Background
In recent years, more and more nicotine products have come onto the market in Austria as an alternative to tobacco cigarettes, for example "electronic inhalation products" (such as e-cigarettes, e-shishas, e-pipes or heated tobacco products) and nicotine pouches. There is a discourse if these products are used to quit at least smoking of conventional cigarettes (harm reduction). But looking at marketing of these products (especially nicotine pouches) they are sold as life-style products and targeted to very young people. So on the one hand the number of people smoking conventional cigarettes is decreasing. On the other hand the consumption of new nicotine products is increasing. The question is if this increase overcompensates the decrease of classical smoking and at the end there are more people addicted to nicotine.

Method
To answer the research question, results from population surveys (2015, 2020, 2022) and school surveys (HBSC 2002-2022) are juxtaposed and considered in a synopsis. In addition, expert interviews were conducted with experts from the Austrian tobacco prevention sector.

Results
E-cigarettes are the most widespread new product among the total population (15+). Around four percent of these are consumed daily. Tobacco heaters come in second place with around two percent daily consumption. These products are often consumed in combination with conventional cigarettes. The daily consumption of conventional cigarettes and/or electronic inhalation products is around two percentage points higher than the daily consumption of conventional cigarettes, cigars and/or pipes. In the age-group 15 the prevalence of daily smoking conventional cigarettes is four percent only, while the prevalence of daily consumption of any nicotine product is eight percent. Among the new products, nicotine pouches are the most widespread among young people. Around three percent of 15-year-olds consume nicotine pouches on a daily basis. According to experts, one of the biggest challenges is the lack of legal regulation (sales, advertising and sponsoring) of nicotine pouches in Austria. Nicotine pouches are hidden and consumed unnoticed by those around them. Smoking bans (in schools, on public transport or at home) can be easily circumvented in this way.

Conclusion
The increase of consumption of new nicotine products overcompensates the decrease of daily smoking conventional cigarettes. This calls the harm reduction thesis into question. In many cases these products are not used to quit smoking but starting to consume nicotine as a lifestyle drug which leads to increase of nicotine consumption in general. Regulations are needed which on one hand allows to use the harm reduction potential of the new nicotine products but on the other hand prevent that they are becoming lifestyle products initiating nicotine consumption.