As lawmakers and public health experts debate the safety of nicotine pouches, researchers from Rutgers Health found that for now, most adults that use these products also have a history of tobacco use and may be choosing these products as a possible step toward reducing or quitting more dangerous forms of nicotine delivery. The findings – believed to be the first national estimates of daily nicotine pouch use in the U.S. – were published in JAMA Network Open.
Pouches are small, powder-filled microfiber rectangles that users typically place between the lip and gums, where nicotine is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. Faced with declining cigarette sales, tobacco manufacturers in the U.S. are turning to tobacco-free nicotine pouches, such as Velo and Zyn, which are among the few segments of the industry that’s growing.
In January 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the marketing of ZYN, the first nicotine pouch to receive such authorization. Importantly, pouches cannot be marketed as smoking cessation aids – such as patches, gums and lozenges approved for therapeutic use – even if some people appear to be turning to them for that reason. Against this backdrop, Cristine D. Delnevo, director of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies, set out to assess how widely nicotine pouches are being used among U.S. adults, and to establish a baseline for monitoring future changes in user habits. To read the full story.