NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nicotine pouch use has skyrocketed in recent years. The CDC reports sales for pouches jumped by about 500% from 2019 to 2022.

While the product can be a better option for smokers, the pouch can pose a serious concern — especially as it gets into the hands of teens and children.

"I worry about people who, again, otherwise wouldn't use tobacco products," said Clayton Korson, an addiction medicine specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Korson said more and more young people, without an addiction, are picking up the bad habit. A team at the Keck School of Medicine of USC reported that teens' usage of the pouches doubled from 2023 to 2024.

"We don't really know how this is going to impact brain health, heart health. You know it is a chemical substa

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