France: Government wants to ban nicotine pouches

In an interview given to Le Parisien[1] On October 29, Health Minister Geneviève Darrieussecq announced the upcoming ban on nicotine pouches, which are very popular among young people. Similar products such as nicotine pearls will also be affected by the ban. The minister stated that these are dangerous and toxic products because they contain high doses of nicotine.

These permeable fabric pouches do not contain tobacco but polymer fibers impregnated with nicotine and flavors. They are to be slipped between the lip and the gum to diffuse the substance through the oral-gingival mucosa. These pouches deliver a very high dose of nicotine: up to 50 mg according to certain brands. The minister specified that a ban text will be published in the coming weeks.

Dangerous products marketed to young people

The minister justified the upcoming ban with a view to protecting young people. These products, which contain very high levels of nicotine, are aimed directly at young people through targeted marketing. She said: concerned because poison control centers are receiving more and more calls from adolescents for acute nicotine syndromes, sometimes severe, linked to the consumption of pouches. They result in vomiting, convulsions, hypotension and even impaired consciousness"

In November 2023, ANSES issued an alert on reported poisonings due to nicotine pouches. The agency called for better regulation of these products and reiterated that they are not subject to any specific regulations within the countries of the European Union.

THE observatories conducted by the National Committee against Smoking (CNCT) at points of sale and online had shown massive advertising for these products since their arrival on the French market in 2022. In 2023, out of 360 visits carried out by the association in 185 different points of sale: 60% of the establishments sold these products and 55% advertised them. On social networks: 239 advertisements for nicotine pouches were noted on the Instagram network alone. The main selling points are the possibility of consuming these products where smoking/vaping is prohibited and the availability of flavors. The CNCT had also pointed out that no rigorous age verification was carried out on the websites selling nicotine pouches.

Products illegally on sale

Since the arrival of nicotine pouches in France in 2022, the CNCT has repeatedly alerted the public authorities and reminded them of the illicit nature of these products by requesting that they be banned from sale. The association points out that these products are classified in the category of poisons, poisonous and toxic substances. They do not belong to the category of exceptions concerning nicotine products authorized for the treatment of smokers' smoking cessation and do not have a marketing authorization. Last May, the CNCT had also filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor for trafficking in poisonous substances classified in list I in response to the illegal sale of these pouches.[2].

British American Tobacco (BAT) is the main manufacturer selling these products (branded VELO) in France but dozens of other brands manufactured abroad are available online.

France would be the third EU country to ban the marketing of the sachets after Belgium and the Netherlands.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Veronique Hunsinger, "It is our duty to ban them": the pouches, these nicotine sachets that worry the minister, Le Parisien, published October 29, 2024, consulted October 30, 2024

[2] Press release, CNCT calls for ban on nicotine pouches sold illegally in France and files complaint, published on May 29, 2024, consulted on October 30, 2024