Nicotine's comeback is the latest wellness scam

Nicotine’s comeback is the latest wellness scam
Tucker Carlson and influencers peddle wild nicotine claims, from curing rabies to purging nanotech

By Russell Payne
Staff Reporter
Published January 9, 2026 6:30AM (EST)


(Salon) Nicotine, the addictive drug present in tobacco, is having a moment — and not just as the pleasurable buzz most people seek but as the latest wellness craze. Especially in a certain corner of the podcast world, everyone from self-styled doctors to pundits are pushing nicotine, claiming that it’s an overlooked cure-all with shocking health benefits, delving into the murky and increasingly political question of what constitutes medical misinformation. Some claim that a nicotine foot soak can cure atrial fibrillation, others say that the drug can be a treatment for erectile dysfunction, and some have even taken the next step, selling tobacco products of their own.

When former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson appeared on a recent episode of Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend,” the conversation quickly turned to Carlson’s brand of nicotine pouches, ALP.

ALP, a relatively new player on the nicotine product scene, is a collaboration between Carlson and Turning Point Brands, the tobacco giant that offers products from Zig Zag rolling papers to Stoker’s snuff. (It has no relation to the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA.) In the interview, Carlson explains that he decided to jump into the tobacco business after receiving a letter from Phillip Morris International, one of the world’s largest tobacco companies, for a comment he’d made in 2024.

He claimed that Zyn, one of their smokeless pouch products, could be used as an erectile dysfunction remedy. According to Carlson, the company asked him not to make any claims about the alleged medical benefits of Zyns, whether or not those comments are a joke. At the time, Phillip Morris said that it does not partner with any influencers to promote its products. .........................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2026/01/09/nicotines-comeback-is-the-latest-wellness-scam/