Warning against New Nicotine Product Infiltrating Schools in New Zealand

According to a report from The New Zealand Herald on April 17th, health professionals in New Zealand are issuing warnings about a new type of nicotine product that is infiltrating schools in New Zealand. ZYN is a brand of smokeless nicotine pouches that is gradually becoming mainstream through social media influencers on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.

This product, based in Sweden, aims to be a replacement for smoking or e-cigarettes to help users quit nicotine.

Richard Edwards, professor at the University of Otago and co-director of Aspire2025, expressed concern to the Pioneer Press about the widespread acceptance of these products among young people.

While these products may not be as harmful as smoking, they may still be just as addictive, leading to widespread use among young people and creating a widespread dependency on nicotine.

Edwards warned that unlike other nicotine pouch brands such as Snus, ZYN brand does not contain tobacco. These nicotine pouches resemble small tea bags and are placed between the lip and gum. They are typically sold in brightly colored cans of 15 to 20, and come in various flavors including berry, coffee, and citrus.

New Zealand banned the sale of nicotine pouches in 2020, but importing them from overseas remains legal as long as they are not sold within the country. Despite the ban, The Pioneer newspaper has learned that these products are now making their way into schools nationwide, with reports of students selling them to their peers.

However, Sean Teddy, the head of operations and integration at the Ministry of Education, stated that the schools have not raised any concerns about this issue with the department.

He emphasized,

According to the revised Smoke-free Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act 2020, smoking or using e-cigarettes on school grounds, kura kaupapa (Māori language schools), early childhood education centers, and kōhanga reo (Māori language immersion preschools) is illegal.

In an earlier statement, Deputy Health Minister Casey Costello hinted that she hopes to introduce oral nicotine products, including snus and chewing tobacco, to provide smokers with more and safer alternative smoking options.

However, Edwards believes that the introduction of oral nicotine products may not work as expected. Edwards is concerned that these oral nicotine products may not target the intended demographic. He said, "The biggest users of e-cigarettes are young people...we want 50-year-old smokers." He expressed that allowing these products to enter the market without restrictions could lead to more young people becoming dependent on nicotine.

Edwards believes that these products should not be introduced unless there are very strong reasons to do so. He suggests that a distribution model similar to that of pharmacies selling only prescription drugs could be implemented, thereby more strictly regulating distribution. However, if these products are widely available in locations such as convenience stores and gas stations, we may see another product being widely used among young people.