Nicotine Addiction News and Research

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Vaping rises among youth despite declining smoking rates

Three large studies together show that, although the number of people who smoke is declining, people are taking up smoking at a younger age and vaping has increased, particularly among children and younger people.

7 Sep 2026

Mimicking behaviors between smokers doubles daily tobacco consumption

Going out for a smoke together and mimicking behaviors associated with smoking can double tobacco consumption and make quitting more difficult.

28 Aug 2026

Review reveals how nicotine damages blood vessels and heart health

A review published today in Nature Reviews Cardiology provides the most detailed picture yet of how nicotine damages the cardiovascular system – tracing the biological chain of events from the moment nicotine binds to receptors in blood vessel walls through to the atherosclerotic plaque rupture that triggers heart attacks and strokes.

19 Aug 2026

Low-nicotine cigarettes do not cause increased compensatory smoking

People who switch to cigarettes with dramatically reduced nicotine levels are unlikely to smoke more cigarettes or inhale more smoke to compensate for the lower nicotine content, according to a new study led by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and published in JAMA Network Open.

15 Jul 2026

Vaping or smoking found to reduce fitness in young people by 15%

Young people who vape or smoke cigarettes have reduced blood vessel functionality, breathing efficiency and exercise capacity compared to those who have never smoked or vaped, according to a study published today in ERJ Open Research.

14 Jul 2026

Vaping reduces fitness and blood vessel function in young adults

13 Jul 2026

TikTok promotes a thriving illicit vaping culture among young people

TikTok videos glamorizing illicit vaping highlight challenges in public health communication, as youth engage more with social media than educational resources.

3 Jun 2026

GLP-1 drugs may help curb addiction by targeting reward pathways

GLP-1 receptor agonists, already used for Type 2 diabetes and obesity, show promise in reducing alcohol and drug-seeking behaviors through central reward and dopamine-related pathways. Most evidence remains preclinical, with limited early human data, so larger clinical trials are needed before these drugs can be recommended for addiction treatment.

21 May 2026

WHO warns of rising nicotine pouch addiction among youth

The World Health Organization (WHO) today issues a strong warning over the rapid global expansion of nicotine pouch products, which are being aggressively marketed to adolescents and young people.

17 May 2026

Could a rare gene variant help reduce smoking? New study suggests it might

An exome-wide association study of nearly 38,000 smokers from the Mexico City Prospective Study identified rare coding variants in CHRNB3 that are associated with substantially fewer cigarettes smoked per day. Cross-ancestry analyses in European and East Asian datasets support a role for the β3 nicotinic receptor subunit in modulating smoking intensity.

25 Feb 2026

Study shows glial cells actively shape addictive responses to nicotine

Nicotine addiction remains one of the most persistent public health challenges worldwide, driven by changes in the brain that reinforce repeated use and make quitting extremely difficult.

4 Dec 2025

Rising youth e-cigarette use threatens children’s health and human rights

Exposing children to e-cigarettes compromises their human rights. These products should be regulated in a way that puts children's best interests first and protects them from the harms associated with nicotine consumption in all its forms, argue experts in The BMJ today.

12 Nov 2025

Daily vaping and failed quit attempts rise sharply among U.S. youth

Since 2019, overall rates of nicotine vaping have declined among U.S. youth, but those who continue to vape are showing signs of worsening addiction, according to new USC research.

3 Nov 2025

New WHO report highlights tobacco and e-cigarette trends

The world is smoking less, but the tobacco epidemic is far from over. A new WHO global report shows the number of tobacco users has dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024.

7 Oct 2025

Fathers who smoked as teens may accelerate their children's biological aging

People whose fathers smoked during puberty seem to age faster than expected, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

29 Sep 2025

New guideline offers effective options to help Canadians quit smoking

Tobacco smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in Canada; it is highly addictive and hard to stop.

25 Aug 2025

Targeting brain pathway may ease nicotine withdrawal

Because unpleasant withdrawal symptoms fuel nicotine addiction's high relapse rate, targeting their underlying mechanisms with treatments may promote continued abstinence from the drug.

15 Jul 2025

Digital classroom lessons give students the tools to say no to vaping

Researchers co-designed and user-tested the ‘OurFutures Vaping’ digital program to prevent e-cigarette use among Australian adolescents. The four-lesson intervention, developed with students and teachers, showed high acceptability and addresses critical gaps in youth vaping prevention.

12 Jun 2025

Study: Nicotine pouch use nearly doubles among U.S. high school students

The use of nicotine pouches - small, easily concealed sachets of nicotine and additives that are placed between the gum and lip - nearly doubled among U.S. high school students between 2023 and 2024, according to a new USC study.

30 Apr 2025

Historic decline in smoking across the United States largely driven by young adults

Researchers at University of California San Diego found that cigarette smoking continues to decline across the United States, largely driven by young adults.

25 Apr 2025