Hunter “Ratch” Ratchford is an Alabama college student with 42,000 followers. on TikTok. Here he posts, almost exclusively, about Zyn, a brand of flavored oral nicotine pods that come in colorful round cans and come in flavors like cool mint, citrus and cinnamon.
Three years ago, Ratch says, one of his fraternity buddies introduced him to the product. “He said it helped him focus when he took back-to-back classes, so I tried it,” he says, noting that it helped him too and that he liked the buzz. “Ever since then I’ve been hooked.”
Today, he says, he takes between a can and a half cans a day – about 25 packets in total – placing the packet between his gum and lip or cheek about every 15 minutes to deliver the maximum number of packets available in the body. 6 mg of tobacco-free nicotine (compared to 10–12 mg in a cigarette) directly enters the bloodstream through the oral mucosa. His frequent sponsored posts Snus Townan online retailer in the UK that sends him 10 cans a week to try – from coming up with new Zyn flavors to simply declaring his love for the little white bags.
And although Zyn’s website says its product is intended for adults 21 and older who currently use nicotine, Ratch, 22, says he has never smoked and never smoked (and still doesn’t). when I started using nicotine. “Zine is the only type of nicotine I’ve ever used,” he says.
Now he is just one of about 2.1% of adults (5.2 million people) who use smokeless tobacco products in the United States, according to last digits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (which does not specifically catch nicotine pouches).
Ratch isn’t the only Zyn user who started his career as a teenager, either. According to National Youth Tobacco Survey In 2023, an estimated 1.5% of high school and middle school students (more than half of them boys), representing 400,000 teenagers, use nicotine pods—about the same percentage (1.6%) who smoke cigarettes, but much less than those who smoke vape. (7.7%).
Those numbers have remained unchanged in recent years, the April report noted. Press release from the FDA regarding the sale of nicotine pods to minors. However, said Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, “FDA remains concerned about any tobacco products that may be attractive to youth, and we will continue to closely monitor youth use of these products.”
Zyn sales skyrocket
With users of all ages, Zyn and other oral nicotine products (along with other brands including Velo, On! and Rogue) make up the market it is expected to bring in $2 billion US revenue this year, despite the fact that most brands, including Zyn, do not have FDA approval for sale in the US. That’s because they hit the market in 2014, before the FDA issued rules for new tobacco and nicotine products, and are now required to retroactively prove they provide enough public health benefit to remain available. These decisions are currently under review.
Meanwhile, sales are soaring as sixfold spike between 2019 and 2022. And Swedish manufacturer Zyn’s parent company, Philip Morris International, reported sales rose nearly 80% in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the same period last year, leading to ongoing shortages in some markets.
Many blame youth use on the prevalence of Zyn content on social media sites where fans, or “Zynfluencers,” can be found. trying new flavors for the first time or building sculptures from hundreds of empty cans they collected, using slang terms such as “lip pillow” or “top deck” because of where the packets fit in the mouth.
All this fueled some fears that Zin might be next July in terms of youth appeal and public health implications – something Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) recently seized on when calling on regulators to investigate Zyn for its appeal to teenagers. This caused resistance from some prominent conservativesincluding Tucker Carlson, who has already gone viral with his Zyn-themed video. on Instagram from jokester influencers The Nelk Boys. In response to Schumer, he stated“Zing is not a sin.”
A Philip Morris International representative provided the following statement Luck:
“For the nearly 30 million Americans who smoke, French Match is committed to developing products like ZYN that are scientifically proven as better alternatives to continued smoking. Swedish Match goes beyond legal requirements and ensures that our marketing is directed to adult nicotine consumers over 21 years of age. We do not use social media influencers, refuse requests for such partnerships, place age restrictions on our digital channels, and only use adult-oriented channels. tastes. We also joined We are Cards The Advisory Council, a non-profit organization serving retailers of age-restricted products, will work with them to educate and educate retail employees about carding nicotine pouches, and ensure that pouches are included in 21+ signage in the vast majority of brick-and-mortar stores. the shops. Manufacturers, regulators, retailers and social media platforms must work together to ensure that these products are only used by people 21+, and we believe we are doing our part to achieve this goal.”
Still, it’s important for parents to be aware of Zin and its risks, says Rees, adding, “It’s reasonable to be concerned any time a child uses an addictive substance or product.”
Here’s what else parents need to know.
Nicotine addiction is real and has health risks
“Addiction itself is considered a health problem,” says Rees, “and nicotine use disorder has implications for the social and emotional development of young people.”
In part, he says, “It narrows the behavioral repertoire, so instead of choosing activities that might be rewarding or that might improve their interactions with other people and the world in a positive way, they tend to make much narrower choices that the disorder imposes.” associated with the use of psychoactive substances. “For example, instead of hanging out with friends, teens with an addiction “will hang out alone and use nicotine.”
Other health risks associated with nicotine include a mildly increased risk of increased blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to the heart, and narrowing of the arteries. American Heart Association. But the risk of cardiovascular disease, Ries emphasizes, is much lower than with smoking. Most studies indicate that cigarette smoke, not nicotine, causes cancer. some research suggests that nicotine may cause DNA damage, which may increase the risk of cancer.
Further, recent small study users of the packages found self-reported side effects, including mouth lesions, stomach upset and sore throat.
On the plus side, there is “some evidence” that it can help with concentration, but “may make concentration worse if you’re in withdrawal,” says Lynn Kozlowski, a longtime tobacco researcher and professor emeritus at the University Buffalo. School of Public Health and Health Professions.
What worries Kozlovsky most is the recent study from Truth Initiative, an educational non-profit organization that discourages tobacco and nicotine use. It found that the majority of 15- to 24-year-olds who use oral nicotine pods also smoke cigarettes (73%) and nearly half (49%) also vape.
In his opinion, thanks to these discoveries, parents should not be too distracted by Zin.
“Smoking is a much bigger thing that can be frustrating,” he says. “What worries me is that if you have a clientele of young people who are primarily experimenting with smoking and pouches, you don’t want any messaging to make people fear pouches any more than they fear cigarettes.”
He pointed to recent survey Most smokers mistakenly believe that vaping is as harmful or even more harmful than cigarettes. “Oh my God, this is wrong,” he says. “The main ingredients that cause cancer are those found in flammable products… The pouches are at the same toxicological level as nicotine lozenges and chewing gum – they do not reach the lungs. And most of what kills people is smoke getting into their lungs.”
The nicotine patch is by no means a “health food,” Kozlowski adds. But if you have a child who uses a bag, “take a close look to see if he is smoking too. If he only has a bag and doesn’t smoke, that’s progress.”