Nicotine pouches are a new class of smokeless tobacco product that has emerged in recent years. They are thin, prefilled pouches that contain white powdered nicotine. The pouches are placed between the upper lip and gum during use, and the nicotine dissolves in the mouth without requiring spitting. Nicotine pouches differ from traditional snuff and chewing tobacco, including Swedish-style snus, because they do not contain any tobacco leaf.
The popularity of these new products has increased rapidly. They are promoted in youth-friendly advertising, and they are sold in a wide variety of flavors that appeal to kids and teens, such as black cherry, apple mint, cinnamon sachet, coffee, fruit punch, lemon spritz and more. The companies that sell these products claim that they are safer and healthier than cigarettes, but their health effects have not yet been fully studied.
As with other new, noncombustible nicotine products nikotiinipussit such as e-cigarettes and flavored cigars, the federal Food and Drug Administration FDA has been slow to regulate these new, emerging products. This is partly because of the strong opposition from industry groups, which argue that the products are not a public health threat and that they have been unfairly targeted by regulators.
In a recent press conference, Senator Chuck Schumer called on the FDA and FTC to investigate nicotine pouches and other noncombustible nicotine products for their potential health risks. His comments were met with outrage by Republicans, who accused Schumer of being anti-smoking and anti-alternative nicotine products.
Although the CDC reports that only 1.1% of high school students report using nicotine pouches, the products have become popular among many other young people. Leading brands such as Zyn, On! and Velo have invested millions of dollars in advertisements targeting kids and teens. Several major transnational tobacco companies have also developed their own brands of oral nicotine pouches. Some of these companies have published research on their nicotine pouches on their science websites.
In this study, 1583 US adults who were current tobacco users self-reported their awareness, beliefs and usage of nicotine pouches. Data were weighted and multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine the relationships between NP awareness, beliefs and susceptibility, and current tobacco product use and socio-demographic factors.
Despite the lack of evidence on the health effects of NPs, manufacturers have been aggressive in marketing these products to youth. Advertisements for these products feature images of celebrities and adolescent models and encourage youth to experiment with the product by taking selfies with their empty pouches. Some brands even have social media accounts specifically aimed at teens and adolescents. This has led to a growing number of nicotine-pouch related adolescent health problems. It is important to monitor these products as they evolve and to develop effective strategies for reducing their prevalence.