As Youth Vaping Reaches Historic Lows, More Work Remains

PARTNER CONTENT

Recent reports that youth e-cigarette use has fallen to its lowest level in a decade mark a major victory for public health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra described the news as “a big deal” and emphasized that this outcome was “no accident.”

As a former HHS secretary and a physician who has spent my career fighting against cigarette smoking, I understand the challenges involved in addressing public health issues, such as smoking and youth prevention.

Yet, more work remains, especially when it comes to adult cigarette use, which continues to be the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.

When youth vaping peaked in 2019, many policymakers were understandably concerned. Unfortunately, this focus on youth vaping overshadowed the potential benefits that reduced-risk products could provide to adults who smoke.

Now is the time to rethink how we regulate smoke-free nicotine products in the United States and fully recognize their potential to offer better options to the more than 28 million American adults who smoke.

A recent hearing by the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce underscored the shortcomings in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s oversight of smoke-free products, including the agency’s unsatisfactory pace in reviewing and authorizing products in their submission pipeline.

The FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products is mandated to review new pre-market tobacco applications within 180 days after receiving the application, but in reality, some reviews are taking nearly three years. This delay leaves adults who smoke with fewer FDA-authorized smoke-free alternatives and may limit access to less harmful options.

By failing to cultivate a strong market for smoke-free alternatives, the FDA and CTP are hindering efforts to help adults who smoke switch to products that deliver nicotine in a less harmful way. This failure is at odds with the agency’s mission to balance regulation while encouraging the development of innovative products that present fewer health risks than combustible cigarettes.

The FDA’s inaction also goes against public opinion. A recent survey found that 68% of likely voters believe it is important for adults who smoke to have access to products that could reduce the risks associated with smoking. Additionally, seven in 10 support reforms to ensure the FDA regulates smoke-free products appropriately.

These findings indicate growing support for further reducing smoking rates while ensuring that products offering better options for adults who smoke do not fall into the hands of young people.

In addition to the decline in youth vaping, the significant drop in smoking rates over the past several decades — now at their lowest level in 80 years, according to a recent Gallup poll — is a notable public health achievement.

If policymakers are serious about meeting public health goals related to smoking, long-overdue reforms at the FDA are essential. This includes not only better FDA oversight, but also public health campaigns that clearly communicate that it is the combustion of tobacco, not nicotine, that poses the most significant health risks, such as cancer and other severe illnesses.

Lawmakers from both parties should collaborate to advance these reforms, ensuring adults who smoke have access to more and better smoke-free nicotine alternatives that can lower the health risks that come with transitioning away from traditional cigarette smoking.

Tom Price, M.D., was the 23rd secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a former Congress member (GA-06), and an advisor to PMI Global Services Inc.  

This commentary was produced in partnership with and paid for by Philip Morris International.