Youth Demand Action on Tobacco Industry’s New Tactics — Global Issues
youth Groups Challenge Tobacco Industry’s “Harm Reduction” Tactics
Updated May 28, 2025
Global youth organizations are pushing back against the tobacco industry’s promotion of new products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches as a form of harm reduction. These groups argue that the industry is using the same manipulative tactics it has employed for decades to hook young people on nicotine.
The World Health Association‘s (WHO) theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day is “Unmasking the Appeal,” highlighting the strategies used to entice young people to use tobacco and nicotine products. Rajika Mahajan, of the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, and Helen Stjerna, with A Non Smoking Generation in Sweden, say the industry is simply repackaging old tactics to market new products.
The Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control estimates that the tobacco industry costs the world economy $1.4 trillion annually and causes over 8 million deaths. More than 37 million teenagers, ages 13 to 15, currently use tobacco products.
The Global Youth Voices (GYV), a coalition of over 40 youth organizations, is advocating for a ban on new recreational tobacco products. The group also wants the industry to be held financially accountable for the harm it causes.
GYV has rejected the industry’s “smoke-free products,” calling instead for a ban on any new recreational and youth-appealing addictive products.
“The industry’s ‘harm reduction’ narrative is a smokescreen. These so-called alternatives are gateways to addiction, not exits. We must act before another generation is lost to nicotine dependence.”
A Non Smoking Generation, a Swedish member of GYV, is cautioning the global public health community against embracing oral nicotine pouches, known as snus, as a safer alternative to cigarettes. Thay say that in Sweden, these products are fueling a surge in nicotine addiction among young people.
According to Sweden’s public health agency, while 11% of the population still smokes, the use of e-cigarettes, snus, and nicotine pouches is increasing dramatically, especially among youth.A staggering 65% of high school students have tried at least one nicotine product, and smoking prevalence in this age group has increased from 17% to 21% in just three years.
Mahajan and Stjerna contend that Sweden’s critical error was allowing these new nicotine products to bypass existing tobacco legislation. They argue that these products should have been regulated as tobacco, since all commercial nicotine products, even those labeled “tobacco-free,” still contain tobacco-derived nicotine.
Seven in ten Swedish youth say that the perception that new nicotine products “seem less harmful” than customary tobacco is a reason to try them.
The Swedish government recently lowered the excise tax on snus, increasing the risk of more young people becoming addicted to nicotine. nicotine pouches evade the excise tax on tobacco completely and can be sold at a lower price than ice cream.
GYV is urging the Swedish government to hold the tobacco industry financially liable for the harm it causes, including implementing taxes, levies, compensation mechanisms, and sanctions.
What’s next
While some countries are grappling with increased youth vaping after legalizing new tobacco and nicotine products, over 40 countries have banned these products, including Vietnam and Papua New Guinea, which recently banned e-cigarettes.