Nicotine is experiencing a resurgence in wellness circles as internet personalities and influencers promote the addictive drug as a cure-all, prompting scrutiny from medical experts and regulatory officials. The phenomenon involves questionable medical claims that outpace scientific evidence and raise questions about oversight of medical misinformation.
Outlandish Claims and Product Promotion
Tucker Carlson, former Fox News personality, partnered with tobacco giant Turning Point Brands to launch ALP, a nicotine pouch brand. He has publicly praised nicotine, calling it a “life-enhancing God-given chemical” and claiming it will make people “feel better than you’ve ever felt.” During an appearance on “This Past Weekend,” Carlson explained he decided to enter the tobacco business after a letter from Philip Morris International asking him not to make medical claims about Zyn nicotine pouches.
Medical misinformation influencer Bryan Ardis, a chiropractor without a medical degree, advocates nicotine as treatment for atrial fibrillation, whooping cough, and even HIV and rabies. He claims nicotine can dissolve microchips he alleges are in COVID vaccines, and that people can soak their feet in tobacco leaf tea to cure heart conditions “forever.” Others push nicotine for cognitive benefits, with licensed physician Gabrielle Lyon and podcast host Urban Kieran promoting unsubstantiated wellness claims.
Medical Expert Consensus
Paul Newhouse, director of the Center for Cognitive Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and a leading nicotine researcher, stated: “We cannot realistically make any positive health claims for nicotine other than stopping smoking.”
Newhouse explained that while nicotine activates specific brain receptors producing cognitive and behavioral effects, these don’t translate into therapeutic benefit in most cases. For people with normal cognitive function, nicotine use “will actually likely make it worse.” He concluded there is “little to no evidence that nicotine can improve normal cognitive or emotional function” for individuals whose brains function normally.
Regulatory Issues
Daniel Aaron, former assistant chief counsel at the FDA, noted that Carlson’s public praise for nicotine could expose him and his company to legal risk. ALP has not received FDA authorization, unlike 13 authorized nicotine pouch products from two companies. Only authorized products can be legally marketed, though this authorization does not indicate safety, merely that manufacturers have complied with requirements to bring products to market. Unauthorized products are subject to FDA enforcement action.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.salon.com/2026/01/09/nicotines-comeback-is-the-latest-wellness-scam/