Smokers Using Nicotine Pouches to Quit Smoking - So Now Illinois Is Taxing them
By Ward Clark
There's a standard rule of economics that states, "What you tax, you get less of. What you subsidize, you get more of." That statement is usually applied to matters of enterprise, welfare and so on. But it also applies to products.
Case in point: There's a tobacco-based product that has been helping a lot of people quit smoking. It's called a tobacco pouch, and it's great for people transitioning from smoker to non-smoker.
I think I'd argue that even using the pouches to get that little nicotine buzz without all of the tars and other crud that come with typically low-grade tobaccos used in cigarettes is still a step in the right direction. The FDA agrees:
So this may be a valuable tool for people who are trying to quit smoking, and it may serve as a less-harmful alternative to smoking at the very least. Which may be why Illinois just decided to tax tobacco pouches.
There is essentially no logic in this. None. But then, there's no logic in sin taxes in general, be they for tobacco, alcohol, or anything else. These are legal products; it is not the role of the government to protect people from the consequences of their bad decisions, nor is it the role of the government to prevent people from having those choices.
And, of course, every such product on which any level of government levies such a tax invites a black market. You would think that if any state would understand this lesson of Prohibition, it would be Illinois, but that evidently isn't the case.
https://redstate.com/wardclark/2025/09/23/smokers-using-nicotine-pouches-to-quit-smoking-so-now-illinois-is-taxing-them-n2194270