than 35 million adults consume tobacco in some form, and the toll on public health is devastating: over 161,000 people die…
A new U.S. study is shedding light on how nicotine pouches may play a meaningful role in helping adults transition away from more harmful forms of tobacco. Research led by Dr. Cristine Delnevo, Distinguished Professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health, points to a clear pattern: the data reveal that pouch use is concentrated…
Nicotine pouches, small tobacco-free sachets delivering nicotine orally, are emerging globally as a potential harm reduction tool. In Saudi Arabia, where smoking remains a major health burden and cultural factors shape patterns of tobacco use, new research provides the first comprehensive look at how nicotine pouches are being adopted, their perceived benefits, and the risks…
Nicotine has long been misunderstood. Decades of public health messaging, though well-intentioned, have blurred the lines between nicotine itself and the deadly effects of combustible tobacco. A recent study published by the American Psychological Association underscores how deeply these misperceptions run, and why correcting them is essential for effective harm reduction. Misperceptions That Fuel Mistrust…
Despite decades of progress in tobacco control, smoking remains widespread across Europe. In countries like Germany, millions continue to smoke with little motivation to quit, leaving policymakers and scientists searching for pragmatic ways to reduce the toll of combustible tobacco. A recent article in Internal and Emergency Medicine by aerosol chemist Reinhard Niessner brings the…
Despite decades of stigma, nicotine continues to reveal surprising roles in brain health through its interaction with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). From improving attention to potentially slowing neurodegeneration, new science challenges outdated assumptions—and calls for a more nuanced conversation. Cognition and Mood: Nicotine’s Modulatory Role Nicotine’s primary mechanism of action in the brain is through…
Public misunderstanding of nicotine remains a major obstacle to harm reduction, and the consequences are lethal. Despite decades of public health education about the dangers of smoking, many people still confuse nicotine with the primary causes of cancer and disease. But it’s not nicotine that causes lung cancer, emphysema, and heart disease, it’s the burning…
Nicotine has long been viewed through a narrow lens—often equated with smoking, addiction, and disease. But new research continues to challenge this oversimplification. As the global public health community confronts the rise of reduced-risk nicotine products like pouches, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco, it is vital that we separate myth from evidence in shaping responsible policy.…