In the early 16th Century, Spanish settlers discovered the joys of smoking tobacco when they reached the newly found shores of America. They shared this news with the rest of Europe, and smoking took off hot. Starting with pipes, cigars were soon popularized, as tobacco continued rising in popularity until it reached its peak form: the cigarette. Smooth, classy, the mark of success; cigarettes took the world by storm. In 2001, residents of the United States alone had bought almost 400 billion individual cigarettes.
That all changed in 2007 when vaping hit the U.S. market. According to the CDC; since 2014, vaping has been the largest source of nicotine use among U.S. youth. Americans preferred vaping to smoking the ever-classy, one could even say romantic, cigarette for a number of reasons: Vaping was convenient, it required no lighter and no actual combustion. Having no need for a flame, it was easily tucked into pockets and brought into school bathrooms where it saw the most use. Vaping also had much less of a distinct smell than the elegant ciggy. Vapes could smell and taste like candy, popular flavors including the likes of birthday cake and peanut butter. The main issue teens had with vapes is the entire premise of smoking: the vapor. Young smokers committed on getting cancer as fast as possible needed a more efficient way of getting nicotine shoved into their body. The need for a discreet method skyrocketed and in 2020 it was found: nicotine pouches.
Tobacco Pouches, also known as snus, have been around for a while. Originating in the early 18th century by Swedish Nic-Fiends, they could be discreetly placed under the lip and none would be the wiser. As they became popular, the negative side effects were being discovered. Synthetic nicotine patches solved this, as they were tobacco free. Additionally, if the user could handle the amount of nicotine without getting ill, known as getting “nic sick,” they could swallow the spit and it would be almost undetectable. This led to an opportunity for constant nicotine use without the need for hiding it. Young addicts went wild, in 2019 ZYN, the most popular brand of nicotine pouches, were selling 20 million pouches per month. In 2022 they were selling 140 million pouches a month, and Philip Morris International, ZYN’s parent company, announced they sold 650 million pouches in January of 2024. Luckily, the champion of lung cancer stays upon its throne, with 15 billion cigarettes sold per month in 2023.
While many teenagers believe that using ZYN or other nicotine patches is less harmful than smoking, sadly that may not be true. While the long term effects are still unknown, as nicotine pouches haven’t been around long, according to the CDC: early research has shown that the same side effects from tobacco pouches could be seen in users of nicotine pouches. The side effects include cancers of the mouth, throat and pancreas; gum disease, tooth loss, cavities, stained teeth and increased chances of heart disease and stroke.
Whether it’s obtained through a super senior selling pouches in the handicap stall of a bathroom, or from a gas station that simply doesn’t ID, Madison Students have access to ZYN and a desire, a very strong desire, to use it.
