Republican senators slammed Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) call to crack down on the Zyn nicotine pouch, saying the possible health concerns dwarf the hazards of fentanyl trafficking at the southern border.
Schumer urged the Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration over the weekend to investigate the health effects and marketing of the product, which he referred to as a “pouch packed with problems.”
“Today, I’m delivering a warning to parents,” Schumer said on Sunday. “Because these nicotine pouches seem to lock their sights on young kids, teenagers and even lower, and then use the social media to hook ’em.”
Schumer sparked widespread backlash for his proposal from both members of Congress and commenters online, who began making memes and coining the term “Zynsurrection” to make fun of the move.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) questioned Schumer’s motives, telling the Washington Examiner that Zyn pouches actually help people quit using more harmful nicotine products such as cigarettes and that he is personal proof that it works.
“These products have been proven to get people off of more deadly forms, including spitless loose tobacco — these are actually used to get them off of that,” he said, adding, “Actually, it’s what got me off spitless tobacco. I am a living example of somebody who not only got off of it but got dozens of other people off of it. Taking that off the table just seems silly.”
“If [Schumer] wants to increase penalties for sales to minors, those sorts of things, that’s great. But identifying this product, it makes no sense,” he continued. “I don’t hear, incidentally, outlawing all vape products that have nicotine in them, and vape is clearly more dangerous, unregulated than what you would find in one of these pouches. It’s just ridiculous.”
Republicans have also used the controversy to highlight the crisis at the southern border, where immigrants but also drugs are smuggled into the country.
Mike Berg, communications director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, said in a statement that “Democrats’ open border policies have allowed deadly fentanyl to flood every community in America, so they look pretty ridiculous when they focus their efforts on banning menthol cigarettes and Zyn.”
Reached by the Washington Examiner for comment on the matter, a Schumer spokesman noted the Senate majority leader never called for an outright ban but that part of the motivation for the inquiry is online trends on platforms such as TikTok, where young people partake in Zyn challenges.
The spokesman also shared a link to a TikTok video in which an influencer purposely puts six of the pouches in his mouth before going for a workout. The man proceeded to lift weights and talk to a girl at the gym, saying he felt “like a superhero.”
The product is popular among many college students and young professionals, including staffers in the Senate.
Asked if Schumer’s plan could galvanize younger people to vote in November, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) told the Washington Examiner, “I imagine it might piss off some college students, which would be good for us.”
Vance added that the endeavor would be a waste of effort by the federal government, saying, “It seems very far afield from anything that we should be worried about.”
But the overwhelming message from Senate Republicans was on the border.
“The federal government’s focus should be on securing the border and combating the fentanyl crisis, which is devastating families and communities in every corner of America,” Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) said at a meeting he convened on Wednesday with parents from across the country, “We can’t do anything on the floor when it comes to immigration or doing anything to try to help our kids and people in this country. But in the next couple of weeks, we will vote on banning menthol cigarettes and Zyn when our kids are dying of fentanyl.”
“It makes no sense, no sense whatsoever,” he added.
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Zyn owner Philip Morris International also waded into the controversy, defending itself from claims that it is targeting teenagers.
The White House has refused to take sides on the issue, with the administration instead focused on regulating other smokeless nicotine products like e-cigarettes and vapes, which it believes are marketed toward children because of the wide variety of flavors.
