Zynsurrection? Walz Zyn tax in Minnesota becomes meme-worthy campaign issue

Many controversies have befallen both vice presidential candidates this election cycle, but one meme-worthy criticism of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) may threaten his popularity with a key voting demographic.

Republicans are pointing to a bill Walz signed this spring that implements a 95% tax on Zyn nicotine pouches as evidence he should not be elected.

"Kamala's VP Wannabe Tim Walz Levied WHOPPING 95% Tax on Zyn," Donald Trump Jr. posted on X.

Other conservative-aligned accounts followed suit, including RNC Research , and Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Mike Collins (R-GA), who quipped, "Time to riot (again) in Minneapolis."

But jokes aside, tobacco-free nicotine pouches including Zyn and a few competitors have exploded in popularity in recent years, attracting a devoted following of mostly young men. Right-leaning influencers are among Zyn's biggest fans.

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson may be the most well-known "Zynfluencer," speaking often of his love for the pouches, claiming to keep one in his lip almost any time he's awake, and even receiving a gigantic replica tin via helicopter late last year.

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The state-level bill Walz signed went into effect July 1 and looped Zyn into existing tobacco taxes by changing the definition of "moist snuff" to include tobacco-free products containing nicotine. The tax is 95% of the wholesale sales price or $3.04, whichever is more, and effectively doubles the price of Zyn and related products in Minnesota from $5 to $10.

If men who love Zyn balk at the idea Walz might support a similar federal tax or see it as an example "nanny state" interference, it could hurt him with the very demographics he was supposed to appeal to when selected as running mate by Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Walz controversy is not the first left-right political spat over Zyn. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called Zyn a "pouch packed with problems" in January and called for the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration to investigate its marketing and health effects.

Conservatives were incensed, with Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) challenging Schumer to "come and take it" and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene calling for a " Zynsurrection ."

Zyn enjoys a small but growing influence as an alternative to smoking. Its parent company, Philip Morris International, expects to ship at least 560 million tins of the pouches this year, up 50% from 2023 levels and up more than 600% from 2019.

While a 2023 study found Zyn doesn't contain the cancer-causing chemicals present in tobacco, health experts caution there could still be ill health effects and worry that the products are marketed to teenagers.

“This is an attraction to youngsters so they can start as a gateway of using oral to e-cigarette to smoking,” University of Rochester Medical Center professor Irfan Rahman told North Carolina Health News.

The political controversy over Zyn echoes the Biden-Harris administration's call to ban menthol cigarettes two years ago. The FDA proposed banning menthols and flavored cigars in April 2022 but announced it had delayed the ban beyond the election amid reports of backlash from the black community.

As both Trump and Harris promise to eliminate taxes on tipped wages, Walz's Zyn tax could also fold into criticisms that the Democratic ticket wants to raise taxes on working- and middle-class voters.

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As Minnesota governor, Walz slashed some tax deductions, created a surtax on capital gains, implemented a sales tax on cannabis, and created a payroll tax to fund the state's paid family and medical leave program.

A few Democrats, most notably Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) oppose cracking down on Zyn, with Fetterman saying , "I'm going to err on the side of more freedom and personal choices. ... I made that same argument when I wanted to legalize marijuana."