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Two countries. One smoke-free ambition. Different results. Sweden and New Zealand have both achieved substantial reductions in smoking prevalence. Yet their progress towards the smoke-free threshold has differed. An important distinction lies in their regulatory approaches. Sweden has made nicotine pouches available as part of its broader range of smoke-free alternatives, while these products are not currently regulated in New Zealand. This difference raises important questions about the role of alternative nicotine products in reducing smoking rates. This raises an important policy question: What role could the availability and regulation of alternative nicotine products play in future tobacco control strategies? As both countries continue their public health efforts, their experiences offer valuable perspectives on evidence-based regulation and smoking reduction.

Who wrote the research matters as much as what it says. The new JAMA review on smoking cessation by Leavens et al. comes from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco's Treatment Research Network. The authors are researchers from Harvard/Mass General, Yale, Oxford, Queen Mary University of London, Brown, Rutgers, UNSW Sydney and other institutions. With nearly 500,000 US deaths a year attributed to smoking, policymakers and clinicians need evidence they can trust. This is that kind of evidence. Read the full review in JAMA.

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Not all nicotine products carry the same risk, and regulation should reflect the evidence. For adults who smoke, access to lower-risk alternatives can be part of a harm-reduction approach. Nicotine pouches are not risk-free, and they should be strictly regulated, limited to adults, and kept away from young people. In New Zealand, adults who smoke still do not have legal access to nicotine pouches. The conversation should be about proportionate, evidence-based regulation: protecting young people while giving adults who smoke informed, regulated choices.

68% of US adult smokers want to quit. Fewer than 10% succeed. Clinicians are often the first people patients ask for help. A new review in JAMA by Leavens et al. gives practical guidance for that conversation: consider the full range of evidence-based cessation options, correct common misperceptions about harm, and keep the approach patient-centered. The authors also note that many clinicians misjudge the relative risks, which is why this evidence matters in everyday practice. Read the full review in JAMA.

Public health policy is only as good as the evidence behind it. A new review in JAMA by Leavens et al. addresses some of the most persistent misconceptions. Myths shape policy. Evidence should. Source: Leavens et al., JAMA 2026