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Health

US teens are using less of every substance – except for one

Teenagers in the US roughly doubled their use of nicotine pouches in 2024, despite turning away from alcohol and other drugs

By Grace Wade

3 January 2025

Nicotine pouches have become popular in the US

Shutterstock/Piskova Photo

Adolescent drug use in the US largely declined in 2024, with one exception: nicotine pouches. Compared with the previous year, their use roughly doubled among teenagers, though overall rates remain low.

Between February and June 2024, Richard Miech at the University of Michigan and his colleagues surveyed more than 24,200 adolescents at 272 secondary schools across the US. For students in 8th, 10th and 12th grade – which typically corresponds to ages 13 to 14,…

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