By Cassaundra Howell
Tobacco control in New York is a public health success story. Through public education campaigns, higher taxes on cigarettes, advertising restrictions, and strong protections against secondhand smoke, our state has saved countless lives and become a national leader in curbing tobacco use. New York has a 75 percent wholesale tax on tobacco products, yet they remain a persistent threat. As fast as one door closes, the tobacco industry unveils a new product designed to target the youngest and most vulnerable consumers among us and keep communities hooked.
Nicotine pouches, including products like ZYN, are the latest example. Owned by Phillip Morris International, ZYN is a small tobacco-free pouch that sits between the gum and lip and delivers nicotine discreetly, without smoke or vapor. These products are marketed as a quit aid for adult smokers. But make no mistake: nicotine is a highly addictive and dangerous drug, even in small doses. It raises heart rate and blood pressure, and interferes with brain development, especially in youth, and can impact one’s mood and attention span.
Of particular concern is that products presented as quit aids are overwhelmingly used by people who never smoked in the first place, especially young people. According to the CDC’s 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey, nicotine pouches are now the second-most-used product among middle and high school students after e-cigarettes. Even as overall youth tobacco use in New York is declining, the use of nicotine pouches is climbing. Sweet flavors like mint, fruit, and candy make the product easier to start and harder to put down. And we learned from the youth vaping epidemic that curiosity and peer pressure are significant drivers of nicotine consumption, compounding the industry’s glossy marketing with social dynamics that take on a life of their own, at worrying speed.
The economics exacerbate the issue. Lower price points, in communities with fewer resources and quitting support, are a familiar tobacco industry strategy. The average cost of a can of ZYN nicotine pouches, containing about 15 pouches, is $4-$5. That’s an average of 30 cents per pouch. With a vastly lower price point than cigarettes in New York, no after-smell, longer absorption time, and higher amount of nicotine consumption, new products like ZYN make it easier to lure consumers to purchase them, and to keep buying.
That is why New York’s decision this year matters. Nicotine patches are now subject to the 75 percent wholesale tax, treating products like ZYN the same as the cigarettes they were designed to skirt. Taxation is one of the most effective tools we have to deter youth nicotine and tobacco consumption. The World Health Organization estimates that increasing tobacco prices by 10 percent decreases consumption by 4 percent. By closing the loophole that let nicotine-only products evade the taxes that have driven smoking down for decades, New York protected the progress it has spent a generation building.
But a tax on its own does not finish the job. Education and policy advocacy must continue. At Public Health Solutions, through our program NYC Smoke-Free, we work with community members, legislators, and health advocates to support healthier, tobacco-free communities across New York City through tobacco-control policy, advocacy and education.
We have a responsibility to keep our communities informed and protected from the harms of the tobacco industry, even as these threats present in different guises. We must ensure that strong measures are in place to prevent addiction, and to support smokers in quitting tobacco altogether — not simply shifting from one addictive product to another – setting them up for healthier lives.
As the industry continues to introduce new products and marketing strategies, public health leaders must continue to respond with the same urgency, clarity, and commitment that helped reduce tobacco use in the first place.
Cassaundra Howell is President and CEO of Public Health Solutions.
