Secure Online Sales to Boost Smokers’ Quit Rates

A provocative new commentary argues that restricting access to “reduced-risk” nicotine products — such as e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and other non-combustible alternatives — could do more harm than good, especially for smokers trying to quit cigarettes.

In the paper “Why We Need Greater, Not Less, Access to Reduced-Risk Nicotine Products,” the authors contend that overly restrictive regulations undermine tobacco harm reduction by making it harder for adult smokers to find safer alternatives. Key among their warnings: policies that ban or severely limit online sales of alternative nicotine products risk driving consumers back to conventional cigarettes, rather than encouraging switching.

Lead author, Dr Marina Murphy, has publicly cautioned that proposals to ban online nicotine product sales may backfire. She notes that in the U.S., for example, only about 13% of nicotine products are currently authorised for legal sale, leaving consumers with very limited choices. Further restrictions, she warns, would compound the problem.

One of the main drivers behind bans is preventing youth access. But Dr. Murphy argues that bans miss the mark: the failure is not a lack of rules but inconsistent enforcement of existing rules that already ban the sale of these products to minors. She calls banning online sales a blunt tool that ends up punishing adult smokers—especially those in rural or underserved areas whose only practical source of alternative products is via e-commerce. 

Internationally, there is precedent suggesting that strict restrictions can fuel illicit markets. In Australia, for example, putting e-cigarettes under prescription-only regulation reportedly sparked a black market and stymied declines in smoking rates. The commentary suggests a smarter path: enhancing enforcement, using modern digital tools for age checks, and pursuing innovation in safer nicotine delivery rather than imposing bans.

For consumers, the take-home message is clear: narrowing availability of safer options might actually undermine public health goals by making cigarettes the easiest fallback. Regulators are being urged to strike a balance — protecting youth but not cutting off adult smokers from alternatives.