Sniffy: the government wants to ban white powder as quickly as possible

For a few days now, some tobacconists have been marketing a new product, sold in grams in the form of a small white powder with “energizing” properties, to be consumed nasally using a small straw. Composed in particular of caffeine and taurine, “Sniffy” is a direct nod to cocaine consumption. Faced with this situation, the Minister of Health has announced that he wishes to ban this product as soon as possible.

Marketed in the form of a white powder and essentially composed of products with “energizing” properties, Sniffy is sold in one-gram capsules, starting at 10 euros.

Marketing aimed at young people and adolescents

Although Sniffy is prohibited for sale to minors, the manufacturer's website seems to primarily target adolescents, according to a marketing discourse very similar to that developed by manufacturers of disposable electronic cigarettes (puffs). First, no rigorous age verification is carried out by the platform, since the Internet user is simply asked to provide their date of birth to access the site. As with puffs, the diversity of sweet and fruity aromas is one of the main marketing arguments used by the manufacturer, declining its product in several flavors: mint, lime, passion fruit and candy strawberry.

The world of parties and nighttime is also very present in the brand's discourse, which even goes so far as to formulate the following slogan: “No Sniffy, no party” (“No sniffy, no party”). Finally, while the product is officially prohibited for minors, the site offers a delivery service for its products, promising “fast and discreet shipping”, which could call into question the manufacturer’s desire to reserve its product for adults.

The world of sport and work also targeted by Sniffy

However, young people are not the only target of this white powder, since the manufacturer is developing a sales pitch relating to sport and the world of work. On its home page, the site emphasizes that the consumption of this product is advantageous in many respects: for concentration, energy, boost, endurance and sport. The manufacturer also details all the beneficial effects associated with each of the ingredients in its product. Thus, beta alanine is presented as an ingredient associated with the increase in strength and muscle mass, favorable to an increase in endurance, while L-citrulline is presented as promoting the elimination of toxins and reducing the acidity of the muscles during exercise.

The government announces that it wants to ban the product as soon as possible

Following the publication of several articles and reports on the marketing of the product, Sniffy quickly aroused the indignation of the political class. In particular, Catherine Vautrin, Minister of Labor, Health and Solidarity, reacted on BFMTV, recalling the “dangerous” nature of such a product, the appeal of the latter among young people, and evoking the possibility of a future ban by the public authorities. For his part, Frédéric Valletoux, Minister Delegate in charge of Health and Prevention, has undertaken to study the file to allow the banning of the product, described as “junk”, as quickly as possible. The person concerned also castigated the behavior of the economic actors involved in the marketing of Sniffy as “infuriating”, while deploring the permanent race between the regulatory apparatus and the creativity of the “sellers of death”.

The possibility of an upcoming ban on Sniffy also refers to the question of nicotine sachets, the commercial development of which has been rapid, and of which several organizations are calling for a ban.

A product on sale in the tobacconist network

The president of the Confederation of tobacconists, Philippe Coy, for his part considered that it was “unthinkable” for this product to be marketed by the network, recalling the “responsible” character of tobacconists. However, the manufacturer of Sniffy communicates on the accessibility of its product, “available on our website and at your tobacconist”. The responsibility of tobacconists in the marketing of this powder is also quickly put into perspective by Philippe Coy, who affirms that “most of the sales are on social networks”. However, there is no data to corroborate such a statement.

The concern of the network of tobacconists for public health finally surprised the journalist, considering that it could appear contradictory on the part of sellers of tobacco products. Here again, the president of Philip Coy put the health danger posed by tobacco products into perspective: “I'm sorry, we sell cars, that creates road accidents”. For comparison, 3,170 people died in France from a car accident in 2023, or 23 times less than the average annual death toll from smoking in the country.

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FT

National Committee Against Smoking |