100 health organizations call for end to nicotine pouch advertising on social media

In a letter to the executives of Facebook/Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter on October 26, 2021, more than a hundred health organizations are calling on them to take measures similar to those adopted for cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and heated/grilled tobacco.

Nicotine pouches are among the new smokeless products actively promoted by the tobacco industry, in a context where smoking cigarettes is decreasing. A tobacco-free version of the snus principle, these pouches to be slipped between the lips and gums contain a powder based on synthetic nicotine or "purified" tobacco nicotine. Taking advantage of the legal uncertainty that still surrounds smokeless nicotine products in many countries, manufacturers are using social networks to broadcast advertisements and recruit influencers who encourage the consumption of these products.[1].

Marketing aimed at young people

To address this situation, around a hundred health organizations from 53 countries have just sent a letter to the leaders of Facebook/Instagram, TikTok and Twitter to ask them not to promote these products on their platforms by banning them from any form of promotion. These organizations point out that all nicotine products are highly addictive and that they have negative consequences on the formation of the brain in adolescence. They point out that the marketing of nicotine pouches is particularly aimed at young people, using attractive imagery, flavors and packaging, as the tobacco industry strives to renew its customer base. However, under-24s make up 40% of the audience of influencers promoting nicotine pouches, which covers a total of 537 million people[2]. Citing an internal study by British American Tobacco (BAT), the authors of the letter point out that half of first-time users of oral nicotine products are non-smokers, which contradicts the argument that these products are primarily intended for smokers wishing to quit smoking.

Already in May 2019, 125 health organizations had called on the same social networks to ban advertising for cigarettes, e-cigarettes and heated/grilled tobacco. Social networks have since taken this alert into account and have excluded these products from their commercial policy. To date, only Snapchat has opted for a complete ban on advertising for all nicotine products.

BAT at the forefront of the nicotine pouch market

While Altria, Imperial Brands and Japan Tobacco International produce nicotine pouches themselves, BAT is the manufacturer that communicates the most on this market segment, mainly on social networks, and has become the leader. BAT confirms on its website that the public in low- and middle-income countries makes up its core target for this market, among other things because their use does not require electricity, as is the case for electronic devices.[3]Renamed Velo after being launched under the name Lift, its nicotine pouches are also selling very well in the United States where they are heavily consumed by young people and adolescents, to the point of worrying health professionals.[4].

Several countries have already taken various measures against nicotine pouches. Their sale and import are banned in Germany, Russia, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and Singapore. They are classified as poisonous substances in Australia, Hong Kong and Malaysia. They are classified as tobacco products in South Korea and Uzbekistan. Finally, they are only available on prescription in Canada, Finland, Japan, Chile, Malaysia, South Africa and Taiwan. So many regulations that suggest that these nicotine products are far from being harmless to health.

Keywords: pouches, social networks, nicotine pouch, Velo, Lift, BAT.©Tobacco Free Generation

M.F.

---

 [1] Nicotine pouch marketing examples, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, published October 26, 2021, accessed October 27, 2021.[2] Over 100 Organizations Call on Social Media Companies to End Nicotine Pouch Advertising, Including by Paid Influencers, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, published October 26, 2021, accessed October 27, 2021.[3] Modern and traditional oral products, British American Tobacco, accessed October 27, 2021.[4] United States: Concern over consumption of nicotine pouches, Generation Without Tobacco, published on February 12, 2021, consulted on October 27, 2021.National Committee Against Smoking |