No, not smoking or even tobacco—that’s still a no-no. We’re talking pure nicotine, ideally packaged in a pouch shoved under your upper lip. As all pop culture things these days, this too has sparked a war between left and right.
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Wait, what’s up with nicotine?
Before we get into why nicotine is cool again, let’s introduce you to nootropics. For the past five years, biohacking your body has turned into a full-blown cultural obsession—especially among the bros on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley. Part of this is taking “cognition-enhancing drugs” known as nootropics.
Say hello to nootropics: The word "nootropic" was coined in 1972 by a Romanian scientist, Corneliu Giurgea—who combined the Greek words for "mind" and "bending." These drugs claim to improve memory, attention, creativity and motivation—all the stuff that makes for a super-successful startup founder. A nootropic can be everyday substances like caffeine or nicotine, standard prescription drugs such as Ritalin or newer formulations like aniracetam, phenylpiracetam and oxiracetam.
Point to note: Nootropics can be taken as a supplement, intravenously or as a shot. Since they are categorised as nutritional supplements and natural products, they are not closely regulated unlike standard drugs.
Enter, nicotine: Nicotine didn’t become trendy as a nootropic until 2023—when it suddenly bounced back in fashion. “Cigfluencers” were everywhere—flaunting trendy new cigarette brands like Hestia. Some ‘it girls’ declared: “Smoking cigarettes is extremely important and cool”—unlike vaping which became a lame-ass no-no.
But the coolest way to get your nicotine today is a nicotine pouch—which works like this:
Nicotine pouches are small, porous, teabag-like products that users place in the mouth, between the upper lips and gums. They contain nicotine, flavourings and other fillers, but they don’t contain tobacco. The nicotine is absorbed through the gums and saliva.
They vary in strength—much as a nicotine patch—and users generally keep one in their mouth for up to an hour. Yes, there are all sorts of flavours too—coffee, citrus, cinnamon, various kinds of mint, and more. The most popular brand: ZYN—which has become synonymous with pouches—kinda like Kleenex with tissues.
Point to note: This is not the same as chewing tobacco—as pouches are “spit free”—which presumably makes them less icky. Also: pouches do not contain tobacco but nicotine derived from tobacco leaves.
Nicotine, it’s good for you! ZYNs are having a moment because nicotine is highly prized as a “performance enhancing drug”—especially in the world of technology and finance where employees work long hours:
Professionals in the corporate work environments in particular are turning to Zyn for its ability to enhance alertness, concentration, and cognitive function. The nicotine within Zyn acts on the brain similarly to caffeine, another widely used psychoactive substance. However, nicotine's effects are often perceived to be more direct and potent, providing a quick boost in focus and mood that many find invaluable during long hours of work.
It has been endorsed by the likes of billionaire investor Peter Thiel who says nicotine is a “really good nootropic drug that raises your IQ 10 points.” Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson describes the pouches as being like “the hand of God reaching down and massaging your central nervous system.”
An amaZyn phenomenon: The pouches have become so popular that they’ve spawned their own subculture—with Zynfluencers and shrines called Zynagogues. Of course, the ultimate proof of cultural clout: ZYN-themed tees—including this “Osama Zyn Laden” version:
Okay so do these ZYNs make you smarter?
Well, there’s plenty of proof that nicotine does sharpen the brain—at least in short spurts:
In 1992, one study in a neuro-psychopharmacology journal said that “nicotine improves attention in a wide variety of tasks” and “improves immediate and longer-term memory” in healthy volunteers. Another 2020 study found that healthy non-smokers who took small doses of nicotine performed better in an assessment, versus groups that took larger doses, and groups of heavy smokers, leading the authors to write that “small doses of nicotine can have an activating function that leads to improved cognition.”
In fact there is plenty of medical literature that shows nicotine offers some protection from Parkinson’s—while smaller studies show it improves cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients.
But, but, but: Nicotine is highly addictive—which is one reason why nicotine-based smoking cessation programs (chewing gum, vapes etc) don’t work:
As a research report by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Nida) explains, nicotine is addictive; like other “drugs of abuse”, it increases levels of dopamine in the brain’s reward circuits, which motivates users to keep taking it. Repeated exposure to these drugs of abuse, like nicotine, can alter the brain’s sensitivity to dopamine, which means one needs to consume more of the substance to feel the same effects.
That said, ZYNs deliver far less nicotine than cigarettes—containing between 1 and 12 milligrams of nicotine per pouch. In comparison, a single cigarette typically contains anywhere from 12 to 15 milligrams. And it’s absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream with a pouch—even compared to vapes.
A big mystery: Scientists have mostly studied the effects of tobacco—which is most certainly toxic. Nicotine remains a mystery. No one really knows the effects of long-term use:
“There’s no hard evidence to point to exactly what the level of risk of these products are relative to cigarettes,” says Dr Benjamin Chaffee, professor at the University of California, San Francisco… He adds that since, unlike cigarettes, the pouches don’t involve any combustion and inhaling of smoke, “it’s reasonable to expect that these products would be less dangerous than smoking cigarettes.”
The main takeaway: Pouches are definitely a less lethal way to manage nicotine addiction. It is how Sweden has almost weaned itself entirely off cigarettes:
They just switched to consuming it in ways that are far safer than lighting tobacco leaves on fire and deeply inhaling the smoke into their lungs. By eliminating combustion and minimising levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines, Swedish snus vastly reduces the harms associated with cigarettes and more rustic forms of oral tobacco.
But some would argue any kind of addiction is a bad thing.
And why is this a right/left thing?
Because that’s the nature of culture wars these days. ZYNs have been embraced in certain circles associated with the right. Think fratty podcasts, conservative pundits, Republican staffers on Capitol Hill—and of course, finance/tech bros. But it didn’t get overtly political until Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer called for a federal crackdown—calling ZYN “a pouch packed with problems” that is targeted at children.
That’s when all hell broke loose. Republican members of Congress tweeted “This calls for a Zynsurrection!” Another said “The nanny state is alive and well with today’s Democrat Party.” And conservatives posted gladiator-themed memes declaring war on anyone coming for their ZYNs:
More importantly: The battle over ZYNs also shows how easily any person, animal, thing can become a lightning rod for culture wars. There are bizarre conspiracy theories as to why liberals support the use of pot—but oppose tobacco:
"They hate nicotine. They love THC," Carlson said in a now-infamous monologue on his Fox News show last year, referring to the main psychoactive component in marijuana. "They are promoting weed to your children but they're not letting you use tobacco or even non-tobacco nicotine delivery devices which don't cause cancer. Why do they hate nicotine? Because nicotine frees your mind, and THC makes you compliant and passive. That's why."
OTOH, liberals instantaneously go into a moral panic over anything related to nicotine—despite the lack of any evidence of harm. They are far too eager to police adults in the name of protecting the young.
The bottomline: Quite frankly, the thought of shoving a wad of nicotine in our mouth sounds a bit gross. But each to their own. What we really need to improve is our cognitive skills.
Reading list
The Guardian looks at the rise of Zynfluencers—while New York Times has more on cigfluencing. Bloomberg News reports on the popularity of ZYNs in corporate culture. Scientific American (login) makes a medical case for nicotine as a therapeutic drug—at least for some conditions. CBS News looks at why people are worried about ZYNs—while The Guardian has a fairly balanced piece on whether those fears are justified. Slate takes liberals to task for being on the wrong side of the Zyn panic. Business Insider and Vox look at their popularity in certain rightwing subcultures.
