Traders on Kalshi and Polymarket probably didn’t have “nicotine” listed on their mention markets for the Department of War (DoW) briefing last Wednesday by Pete Hegseth and General “Raizin” Caine. While speaking to the press about the two-week ceasefire in Iran, Caine quipped that U.S. forces enacting Operation Epic Fury had consumed over six million meals, 950,000 gallons of coffee, two million energy drinks and “a lot of nicotine.”
It was a funny and revealing moment for the well-respected Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to share offhand that American troops and the high command are guzzling a consumer product that still incenses certain regulators and prohibitionist politicians. France now threatens jail time for nicotine pouch use, as well as Costa Rica—both countries are treating nicotine as dangerous, begging the question of how Tucker Carlson is alive when he professes to routinely taking nicotine. (RELATED: Tucker Carlson’s ALP Starts National Manhunt After Grand Theft Of Millions Of Dollars Of Nicotine Pouches)
Healthmaxxers like Joe Rogan, well known for chastising his guests on-air for not staying on top of their personal fitness, told comedian Theo Von in an episode last week that pouches, while addictive, are far less so than vapes.
Nicotine is a fine example of a cultural issue with public health implications that has gotten caught up in tribal politics. Democratic New York Sen. Chuck Schumer fueled the fire back in 2024 when he called for a federal crackdown on Zyn pouches, leading then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to call for a “Zynsurrection.” Since that time, politicos have taken notice of Trump administration officials such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. popping nicotine pouches during hearings and press conferences.
High-performing, ambitious and relatively functional adults are weaving nicotine into their daily lives, and General Caine’s admission cuts against a decade of “tobacco-free” directives within the military — knowing full well that up to 37.8 percent of American military servicemembers use tobacco or nicotine products, a 2024 comparison found, with up to 18.4 percent of those being cigarette smokers. These are significantly higher rates than the civilian population, and anyone with even minor proximity to military culture knows there is “policy” around tobacco, and there is reality on the ground.
The U.S. Army Command Europe implored servicemembers to not smoke and buried at the end of a blog, to “find safe substitutes for cigarettes.” There is no doubt that combustible cigarette use makes for a less healthy and less effective military, but Hegseth and Caine just hinted that the Department of War sees the productivity and attentiveness gains as worthwhile within the military.
Nicotine pouch products were on an FDA “fast-track” for approvals as part of a harm reduction push aimed at providing alternatives to adult smokers, but it’s slowed down recently over the same old concerns about unlawful use by minors.
Will we ever pull out of this self-destructive pattern when it comes to helping adults quit smoking cigarettes? The anti-smoking lobby has pulled out all the stops in lumping smokeless nicotine products into their smoke-free generation campaigns across the U.S. and in Europe, all while taking zero accountability for the ancillary effects of limited access to pouches. Washington state just enacted a 95 percent excise tax on pouches, pushing consumers to buy in Idaho or just return to ol’ reliable—cigarettes.
No, we don’t want kids popping nicotine pouches. Yes, it’s good to set up barriers between teens and nicotine products and enforce laws already on the books prohibiting underage sales. But we don’t restrict adult access to every product that is not good for children—we penalize adults who actively facilitate youth smoking, drinking, vaping or any manner of age-gated activities—and it works.
Originally published here
