Boxes and bags of Zyn nicotine on a table in New York City on January 29, 2024.
Miguel M. Santiago | fake images
Tobacco product use among middle and high school students has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday.
The CDC and FDA recorded data on youth tobacco product use through the National Youth Tobacco Survey, which found that 2.25 million middle and high school students reported using a tobacco product in their lifetime. the last 30 days, compared to 2.8 million in 2023.
The drop reflected a decline in the number of students who said they were using e-cigarettes, to 1.63 million in 2024 from 2.13 million in 2023.
“We are moving in the right direction when it comes to reducing the use of tobacco products among our nation's youth,” Brian King, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said in a news release Thursday. “But we can't take our foot off the accelerator. Continued vigilance is necessary to continue reducing all forms of tobacco product use among youth. Addressing disparities remains an essential part of these efforts to ensure we leave no one behind “
Female students reported the largest decrease in use across the board, and Hispanic students also reported a drop in use of any tobacco product. According to the agencies, evidence-based strategies, including price increases, media campaigns and smoke-free policies, are likely part of what caused the decline in tobacco product use.
E-cigarettes remain the most used among students who reported using tobacco products, at 5.9%, but nicotine pouches are now the second most used tobacco product, at 1.8%, followed of cigarettes with 1.4%.
Nicotine pouch use actually increased among students, although not enough to be considered significant, from 1.2% in 2023 to 1.8% in 2024, the CDC said in September.
“Youth use of tobacco products in any form, including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, is not safe,” Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of the Office on Smoking and Smoking, said in a press release in September. CDC Health. “It is essential that we remain vigilant and committed to public health efforts to ensure that all young people can live healthy, tobacco-free lives.”
Zyn was the most popular nicotine pouch brand, at 68.7%, compared to the next most popular brand, On, at 14.2%.
Zyn, the brand of oral nicotine pouches owned by Philip Morris Internationalexploded in popularity on social media earlier this year, causing a nationwide shortage. Philip Morris announced plans in July to invest $600 million in a new Zyn production facility in Colorado in response to increased demand.
The survey was distributed to 29,861 students at 283 schools between January 22 and May 22.
