The Food and Drug Administration should focus on harm reduction, instead of prohibition, when it comes to tobacco and nicotine products, two-thirds of adults say.
The results come from an Altria Group Inc. survey that emphasized U.S. adults support tobacco harm reduction, an established public health strategy that supports transitioning smokers who can’t or won’t stop smoking to less risky tobacco products than cigarettes, over prohibition as the better approach to tobacco regulation.
“There is clear, overwhelming support for the FDA embracing harm reduction for the 30 million American adults who smoke,” said Paige Magness, senior vice president of regulatory affairs at Altria Client Services. “That means providing adult smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit with wider access to smoke-free alternatives and providing them the information and support to help them switch. Pursuing harm reduction is one of the most powerful steps the FDA can take to deliver on its mission to reduce tobacco-related death and disease in the U.S. It is our hope that the FDA will listen to these voices as it sets out its policy agenda for the coming years.”
The survey also found that 90% of respondents said the FDA has a responsibility to accurately inform adult tobacco consumers about the risks associated with different tobacco products. Eighty-eight percent agree that the FDA has a responsibility to address the widespread misperception that nicotine causes cancer—something Altria has previously pushed for the agency to clarify.
Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical compound present in the tobacco plant, but it’s the mix of chemicals in tobacco and tobacco smoke that causes serious disease and death in tobacco users, the FDA said on its website.
Most adults also agree that policies that ban tobacco products will lead to illicit markets for tobacco products, endangering public health, youth and communities of color, Altria said.
According to the survey, 84% of respondents believe youth will have easy access to tobacco products in an illicit market, and 84% also believe bootleg tobacco products sold in an illicit market are more dangerous for consumers than regulated products. More than 60% of respondents are concerned an illicit market for tobacco products will add an increased burden on law enforcement and result in an increase in policing communities of color.
“Most Americans understand that prohibition-based policies don’t work and that it’s much better for public health to keep tobacco products legal and regulated,” Magness said. “Harm reduction is the better path forward. With harm reduction, regulators provide adult smokers with information, choice and support to expand the off-ramp from smoking—while also continuing to drive down underage use.”
Altria is expanding its smoke-free portfolio with the recent acquisition of e-cigarette company Njoy and heated tobacco product Swic in the works.
Altria also noted that underage smoking rates are at historically low levels, and youth vaping rates have declined from their peak in 2019.
The findings on the general population were drawn from a nationwide online survey from Nov. 22 to Dec. 2, 2022, by Metrics & Insights LLC for Altria Client Service LLC. There were 1,501 U.S. adults aged 21 or older who responded. Full results to the survey, which also included surveys of cigarette smokers, policy professionals and primary care physicians, are available on Altria’s website.
The FDA did not respond to CSP’s request for comment on the survey.
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