Democrats Want to Take Down Zyn But Legalize Weed

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has identified a new nefarious corporate enemy: the flavored nicotine pouches known as Zyn.

According to CBS, Schumer called on the FDA and the FTC to investigate the company over the health effects of its products, which are typically used as an alternative to cigarettes and vapes.

“Pouch packed with problems, high levels of nicotine,” Schumer said. “So today I’m delivering a warning to parents, because these nicotine pouches seem to lock their sights on young kids, teenagers and even lower and then use the social media to hook them.”

Of course, Schumer is making this up. By law, Zyn pouches are only available to consumers who are at least 21 years of age. And the rise of Zynfluencer social media has nothing to do with the company marketing toward teenagers, but rather everything to do with an organic cultural fad that has arisen online, mostly among men, and which notably includes Tucker Carlson.

It’s a sad state of affairs when, despite the myriad of problems facing the nation, the majority leader of the United States Senate decides to be a busybody and target a company selling a product that helps people quit cigarettes because a segment of social media that happens to lean conservative likes to make memes about them.

And true to form, Reps. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) and Mike Collins (R-GA), as well as a number of conservative influencers on X, began to make memes daring Schumer and his ilk to deprive us of mint-flavored nicotine hits.

But as fun as it is to tie the Gadsden flag to Zyn, it’s worth noting that Democrats like Schumer have spent much of the last few years advocating expanded regulation on nicotine products while pushing for the legalization and commercialization of the marijuana industry. He even co-sponsored the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act.

Schumer, in his anti-Zyn crusade, has no sense of irony. Marijuana has a proven track record of individual and societal harms, while Zyn has done little besides help people quit cigarettes through a mint-flavored nicotine pouch that isn’t even swallowed.

The New York senator is not interested in the well-being of young people. If he was, he wouldn’t be pushing for the expansion of the cannabis industry. By targeting Zyn, Schumer is simply proving himself to be a busybody who is overly concerned with the daily habits of everyday people. If he’s not careful, he might bring about a Zynsurrection.