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Fetterman rebuffs Schumer’s latest freedom-restricting effort as ‘the red-pilling’ continues

January 26, 2024 | | Print Article

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman continued to raise eyebrows as he once again came out in opposition to a leader in his own party.

The Pennsylvania Democrat came out on the side of “more freedom” as he spoke with reporters about Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s efforts to ban Zyn, a tobacco-less nicotine pouch.

Calling the product a “pouch packed with problems” in comments this week,  Schumer urged the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration to take action.

“So, today, I’m delivering a warning to parents because these nicotine pouches seem to lock their sites on young kids, teenagers and even lower. And then use the social media to hook them,” the New York Democrat said at a press conference.

“The nanny state is alive and well with today’s Democrat Party,” the campaign arm of Senate Republicans posted on X after Schumer’s remarks.

And Fetterman appeared to agree that there are “bigger issues” for lawmakers to deal with.

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“When I am going to have a decision, I’m going to err on the side of more freedom and personal choices of those kinds of things,” he told reporters Thursday. “And I made that same argument when I wanted to legalize marijuana.”

“More than half a million Americans die every year from smoking and tobacco, or tens of tens of thousands die of alcohol,” the senator continued.

“I think there’s bigger issues to address than that product,” he added.

“I don’t support it—and I would never support snuff or chewing tobacco, but it’s available,” he said. “We all have these kinds of things and we should have adults having the choices to make these things available.”

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Schumer’s claims were met with a statement from Phillip Morris International.

“Philip Morris International and its affiliates — including Swedish Match, the manufacturer of ZYN — fully meet and exceed the regulations governing the industry,” the company stated.

“Our marketing practices — which prohibit the use of social media influencers — are focused on preventing underage access and set the benchmark for the industry. Real-world evidence shows this approach is working. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA show oral nicotine pouch use by those under the legal age remains exceptionally low,” it added.

Meanwhile, with Fetterman once again going against the narrative of his fellow Democrats, many on social media were excited to see the lawmaker speaking “common sense.”

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Frieda Powers
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