Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is telling Americans to put down the cigarettes and consider smoke-free nicotine pouch products like Zyn as a safer way to consume nicotine.
Kennedy Jr., who is arguably the best fit official in the Trump administration, shared his thoughts on the alternative during a July 30 interview posted on YouTube.
"I think the nicotine pouches are probably the safest way to consume nicotine," Kennedy said. “Vapes are second. But the thing we really want to get away from are cigarettes.” “And nicotine itself does not cause cancer,” Mr. Kennedy added. “There’s no evidence that it’s carcinogenic.”
He added that Chinese vapes were a particular concern, which are largely marketed toward children and young adults. Florida lawmakers have also shown concern over illegal Chinese vapes flooding into the American market.
Florida Congressman Byron Donalds, in particular, has urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve safe, American-made vapes for the market. Rep. Donalds also shared his concerns during an April House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on illegal vapes and the FDA.
“To be clear, I’m not against Americans who want to use vaping products or tobacco products," Donalds said. "I think it is important for the American people to understand that the previous administration did not do the job of making sure that there were products on the shelf where they could clearly understand what they were consuming or ingesting."
Adding to the point, Kennedy Jr. said pouches could save Americans roughly $640 billion a year in health costs associated with cigarette smoke.
Kennedy Jr. also indicated that cigarette smoking was down among young people as a result of vaping, which, while not ideal, is pushing kids away from smoking.
A spokesperson for Philip Morris International, which manufactures and sells Zyn products, echoed Kennedy Jr.'s in an email to The Washington Times. Adam Hoffer, policy expert at the Tax Foundation, also noted to the Times that pouches would provide a safer alternative for smokers and overall public health.
“We’re glad to hear a member of the President’s cabinet speak out for science over stigma when it comes to nicotine products,” the spokesperson said. “Educating adults who smoke about their options when it comes to better alternatives to cigarettes is critical to advancing public health.
