EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated with comments from a spokesman for ZYN-owner Philip Morris International.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — From cigarettes, to vapes, now to pouches.
There seems to be a new fad every few years when it comes to nicotine.
Nicotine pouches, such as the popular product called ZYN, are placed in the mouth to absorb the drug into the bloodstream with no smoking or spitting required.
Pouch makers tout the fact that there is no tobacco in the product. It’s being marketed to a younger audience over social media, with people pushing the products calling themselves “ZYN-fluencers.”
So is the latest craze the safer cigarette?
“They're obviously marketed very heavily. They're flavored. They're sort of in vogue. ‘You have to work out with them. You can't be seen without them.’ I think there's a real potential problem.”Dr. Kenneth Katz, a medical toxicologist emergency physician at Lehigh Valley Health Network
“They're obviously marketed very heavily," said Dr. Kenneth Katz, a medical toxicologist emergency physician at Lehigh Valley Health Network.
"They're flavored. They're sort of in vogue. ‘You have to work out with them. You can't be seen without them.’ I think there's a real potential problem.”
Katz said that while the pouches could be used as a way to quit cigarette smoking, they pose some major risks to the population, especially kids.
"There have been case reports of children, young pediatrics, getting a hold of these products," he said. "The amount of nicotine is unknown in some of these products and [kids are] getting sick.
“Nicotine can cause acute toxicity, vomiting, diarrhea and cardiovascular injury. We need this kind of product like we need a hole in the head.”
A spokesman for Philip Morris International said ZYN is designed for adults age 21 and up who already use nicotine products and wish to continue using nicotine.
Philip Morris acquired ZYN-maker Swedish Match in 2022.
"For nearly a decade, ZYN has been responsibly marketed in the U.S., and its prevalence with former adult smokers today is consistent with declining U.S. smoking rates," said Sam Dashiell, a spokesman for Philip Morris.
He said the amounts of nicotine in ZYN pouches is known — they come in 3 milligram and 6 milligram pouches — and is not intended or marketed as a smoking cessation product.
'Not meant to be lifelong therapy'
Dashiell said oral nicotine pouches are regulated by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
"ZYN is designed to deliver nicotine levels to consumers in a manner similar to other nicotine products that they currently use," he said. "Providing a familiar experience plays an important role in helping consumers who wish to continue using nicotine products fully switch to better alternatives.
"Additionally, the best anything that anyone worried about their health can do is to quit, or never start using nicotine. For those who don’t stop, the best choice is to switch to a smoke-free alternative."
LVHN's Katz said risks from the product include oral cancer and the effects of chemicals found in nicotine building up in the body over time.
"I would not be surprised if I see someone with nicotine poisoning from this."Dr. Keneth Katz, medical toxicologist emergency physician, Lehigh Valley Health Network
"This is not meant to be a lifelong therapy,” he said.
The FDA said last month that it issued 119 warning letters to, and filed 41 civil penalty complaints against, brick-and-mortar retailers that engaged in the underage sale of various flavors of ZYN nicotine pouches from October 2023 to February 2024.
"The flavors FDA has cited in its press release are not marketed by Swedish Match in the U.S and we are assessing the agency’s communication to retailers," Dashiell said.
Said Katz: "I would not be surprised if I see someone with nicotine poisoning from this,” Katz said.
“It's the young children who inadvertently put this in their mouth or smell it or just like any other product, and they're the ones who suffer.”
He said cigarette smoking is “unequivocally the, almost the worst thing that one can do for him or herself in terms of health,” so the pouches could be used as a “means to an end.”
However, he cautioned about the addictiveness of such products and warned that it could lead to the use of other substances.
Philip Morris says the average age of a ZYN consumer is 39.
"For the nearly 30 million adults who continue to smoke in the U.S., ZYN can be a valuable tool for them to leave cigarettes behind for good," Dashiell said.
