MAGA’s latest ‘health obsession’? Nicotine patches promoted by ‘Zynfluencers’—including some in the Trump administration 

Nicotine pouches have become a phenomenon in the past several years, gaining popularity among social-media influencers (aka, self-styled “Zynfluencers”), gamers and middle-aged men especially. Pouches went from 4% of the oral tobacco and nicotine market in 2019 to 44% five years later, according to a 2025 study published in JAMA Network Open. …

The pouches, which don’t contain tobacco, offer discrete access to the alertness and calm of nicotine without the known cancer risk of cigarettes, fans say—and without the need for smoke breaks. Public-health experts warn that while pouches are safer than cigarettes and vapes, they still have some cardiovascular effects, can lead to withdrawal symptoms and may be harmful to teen brain development. 

Among administration officials and other Trump supporters, some make a joke playing off the motto of a leading coffee chain: Just as “America Runs on Dunkin’,” as the corporate slogan goes, the MAGA movement runs on Zyn. …

…

[T]he FDA released a new policy that would allow more vaping and pouch products onto retail shelves, even if they haven’t been fully authorized by the agency’s scientists.

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