As traditional cigarette use drops and smoke-free laws expand, New Jerseyans are increasingly turning to alternatives like nicotine pouches, particularly brands like On!, in a rapidly evolving tobacco landscape.
Even as national smoking rates continue their steady decline, New Jersey finds itself grappling with sobering numbers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 10% of adults in New Jersey still smoke cigarettes, a figure that climbs to 15% just across the river in Philadelphia. The health consequences are dire: smokers are 15 to 30 times more likely to develop and die from lung cancer than nonsmokers.
Each year, nearly 12,000 New Jerseyans die due to tobacco use, reports the American Lung Association. And nationally, the toll is staggering; smoking causes approximately 490,000 deaths annually, making smoking not only the leading cause of death in the U.S. but also the top cause of preventable death, as reinforced in the 2024 U.S. Surgeon General’s report. Despite decades of public health campaigns, legislative bans, and cultural shifts, tobacco use continues to weigh heavily on both individual health and the state’s healthcare system.
But change is in the air, and it doesn’t smell like smoke. While cigarette use continues its slow descent, alternatives like vapes and nicotine pouches are emerging as new choices for nicotine users, sparking both debate and curiosity.
As cigarette sales drop, accelerated by corporate decisions like Stop & Shop’s 2024 move to cease tobacco sales in all New Jersey locations, many nicotine users are looking elsewhere. Smoke-free options like vapes, heat-not-burn devices, and nicotine pouches are stepping into the void, offering a cleaner, discreet way to consume nicotine without combustion, ash, or secondhand smoke.
Among these alternatives, nicotine pouches have quietly surged in popularity, especially with younger adults and working professionals. Brands like On!, which make the pouches available in varying strengths and flavors, are making a name for themselves for their portability and convenience. Unlike traditional chewing tobacco or snus, On! pouches contain no tobacco leaf. Instead, they deliver pharmaceutical-grade nicotine through a small, spit-free pouch that fits comfortably under the upper lip.
These pouches are gaining attention for their potential role in harm reduction. The On! nicotine pouches featured at Prilla, show how users appreciate their discretion, variety of flavors, and smoke-free delivery method. Importantly, they are regulated by the FDA and don’t contain many harmful chemicals in combusted tobacco products. "Lots of variety of different brands and flavors," said Jeff Romero, in a review on the Prilla site. "Easy ordering process and arrived quickly."
Sea Isle and other shore towns, which see a mix of retirees, tourists, and young seasonal workers, represent a cross-section of demographics that are increasingly experimenting with alternatives to smoking. New Jersey’s public spaces, from beaches to casinos, also push the transition. Towns like Cinnaminson have taken a stand against cigarette litter, while advocates continue pushing to remove exemptions that allow indoor smoking in Atlantic City casinos, which remain one of the few places smoking is permitted indoors.
The trajectory is clear: cigarettes are losing cultural and commercial ground, and smoke-free alternatives are rising to meet a new kind of nicotine user, one who is health-conscious, time-strapped, and more aware than ever of tobacco’s risks.
According to a 2023 CDC study, menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco products still account for a significant portion of sales, particularly in marginalized communities. This has sparked efforts to restrict or ban such products entirely. Yet even as state and federal regulators clash over how to handle menthols, products like nicotine pouches remain in a unique middle ground: not banned, not smoked, and often not discussed in the same controversial tone.
For public health experts, the hope is that nicotine pouches can serve as a bridge to move smokers away from more dangerous forms of consumption without forcing abrupt cessation. The goal is harm reduction, as some people will continue to use nicotine, but getting them off combustible products will be considered a big win in itself.
As New Jersey policymakers debate stronger regulations around smoking, casinos, and flavored tobacco, the question remains: Will nicotine pouches become the new normal? For many, the appeal lies not only in health but in convenience, discretion, and social acceptability: attributes that combustible cigarettes can’t offer anymore.
In Sea Isle and beyond, the landscape is shifting. Whether this shift leads to a smoke-free future or just a new form of nicotine dependence remains to be seen. But one thing is sure: nicotine habits in New Jersey are changing fast.
