Robert F Kennedy Jr appeared to take a dose of internet-obsessed Zyn at his Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday.
RFK Jr has been grilled on the Senate floor for the past two days over a hearing to confirm him as President Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services secretary.
On the first day of questioning, eagle-eyed social media users spotted the 71-year-old slip something into his mouth.
Users suspected it could be Gen Z’s go-to smoking alternative Zyn, a pouch that releases nicotine into the bloodstream, giving users a mild high.
RFK Jr was spotted in October holding a container of Zyn in Los Angeles. Other notable MAGA figures like Tucker Carlson are also users.
Whiskey Riff, a country music brand, posted on X: ‘RFK Jr slips in a Zyn in the middle of his Senate confirmation hearing…give him the job.’
The FDA approved the product earlier this month as a safer alternative to cigarettes, stating it could help wean smokers off traditional tobacco products.
But young people have been hooked on Zyns for years, claiming they have a myriad of benefits, including boosting their workouts, keeping them awake and even improving their sexual performance.
Robert F Kennedy Jr, pictured here, is in the midst of Senate confirmation hearings for his nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services
A video on X showed RFK Jr slipping something into his mouth and chewing. Social media users suspected it was Zyn
The pouches contain crystalized nicotine powder, which gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream though gum tissue.
In 2023, alone, Zyn sold 385million cans worldwide, a 62 percent increase from 2022.
Sales have also tripled since Zyn was first introduced in 2016.
Zyn is sold at gas stations, convenience stores and smoke shops around the country – in most places one could find tobacco products.
A pack of 15 pouches sells for around $5, though the price varies based on location and vendor.
In addition to getting a high from the nicotine, many Gen Z users have picked up Zyn as an unexpected weight loss hack, as it suppresses appetite.
One Instagram user who runs a popular golf page said in a video that has so far attracted 4million views: ‘The other thing that they don’t tell you is you’ll lose so much weight just replacing Zyn with any hunger.
‘Your boy’s down like 30 pounds in a month. O-Zyn-pic. It works.’
Another TikToker said in a clip viewed 80,000 times: ‘You end up losing 30 to 50 pounds within three months’ in a video captioned ‘How I went from 190 lbs to 140 lbs in less than a year.’
Zyns contain a crystallized nicotine powder, which when placed in the mouth, gets absorbed into the bloodstream
However, health experts have warned it could lead to nicotine addiction.
Dr Sylvie Stacy, an internist and Medical Officer at Rehab.com based in Alabama, previously told DailyMail.com: ‘Zyn, in particular, delivers higher concentrations of nicotine compared to most other nicotine products.
‘This amplifies the risk of physical and mental dependence.’
Additionally, one 2022 study found nearly 60 percent of nicotine pouch products contained cancer causing chemicals like nitrosamines.
Experts have noted shorter term harms include problems with oral health, like mouth sores, gum irritation, inflammation, and reduced saliva – which can lead to tooth decay.
Other users on X speculated RFK Jr may have popped an Alp pouch, a Zyn competitor partly owned by Tucker Carlson.
Younger social media users praised RFK Jr for potentially using Zyn.
One wrote: ‘Good lord this is awesome.’
Another said: ‘This has bipartizyn support.’
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
