Popular nicotine pouches pack a powerful punch. What to know about health risks

Have you or your kids tried ZYN The nicotine pouches are small smokeless and easy to hide and college students explained News that s the point People like to take them before classes to take them before events and stuff just for a little buzz one scholar stated You ll definitely see them everywhere you go another apprentice disclosed The synthetic fiber pouches are used by tucking them inside your lip Vitality experts say they come with serious robustness risks and young people are getting addicted fast It s illegal to sell nicotine pouches to anyone under but kids are getting them anyway Unfortunately our children think that these are products that are harmless announced Dr Susan Walley of D C s Children s National Hospital The nicotine in the pouches gets absorbed into the body rapidly she stated It s six milligrams of nicotine A cigarette you re only absorbing one to two milligrams of nicotine Walley announced Six milligrams of nicotine is enough that over time particularly for adolescents even with just intermittent use that you can start seeing manifestations of nicotine dependence Why nicotine is particularly harmful for young people Soundness experts say nicotine has negative effects on everyone but it s particularly dangerous for young people because it can cause physical changes in their emerging brains Other concerns include high blood pressure heart-related issues gum syndrome and a likely jeopardy of oral cancer Since the pouches are relatively new there s not enough information on their long-term effects Wellness May How potency drinks offer quick buzz but risky crash for teens Fairfax County hours ago Virginia business owner tells why tariffs may tank her company serving moms But are nicotine pouches still safer than smoking Every young person News spoke with reported they believe nicotine pouches are safer than smoking cigarettes because they don t contain tobacco Well they re not entirely wrong Megan Diaz of the Truth Initiative reported The nonprofit society wellbeing organization works to end nicotine addiction in young adults There s no tobacco leaf in it but what it does have is nicotine powder and nicotine powder is not safe Nicotine is a highly addictive substance so that s where they re getting it wrong Diaz revealed The Food and Drug Administration authorized the sale of ZYN in January It s the first product of its kind to get its type of authorization It had to meet a lot of criteria including providing evidence the product offers adults greater benefits than risks In this occurrence the FDA noted it did The manufacturer pointed to evidence that shows adults who were smokers entirely switched to nicotine pouches which it announced is a safer alternative to smoking Wellbeing experts say this sets a dangerous precedent In addition to being sold in kid-friendly flavors like cool mint and citrus they re heavily promoted on social media by ZYN influencers aka ZYN-fluencers Youth shouldn t have access to nicotine Nicotine is a highly addictive product and so even though this may be organic marketing it shouldn t be out there and it shouldn t be in front of kids Diaz revealed ZYN is sold by a subsidiary of tobacco giant Philip Morris International In a report to News the company commented ZYN is for adults period We re committed to responsible marketing practices focused on limiting access to adults