Is nicotine back?

Smoking is all over pop culture nowadays. Smoky scenes are popping up in movies and hit TV shows like “The Bear” and “Euphoria.” And on social media, superstars like Beyonce, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter are all accessorizing with cigarettes.

Meanwhile, another part of the culture is going all in on nicotine pouches that dissolve in your mouth. Influencers like Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson are raving about them, tech companies are stocking them in office vending machines. Buoyed by tobacco industry marketing, smokeless products are entering the mainstream.

This comes as the Food and Drug Administration just reversed a ban on flavored vape products and greenlit certain Zyn pouches to advertise products as safer than cigarettes.

So, what should we read into these trends? Are young people really smoking more or do they just like the idea of it? Are popular smokeless products really healthier? Today, a look at the evolving public perceptions of nicotine and the health implications of our changing product landscape.

Guests:

• Sarah Todd, STAT reporter covering how industries like food and tobacco affect Americans’ bodies and minds.

• Stefanie Gratale, assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health and core faculty at the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies.