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Tag: Nicotine Pouches

  • Consumer Group’s Pouch Tour Hits Belgium

    Last week, the international consumer group Considerate Pouchers brought its Protect Pouches campaign to Brussels, calling for an end to Belgium’s ban on nicotine pouches. Volunteers engaged citizens and policymakers, distributed fresh Jet Pack coffee, and collected postcards urging Members of the European Parliament to lift restrictions.

    The campaign said that Belgium, with one of Western Europe’s highest smoking rates, denies smokers access to safer alternatives shown to be more than 95% less harmful than cigarettes. Global spokesperson Juan Rafael Taborcía emphasized that over-taxation and bans drive consumers back to cigarettes, and that Brussels should lead Europe in harm reduction.

    The Brussels action is part of a broader European tour.

  • Study Finds Nicotine Pouches May Aid Smokers in Quitting

    Study Finds Nicotine Pouches May Aid Smokers in Quitting

    Nicotine pouches may be helping some smokers and vapers quit more harmful tobacco products, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. An article today (September 15) in U.S. News & World Report cited the study of 110,000 Americans that found people who had recently quit smoking were nearly four times more likely to use nicotine pouches daily than current smokers. Use was virtually nonexistent among people who had never used tobacco.

    According to the article, the findings suggest that pouches are being used as harm-reduction tools, even though they are not officially authorized as smoking cessation aids. Smokeless tobacco users were more than 10 times as likely to use the pouches, while occasional smokers and vapers were also significantly more likely to adopt them, the study said.

    The article acknowledged that while nicotine is addictive and carries cardiovascular risks, switching from combustible tobacco to pouches could represent a net public health benefit.

  • FDA Urges Child-Resistant Packaging on Nicotine Pouches

    FDA Urges Child-Resistant Packaging on Nicotine Pouches

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is calling on nicotine pouch manufacturers to use child-resistant packaging to prevent accidental exposure among young children, though the agency acknowledges that all 20 FDA-authorized nicotine pouch products currently feature child-resistant packaging, so the news release appears to be aimed at pending or future applications.
     

    “ZYN is the only nicotine pouch authorized by the FDA as appropriate to protect public health,” officials from Philip Morris International said in a response to the FDA announcement. “In making that conclusion, the agency noted that ZYN’s packaging is designed to be child-resistant—and has been since its launch 11 years ago.”


    The concentrated nicotine in pouches can be harmful to children even in small amounts. From April 2022 to March 2025, about 72% of reported nicotine pouch exposure cases involved children under age five.
     
    “The fruity flavors and bright, colorful designs of nicotine pouch products could resemble candy and seem attractive to children,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary. “Manufacturers should consider what steps they can take to prevent accidental exposures and ingestion.”
     
    The news release was paired with consumer information that advises parents to store all nicotine products securely and to contact Poison Control if ingestion occurs.

  • Nicotine Pouch Use Surges as Cannabis, Vaping Hit Record Highs in U.S.

    Nicotine Pouch Use Surges as Cannabis, Vaping Hit Record Highs in U.S.

    Use of nicotine pouches among U.S. adults has doubled in the past year, while cannabis consumption, vaping, and psychedelic drug use remain at or near record highs, according to the University of Michigan’s latest Monitoring the Future Panel survey.

    The 2024 survey, based on data from over 20,000 adults, found 9.5% of 19–30-year-olds used nicotine pouches in the past year, up sharply since the measure was first tracked in 2023. Cannabis use and daily vaping of both cannabis and nicotine reached historic highs across all adult age groups, with midlife users (35–50) reporting the steepest growth over the past decade.

    Researchers warned that the findings reflect shifting substance-use patterns and urged continued monitoring to inform public health priorities.

  • UAE Approves Tobacco-Free Nicotine Pouches

    UAE Approves Tobacco-Free Nicotine Pouches

    Starting July 29, tobacco-free nicotine pouches will be legally available in the UAE under a new Cabinet resolution aimed at supporting smoking cessation.

    Dr. Sanam Mallick of Burjeel Hospital Abu Dhabi said nicotine pouches may offer similar benefits to traditional nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) like patches and gum, which can potentially boost quit rates by 50–70%, but that more studies are needed to confirm their effectiveness.

  • Study: Nicotine Pouches “Game-Changer” for Women Quitting Smoking

    Study: Nicotine Pouches “Game-Changer” for Women Quitting Smoking

    New research from Smoke Free Sweden reveals oral nicotine pouches are a game-changer in Sweden’s path to becoming the world’s first smoke-free nation – and are driving unprecedented success among women. The report, Power in a Pouch, launched today (June 17) in Strasbourg, shows since their introduction in 2016, tobacco-free pouches have helped to accelerate the decline in smoking for both genders, with a nearly 200% rise in quit rates among women. Sweden’s smoking rate is now 5.3%, just above the 5% smoke-free benchmark. Male lung cancer deaths are 61% below the EU average; total cancer deaths, 34% lower.

    “The evidence is crystal clear: nicotine pouches are the most effective way to help smokers – especially women – quit,” said report co-author Dr. Marewa Glover, a behavioral scientist from New Zealand. “Health data and women’s testimonials show pouches are safe, socially acceptable, and fit modern lifestyles. They’re pragmatic, effective, and our best hope for a smoke-free future.”

  • KT&G Rumored to be Entering Nicotine Pouch Market

    KT&G Rumored to be Entering Nicotine Pouch Market

    KT&G Corp. is in talks to acquire a leading nicotine pouch company in Northern Europe for $200 million, according to The Korea Economic Daily. The belief is that South Korea’s dominant tobacco and ginseng producer is exploring new growth drivers amid tightening regulations and a shrinking traditional cigarette market, investment banking sources said this week.

    If completed, the deal would mark KT&G’s first overseas M&A since it acquired a 60% stake in Indonesian tobacco maker Trisakti Purwosari Makmur in 2011 for about $90 million, the newspaper said.
    According to reports, Flashlight Capital Partners, KT&G’s activist investor, urged the company to emulate global peers such as Philip Morris and accelerate its entry into new segments. PMI got into the nicotine pouch market in 2022 when it purchased Swedish Match, the maker of Zyn, for $16 billion. KT&G declined to comment on the acquisition talks, saying no decision has been finalized.

  • Researchers Find Pouches Shifting Nicotine Delivery Trend with Youth

    Researchers Find Pouches Shifting Nicotine Delivery Trend with Youth

    Researchers at USC’s Keck School of Medicine offered a press release titled “Use of nicotine pouches increases significantly among U.S. teens.” It begins by saying, “The use of nicotine pouches nearly doubled among U.S. high school students between 2023 and 2024,” with Dae-Hee Han, first author of the study, saying, “This growing public health issue needs more attention. Like flavored e-cigarettes when they first emerged, use of this new oral nicotine product is becoming more widespread, particularly among adolescents.”

    Randomly selected responses from one-third of the 10,000 high school students surveyed found that between 2023 and 2024, nicotine pouch use increased from 3.0% to 5.4% all-time, and from 1.3% to 2.6% in the last 30 days. Dual use of nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes also increased, going from 2.7% to 4.7% lifetime and 1.1% to 1.7% in the last 30 days.

    On the other hand, exclusive e-cigarette use declined from 25.7% to 22.0% lifetime, and from 12.3% to 10.1% in the last 30 days. And the use of non-tobacco nicotine products declined from 28.8% to 27.4% lifetime, and from 13.6% to 12.7% in the last 30 days.

    Researchers said the trends reflect a shift in nicotine delivery products rather than a change in the overall prevalence of non-tobacco nicotine use among the students.

  • Leaked EU Document Calls for “Substantial” Taxes on Nicotine Pouches

    Leaked EU Document Calls for “Substantial” Taxes on Nicotine Pouches

    According to The Vaping Post, a confidential European Commission (EC) document, leaked by Snusjournalen, has revealed a contentious plan to impose a substantial EU-wide tax increase on nicotine pouches (NPs). Spearheaded by the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD), the proposed measure could trigger widespread economic, political, and criminal repercussions across the Union.

    Europe already finds itself in a tenuous economic situation, dealing with economic instability that includes inflation and escalating trade tensions with the United States. Worse on the nicotine front, a recent Europol report shared by Euroreporter, “The Changing DNA of Serious and Organised Crime,” highlights the direct link between excessive taxation and the rise of black markets—specifically citing tobacco and nicotine products. The report warns that strict tax policies create opportunities for criminal networks to expand operations, smuggle products across borders, and launder illicit funds. Experts fear that a steep price increase on NPs could drive a surge in illicit sales, with products being illegally imported from non-EU nations like China.

    Although the European Commission has yet to confirm the directive publicly, the leak has already sparked significant concerns among key stakeholders, including law enforcement, investors, and consumer advocacy groups. Given Europol’s warnings on illicit trade and the broader political and economic climate, this proposed tax increase is shaping up to be one of the most contentious regulatory battles in the coming months.

    “In light of these developments, the proposed tax hike on NPs adds yet another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile regulatory and economic landscape,” wrote The Vaping Post. “More importantly, with the vaping industry currently facing such a critical juncture, which could result in less availability of vaping products to smokers using them to quit, a harsh tax set on snus would be currently all the more detrimental to public health.”

  • Zyn Sued for Overcharging

    Zyn Sued for Overcharging

    TR Archive Photo

    Swedish Match North America is being sued for allegedly overcharging U.S. customers for its popular tobacco-free Zyn nicotine pouches.

    The class action lawsuit, filed on Monday in federal court in Richmond, Virginia, alleges that the Philip Morris International subsidiary is violating federal and state antitrust laws concerning the market for modern oral nicotine pouches.

    The plaintiff, a resident of Florida, claimed that Swedish Match illegally gained monopoly power through various business practices aimed at eliminating rival Dryft from the market, Reuters reports.

    Swedish Match now has an estimated 80 percent of the market for nicotine pouches, which the company sells in different flavors and strengths for about $6 a tin, according to the lawsuit.

    In a statement, Philip Morris, which was not named as a defendant, said, “We believe the plaintiff’s claims are without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend against them.

    Marlboro maker Philip Morris, in 2022, acquired the Swedish tobacco and nicotine products company for $16 billion. Philip Morris has stated an ambition to move away from health-harming cigarettes.

    The consumer lawsuit seeks class action status for Zyn consumers and damages of more than $5 million.