The US Food and Drug Administration has authorised Zyn nicotine pouches to be marketed with a "lower risk" claim, allowing the manufacturer to tell smokers that switching to the product reduces their risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema and chronic bronchitis compared with cigarettes. The decision has reignited debate over harm-reduction messaging in tobacco control, with some public health experts backing the move as a pragmatic way to help adult smokers quit, while others warn it risks downplaying nicotine's dangers and drawing in young, non-smoking users.

Zyn pouches are small, fibre-filled sachets placed between the lip and gum, sold in flavours such as Cool Mint, Smooth and Chill, with nicotine doses ranging from 3mg to 11mg. Supporters, including former FDA official Mitch Zeller and a Philip Morris International representative who credited the product with helping him quit smoking, argue pouches spare users the thousands of chemicals found in cigarette smoke. Critics, including researchers at Stanford, point to marketing that frames pouches as lifestyle products akin to coffee or alcohol, and cite figures showing youth use has risen from 6.8% to 10.0% among 12th-graders between 2024 and 2025, fuelling concern about addiction and a potential gateway to smoking.