EU Smoking Rates Decline While New Risk Products Spread Among Youth

Smoking rates across the European Union are declining, according to new data, but health officials are expressing concern about the growing popularity of new tobacco and nicotine products among young people. The trend comes as harmonized EU regulations have improved the functioning of the internal market for tobacco products. While traditional cigarette use continues to drop across member states, alternative products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco devices are gaining traction particularly among younger demographics, potentially offsetting some of the public health gains from reduced conventional smoking.