Summary
### **Introduction**
This summary provides an overview of a recent study published in *Tobacco Control* (2024) that examines the proliferation of new recreational nicotine products in the U.S., including lozenges, tablets, gummies, and gum. These products, marketed by major tobacco companies, are designed to appeal to consumers as discreet, candy-like alternatives to traditional tobacco. The study highlights concerns about their potential to attract youth, circumvent regulation, and undermine public health efforts. Readers will gain insights into the regulatory gaps, marketing strategies, and policy implications surrounding these emerging nicotine products.
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### **Key Points**
- **Rapid Market Expansion**: Major tobacco companies (e.g., British American Tobacco, Swisher International) are aggressively introducing new oral nicotine products, including lozenges, tablets, gummies, and gum, marketed as "modern oral" or recreational nicotine alternatives.
- **Discreet and Appealing Design**: These products are designed to be discreet, candy-like, and flavored (e.g., fruit, mint), making them potentially attractive to youth and non-tobacco users.
- **Regulatory Gaps**: Unlike FDA-approved nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs), these products are not regulated as cessation aids and are often marketed as recreational, raising concerns about misuse and health misinformation.
- **Marketing to Novices**: Unlike NRTs, which target smokers, these products are promoted to a broader audience, including non-smokers, with messaging emphasizing convenience and enjoyment rather than quitting.
- **Potential for Youth Appeal**: The candy-like appearance, sweet flavors, and discreet use of these products may make them particularly appealing to underage users, similar to flavored e-cigarettes.
- **Limited FDA Oversight**: The FDA lacks authority over nicotine gummies marketed as "supplements," allowing some manufacturers to bypass regulation. The FDA has issued warnings but lacks comprehensive enforcement.
- **Industry Growth Projections**: Companies like Swisher predict significant market growth, with plans to expand distribution to 100,000 stores, indicating a strategic push to normalize these products.
- **Policy Recommendations**: The study calls for stricter FDA regulations, including restrictions on flavored oral nicotine products, similar to those imposed on flavored e-cigarettes, to protect public health.
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### **Main Message**
The study underscores the urgent need for regulatory action to address the rapid rise of unregulated recreational nicotine products. These products, designed to mimic candy and marketed with minimal oversight, pose significant risks, particularly to youth and non-tobacco users. The FDA must extend its enforcement policies—currently targeting flavored e-cigarettes—to include oral nicotine products to prevent another wave of nicotine addiction. Without intervention, these products could undermine public health efforts, normalize nicotine use, and create new pathways to addiction. Policymakers, regulators, and public health advocates must act swiftly to close regulatory gaps and protect vulnerable populations.
Citation
Borowiecki, Mateusz, Sherry L. Emery, and Ganna Kostygina. “New Recreational Nicotine Lozenges, Tablets, Gummies and Gum Proliferate on the US Market.” Tobacco Control, vol. 33, no. 3, 2024, pp. 414–?, doi:10.1136/tc-2022-057673.
