France bans nicotine pouches

New Delhi ( The Indian View team) : The French government has introduced one of Europe’s toughest restrictions on oral nicotine products, outlawing not only their sale and import but also their possession and use.

The measures, which took effect recently target products such as Zyn and similar tobacco-free nicotine sachets that have rapidly gained popularity among younger consumers in Europe and the United States.

The decision has opened divisions within the European Union, with Sweden and several other countries questioning whether France’s rules violate the bloc’s single-market principles.

At the same time, French health authorities insist the ban is necessary to counter rising nicotine dependency, increasing poison-control incidents and the aggressive digital marketing of nicotine products to teenagers.

What are nicotine pouches? :

Nicotine pouches are small oral sachets that deliver nicotine without involving smoke, vapour or tobacco leaf.Users place the pouch between the upper lip and gum, allowing nicotine to pass through the oral lining directly into the bloodstream. A single pouch session can typically last from 20 minutes to an hour.

The products are often mistaken for Scandinavian snus, but there is a significant difference between the two. Traditional snus contains moist, pasteurised tobacco, whereas nicotine pouches contain no tobacco leaf at all.