A coalition describing itself as acting for public health has filed suit against the Food and Drug Administration over its decision not to prioritize enforcement against certain vaping products and nicotine pouches while their marketing applications remain under review. According to the plaintiffs, allowing these products to remain on the market is a threat to public health. In fact, this is just another attempt to make it harder for Americans who smoke to access products that could dramatically reduce their risk of disease.

This case has remarkably little to do with protecting public health and a great deal to do with perpetuating an ideological opposition to nicotine. Several of the organizations involved, including Truth Initiative, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and Parents Against Vaping, receive substantial financial support from the network of organizations funded by Michael Bloomberg, who has spent billions of dollars promoting a misguided abstinence-only approach to nicotine. Their long-standing objective has not been to encourage smokers to switch to lower-risk products but to eliminate nicotine use altogether, no matter the human cost. Essentially, “quit or die.”