By Derek Yach and Jeannie Cameron

Top Takeaways:

• The Doggett Amendment’s outdated blanket prohibition hampers global harm reduction efforts.
• Harm reduction is a recognized but underused tobacco control strategy.
• Distinguishing between deadly cigarettes and safer alternatives is crucial for public health.

The Doggett Amendment, enacted in 1997 and reinforced by President Clinton’s 2001 executive order, was a landmark in U.S. tobacco control. It bars federal agencies from using resources to promote tobacco sales or exports, or from pressing foreign governments to relax tobacco regulations, so long as those rules are applied fairly to all tobacco products.

This policy reflected the era’s urgent need to curb the global spread of cigarettes, the world’s leading cause of preventable death. It was adopted as the World Health Organization (WHO) negotiations on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was set to start.

The tobacco landscape has changed. Today, millions of smokers are switching to products like nicotine pouches, vapes, and heated tobacco-products that, when authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, have been shown to contain far fewer harmful chemicals than cigarettes and can help adult smokers quit.

For example, in January 2025, the FDA authorized ZYN nicotine pouches, affirming they are a “better alternative for adults who smoke or use other traditional tobacco products”. These products are not risk-free, but the science is clear: they are substantially less harmful than combustible tobacco.

Yet, the Doggett Amendment’s blanket prohibition now covers these lower-risk, FDA-authorized products as well. U.S. agencies are barred from even sharing scientific evidence about their benefits with foreign governments, even in countries where smoking rates remain stubbornly high and tobacco-related deaths are rising.

This is a missed opportunity for global public health.

The WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) recognizes harm reduction as a pillar of tobacco control, but few countries have operationalized this principle. The U.S. could lead by example-if Congress revises the Doggett Amendment to allow federal agencies to share information about FDA-authorized harm reduction products, provided they meet strict public health criteria (such as proven efficacy in helping smokers quit and low appeal to youth).

Critics will argue that any loosening of restrictions risks empowering Big Tobacco or undermining hard-won tobacco control gains. But refusing to distinguish between deadly cigarettes and scientifically vetted harm reduction products is itself a disservice to public health.

The goal is not to promote nicotine use, but to reduce the staggering toll of smoking.

It’s time for a pragmatic revision of the Doggett Amendment-one that empowers U.S. agencies to share evidence, not industry marketing, and helps the world’s smokers access safer alternatives. The U.S. can remain a leader in tobacco control by embracing harm reduction, not ignoring it.

Derek Yach was the president and founder of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, is a former World Health Organization (WHO) cabinet director and executive director for noncommunicable diseases and mental health.

Jeannie Cameron is founder and managing director of JCIC International Ltd, a UK based strategic advocacy consultancy specializing in tobacco harm reduction, anti-illicit trade and supply-chain security.