Bipartisan backlash as top Democrat targets Zyn, popular smoke-free nicotine pouches

WASHINGTON (TND) — There is bipartisan backlash towards a top Democrat's effort to crack down on smoke-free, tobacco-free, nicotine pouches growing in popularity among teenagers.

“Zyn” is a brand of nicotine product sold in pouches that are designed to be placed between the gum and upper lip. The product does not contain tobacco and ranges in concentration and flavors similar to chewing gum.

It’s a pouch packed with problems," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said earlier this week. "I’m delivering a warning to parents because these nicotine pouches seem to lock their eyes on young kids, teenagers and even lower, and they use the social media to hook them.

Schumer called on the federal government to investigate Zyn, a move his Democratic colleague, Sen. John Fetterman disagreed with.

"I’m going to air on the side of more freedom and personal choices," Fetterman explained. "I think there’s bigger issues to address than that product."

Conservatives are using Schumer's crusade as a rallying cry for what Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene calls a "Zynsurrection!"

This calls for a Zynsurrection!The same Democrats that want to legalize all drugs and have ripped open our border flooding our country with fentanyl, a real weapon of mass destruction killing 300 Americans/day, wants to ban Zyn.Democrats are idiots.

The company behind Zyn, Philip Morris International, is also firing back. They said their product is only marketed to smokers and nicotine users 21 and older.

"These products are really highly regulated. The product has been on the market for more than ten years," explained Moira Gilchrist, Global Chief Communications Officer at Philip Morris International.

The company reiterated that products like these can help smokers using cigarettes and vape pens, which both have serious health risks, kick that bad habit.

A political concern for Democrats is that Schumer seems to be trying to take down Zyn, a product loved by many Gen Zers, a key Democratic voting bloc.

I feel like there are more important things for this man to worry about than our nicotine usage, like what?" TikToker Tammy Luu said of Schumer's efforts.

Most concerning for Democrats is that polls show younger voters are growing discontent with President Joe Biden and lagging enthusiasm for his reelection bid. This is a problem for Democrats who benefitted from a record turnout of younger voters in 2020.

The White House is staying quiet on the Zyn controversy.

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