The alternatives have a similar taste, packaging and marketing. Anti-smoking activists say this is a way to get around state and federal bans.

Our most popular global stories of 2023 offer insights into the stereotypes of male hunters/female gatherers, the biases of AI, the best way to end poverty and the impact of a stranger's greeting.

New Zealand has declared war on tobacco with a remarkable new law. The indigenous Māori population, with the country's highest smoking rate, has a lot to gain. But they have a bone of contention.

The Food and Drug Administration is poised to set a maximum nicotine level in cigarettes and some other tobacco products, looking to make them less addictive and wean smokers off the habit.

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Over the last few years, we've all found different ways to cope with the pandemic. Some people started drinking more, moving less, maybe eating more. Now that the pandemic is at a lull, health experts say it's time to take stock of these habits. Short Wave host Aaron Scott chats with health correspondent Allison Aubrey about how our daily habits have been affected and changed — for better or worse — and how one might start to change ones they want to change.

You can follow Aaron on Twitter @AaronScottNPR and Allison @AubreyNPR. Email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.org.

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The Federal Trade Commission says sales in 2020 were up slightly, and analysts say the increase was due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the gain looks unlikely to represent a long-term trend.

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Tobacco giant Philip Morris International is pivoting away from cigarettes. Part of its reinvention plan is to stop selling cigarettes in the United Kingdom in the next 10 years.

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A reader wants to know about smoking's impact on the vaccine but didn't specify cigarettes, e-cigs ... or marijuana. So we'll discuss all three. Also: A refresher in painkiller/vaccine interaction.

Spanish authorities announced the new measures as they confront a new wave of COVID-19 after tamping down the disease months ago.

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U-Haul is the latest company to say it won't hire nicotine users, in the 21 states where that's legal. It's one way to avoid the costs of smoking-related illness, but critics call it discrimination.

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