DR. WALLACE: A friend of mine at high school has turned me on to Zyn. It's a cool way to get some nicotine into my system since my parents got me to stop vaping almost a year ago. I just put a pouch between my cheek and gums and let it sit there and it gives me a nice, clean nicotine rush.

I understand that Zyn pouches contain no tobacco at all, so I don't feel like I'm betraying my parents' trust if I don't mention to them that I'm using this product. Do you think I can ethically use Zyn quietly without saying anything? After all, I'm only forbidden from vaping and all tobacco products, not Zyn. — I Like Zyn Already, via email

I LIKE ZYN ALREADY: If you wish to clear up any potential ethical problems, why not just explain exactly what the Zyn product is to your parents and get their approval? My guess is that you wish to hopefully garner my approval since you likely know your parents would not approve of this product if they were aware of it.

Zyn is made in Sweden, and the pouches you mentioned are sold in round cans containing 15 to 20 nicotine pouches, in various levels of nicotine strengths. The nicotine, of course, is extracted from tobacco leaves, so this product is indeed a tobacco derivative. And much like vaping products, some Zyn products are flavored, such as peppermint, cinnamon, citrus and coffee, among others. Why do you think this is? The recommended method of delivery of the nicotine is to place a pouch between the cheek and gum, which allows the nicotine to diffuse out of the pouch once exposed to the moisture inside a human mouth.

All of this reminds me of smokeless tobacco, or "chew," as it is known commonly in the United States. A pinch of "chew" is placed between the cheek and gum to similarly create a nicotine rush for the user.

This type of smokeless tobacco can cause oral cancer, and it's quite possible the prolonged usage and exposure to Zyn may present similar risks. Baseball legend and Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn of the San Diego Padres passed away due to complications from oral cancer after years of smokeless tobacco use, therefore it's known that "chew" or "snuff" can cause mouth and/or throat cancer. Various athletes have developed mouth cancer after multiple years of using "spit" tobacco, which of course has nicotine as its featured deliverable. This type of oral cancer is quite hard to cure as it can spread very quickly, and if not noticed early on, major surgery to take out parts of the mouth, jaw and even tongue is frequently required to stem the advance of cancer.

I see the Zyn product as potentially very dangerous in this vein. Not enough tests have been run on it, and the websites that currently sell these products all have age disclaimers on their home pages.

Taking all this information into consideration, I feel there is about a 0% chance that your parents would bless your usage of this product. To take it behind their backs not only breaks their trust and rules but may well expose your body to great physical harm.

Today is Groundhog Day; don't put your head in the sand — or underground — on this issue. Taking care of your heath and being ethical with your parents should be your dual priorities here.

SHE SPOUTS OFF ON EVERY TOPIC

DR. WALLACE: I have a friend at my high school who constantly warns me to be careful who I date since she states that "the teenage birth rates are soaring over the last decade and especially since COVID-19."

First of all, I'm not planning to become physically active these days no matter who I date, and second, I thought that I've heard recently that teenage pregnancies and birth have been declining for years. Is my friend just blowing a lot of her typical hot air on this topic, or does she actually have a point on this one? She's the type of girl who's a great friend but who often spouts off on each and every topic as if she's some sort of expert on every issue. — My Eyes Rolled at This One, via email

MY EYES ROLLED AT THIS ONE: Your eyes were correct on this particular topic. Teenage pregnancies and births have been declining for several years now, and the trend remains in place presently.

According to our government's office of population affairs, the teenage birth rate peaked in 1991, and it has experienced a whopping 75% drop since then, according to the most recent statistics. This is likely due to increased awareness on this topic as well as an increase in both abstinence and the use of birth control methods.

You are wise to take personal responsibility for your own body and actions as they relate to this topic.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Daniele Levis Pelusi at Unsplash