Nicotine usage among Americans has taken a new form as traditional tobacco usage has reached record lows.
Nicotine pouches, an alternative to traditional chewing tobacco, have seen explosive growth. A study by Monitoring Tobacco Product Use showed that U.S. monthly dollar sales of pouches surged 250.8% from January 2023 ($145.5 million) to August 2025 ($510.5 million).
Investors are paying attention, and some top celebrities are getting in on the action. Fox News Digital spoke with music artist and renowned DJ “Diplo” about his stake in the nicotine pouch company Sesh.
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“[Nicotine pouches were] very helpful and controlling my ADHD, so, I try to do it, not in the evening, but in the morning when I’m starting to work. And it was pretty effective,” he said.
Diplo, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz Jr., is not the only top name invested in Sesh. Nick and Joe of the Jonas Brothers, Post Malone, The Chainsmokers, and billionaire Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale’s venture capital firm, 8VC.
The CDC Foundation reported that teen usage of nicotine pouches nearly quadrupled from 2022 to 2025, and flavored products have played a role in young Americans using nicotine.
While vaping and e-cigarette devices face stricter regulatory scrutiny when it comes to flavors, as some states have outright banned flavored products, nicotine pouches have more leeway.
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“There’s no smoke, nicotine isn’t tobacco,” Diplo said. “I’ve never been into tobacco, I’ve never been into smoking.”
Access to nicotine products is becoming increasingly easy. Delivery services like GoPuff and others allow for products like Sesh to be ordered straight to the home. Nicotine and vape shops have popped up on streets in big cities and across the U.S. as demand rises.
The Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump pressured former FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary to speed the authorization of flavored vapes, a shortfall that became a factor in Makary resigning from the job in May.
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Although the FDA has authorized nicotine pouch products for sale in the U.S., health experts warn against the effects they can have, particularly on younger people.
While these products are designed to be discreet, odorless and convenient, Maggie Britton, the clinical director of health initiatives at National Jewish Health, warned that it is particularly dangerous for developing brains, as nicotine can alter the brain circuits involved in attention, learning, memory, mood regulation and impulse control.
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Long-term health effects remain in question, including its impact on oral health, cardiovascular function and cancer risk, she told Fox News Digital.
“Caution should guide both public health decisions and individual choices,” she said. “When we don’t yet fully understand the long-term health effects of a product, the responsible approach is to limit use rather than expand it.”
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