By Ray Cardello for February 2, 2024, Season 24 / Post 30

Chuck Schumer has found his latest cause to give the American people the impression that he is looking out for their safety. Schumer has gone on the record, with the required number of Democrat nodding heads surrounding him, that he is declaring war on nicotine pouches. The Senate Majority Leader singled out ZYN pouches, but he included all brands of the pouches in his sortie. Schumer showed by his action and comments that he is poorly prepared to talk about this nicotine product that is regulated for adult use. With the resources available for members of Congress, you would think nobody should ever embarrass themselves with unfounded comments or crusades, especially the Senate Leader, but you would be wrong.

Before I get into Chuck’s misinformation, can we look at the other issues facing Americans that were pushed aside so Schumer could focus on nicotine pouches and addictions? How about the Border crisis? Schumer has been sitting on HR2, which is a border and immigration bill passed by the House in 2023. Chuck will not bring the bill to the floor for debate. But the Democrats, including the compulsive liar Karine Jeanne-Pierre, continue to say the Republicans have no solution for the border crisis. How about the Fentanyl crisis? We are still losing 100,000 prime-age Americans annually, but all the Dems are doing is asking China to scale back on production. How about sealing the Border so we stop the flow of illegal Fentanyl from Mexico? These issues must be too difficult for the feeble Senator from New York. So, he will put his energy into nicotine pouches and restrict the freedoms of adults who use and enjoy this product. This control of our lives is what Democrats crave. They do not preserve our freedoms and liberties but rather find ways to restrict or regulate them.

What are nicotine pouches? They are not a tobacco product and are not a carcinogen. These pouches are predominantly a mixture of salt and a dose of nicotine. The pouches are usually available in either 4 or 8mg concentrations of nicotine and are available in various flavors. Most states use age restrictions for tobacco as a guideline for nicotine sales, making the nicotine pouches unavailable to minors. That is not enough for Schumer, who wants the sale of nicotine pouches prohibited for everyone, period. He has unleashed a battle from the millions of users who are of age and enjoy this product.

Nicotine is one of the most addictive drugs known. Just ask anyone who has tried to quit smoking. Nicotine is the ingredient that makes cigarettes so addictive to smokers. There are no tobacco ingredients in Nicotine pouches. Nicotine pouches can raise heart rates and cause a rise in blood pressure, but they also can cause an increase in attention span and mental acuity. Adult users are aware of the issues and, as adults, want to decide whether to use or not. They do not want the government, and certainly not Chuck Schumer, making that decision for them.