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Ask students about nicotine, and you’ll quickly notice trends have shifted based on which products they mention. Cigarettes and vapes remain, but more students are turning to nicotine pouches—tiny packets sold in round plastic containers under names like Zyn or Velo. Marketed as “tobacco-free”, “smokeless,” and even eco-friendly, pouches are framed as cleaner less risky alternatives. But are they really harmless? And how do they fit—or clash—with campus sustainability goals? 

Why Students Use Them 

Nicotine pouches are popular for three main reasons: 

• Discreet: No smoke, smell, or vapor clouds.
• Perceived safety: Promoted as less harmful than cigarettes or vapes.
• Lifestyle branding: Sleek design and social media tie them to youth culture, belonging and productivity. 

The top nicotine pouch brands  between 2019 and 2021, highlighting that  while promoting a wide range of youth-appealing flavors available. However, behind the marketing, the aim is familiar: hook young people on nicotine. 

The Sustainability Conflict 

Most people think sustainability is about recycling or renewable energy, but campuses define it more broadly—as building a healthy, thriving community. Nicotine pouches undermine that vision: 

• Health: They deliver addictive nicotine, which harms brain development, concentration, sleep, and mental health.
• Community: Addiction creates inequities and long-term health and economic costs.
• Environment: Packaged in single-use plastic, pouches add to waste streams. Pouches are not biodegradable and are toxic to wildlife. 

Are They Really Safer? 

Compared with cigarettes and vapes, pouches eliminate smoke, tar, and secondhand exposure. However, many brands of oral pouches contain nicotine doses higher than those products, quickening the pace of nicotine addiction. Research on oral nicotine is still developing and the risk of dependence remains high. Environmentally, they reduce litter from cigarette butts but still generate plastic waste—making “sustainable” marketing misleading. 

UNH’s Tobacco, Smoke & Nicotine-Free Policy 

Recognizing these risks, UNH has adopted a Tobacco, Smoke and Nicotine -Free (TSN-Free) campus policy. Creating an environment free from nicotine use: 

• Reduces student exposure to targeted advertising that normalizes nicotine use as harmless among youth and young adults;
• Supports students in making choices that align with long-term health and academic success.
• Upholds sustainability commitments by cutting down on waste streams linked to nicotine packaging and related litter. 

Such policies are a direct response to industry strategies that position new products as modern, safe, and even eco-friendly.  

Accountability Matters 

While nicotine pouches can be used without detection, undetectable doesn’t mean harmless. Students have a responsibility to hold themselves and each other accountable to the policy, not only out of respect for the rules, but also to protect the well-being of our community, and to contribute to a campus culture that prioritizes health and sustainability. 

What Students Can Do 

Creating a culture of care doesn’t mean policing—it means: 

• Sharing accurate information about risks of nicotine use and oral pouches.
• Modeling nicotine-free social spaces.
• Encouraging peers to seek quitting resources.
• Getting involved in policy advocacy and peer education.
• Applying for an ANOD student internship at Health & Wellness. Learn more here or talk to your Sustainability Institute Advisor. 

UNH Campus Resources  

If you or a friend are interested in quitting nicotine, support is available right here on campus: 

• Health & Wellness – Confidential counseling, information and resources. Visit /health/nicotine.
• Psychological & Counseling Services (PACS) – Mental health services. (603) 862-2090
• TSN-Free Policy Info: unh.edu/tobacco-smoke-nicotine-free
• Nancy Bushinsky, MSW, LICSW is the Alcohol, Nicotine and Other Drug (ANOD) Educator/Counselor at UNH Health & Wellness.
• NH Quitline – Free 24/7 support at 1-800-QUIT-NOW