During his Senate confirmation hearing in January 2025, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. slipped what seemed to be a nicotine pouch into his mouth, replacing a spent one that had been lodged between his lower lip and gums. Nicole Saphier, the radiologist and Fox News contributor whose nomination as surgeon general President Donald Trump announced last Thursday, was appalled. Her reaction, which she expressed in a New York Post op-ed piece published after Kennedy's hearing, does not bode well for her attitude toward tobacco harm reduction or her ability to accurately discuss health topics as surgeon general.
"After decades of relentless public health campaigns and advocacy against cigarette smoking, we are witnessing the tangible benefits, with [declines in] smoking rates and the illnesses associated with [smoking]," Saphier wrote. "But as we relish this good news, the rise of nicotine pouches could upend this great advancement in public health."
