Why the FDA is Right about Zyn

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently authorized the marketing of 20 nicotine pouch products under the Zyn brand, including flavors like Wintergreen and the "unflavored" Chill. That authorization sparked a new round of proposed legislation, trend pieces and frustration. Meanwhile, the stock price for Philip Morris International Inc., which manufactures the smokeless product, has caught fire.

Tobacco-control professionals fought long and hard for comprehensive legislation that would give FDA regulatory oversight over tobacco products and nicotine products that do not make therapeutic claims. But Zyn has proven to be especially controversial given a series of buzzy stories about its use by young people and its seeming popularity on social media sites like TikTok. So-called “Zynfluencers” have led to fears that a new and youthful crowd could be looking to exploit the pouches for everything from long work days to clubbing. Most recently, Carrie Battan over at The New Yorker wrote about how Zyn pouches were becoming a “staple for American dudes” in a dispatch announcing “the new nicotine gold rush.”