The tobacco industry is up to their old tricks once again by doing anything they can to attract kids to their products. Fruit and candy-flavored e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and other products, just like menthol cigarettes, help kids initiate use by masking the harshness of tobacco products.

For decades, the tobacco industry has targeted communities of color with menthol cigarettes, which make it easier for young people to start smoking and are more addictive and harder to quit. The industry is now trying to hook a new generation of kids with candy and fruit-flavored e-cigarette products.

And they’ve been hard at work creating their next addictive product to ensure they don’t lose profits: nicotine pouches like Zyn. These new products are poised to be the next youth craze, and they come in many youth-enticing flavors just like e-cigarettes.

Use of Zyn and Flavored Nicotine Pouches Among Young People is Rising

National data shows that 480,000 middle and high school students reported using nicotine pouches in the past 30 days, more than double the number from 2021 (2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, NYTS). Zyn and nicotine pouches are trendy on social media, particularly TikTok, where “Zynfluencers” – social media influencers who promote Zyn – post about the products as a fun and easy way to get buzzed.

Zyn and other flavored nicotine pouches are very attractive to children. According to the 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, nearly 86% of youth pouch users use flavored products. They’re much easier to conceal from parents or teachers compared to vapes or cigarettes.

Zyn and Flavored Nicotine Pouches Do Not Help People Quit Smoking

There is no evidence demonstrating that recreational nicotine pouches are a safe or effective way to quit smoking. No flavored nicotine pouches have been approved by the FDA for smoking cessation, and no data show that flavoring can help someone quit smoking. Research indicates that most users of flavored nicotine pouches consume them in addition to other forms of nicotine like smoking and vaping, meaning they are just sustaining nicotine addiction.

We Can Stop This Pending Public Health Crisis Now

Oregon legislators have the opportunity and power to protect our kids and communities right now. Contact your legislators urging them to vote yes on Senate Bill 702 to end the sale of all flavored tobacco products in Oregon.