Since its inception, the tobacco industry has relied on deception to peddle its deadly products.9 Now, as cigarette use in the U.S. continues to decline and the industry faces mounting regulatory pressure, it is expanding its tactics. The industry is attempting to rebrand itself and co-opt the language of public health. The goal hasn’t changed—sell as many addictive products to as many people as possible—but the messaging has. By framing the conversation around so-called harm reduction, the industry seeks to distract from the deadly nature of its products. For tobacco companies, harm reduction is not about saving lives. It is about protecting profits.
Today, manufacturers are flooding the market with “next-generation” products such as e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco devices, the vast majority of which are illegally marketed as “less harmful” or alternatives to quitting. This playbook isn’t new; the industry used it before when it falsely marketed light and low-tar cigarettes as safer, with deadly results. Once again, the tobacco industry is simply peddling harm in new packaging.
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