The federal government is “deeply concerned” about nicotine pouches being advertised and supplied in Australia, and has condemned social media marketing aimed at young people.
Nicotine pouches resemble snus, a smokeless oral tobacco product popular in Scandinavia, which is inserted between lips and gums. Oral tobacco has been banned in Australia since 1991 but nicotine pouches are promoted as tobacco free, containing nicotine extracted from tobacco or synthetic nicotine. Nicotine pouches have surged in popularity around the world, particularly among young people in the US, in part due to athletes and social media influencers using the products.
Guardian Australia on Wednesday revealed Australian social media influencers are promoting likely harmful flavoured nicotine pouches in viral videos, with some claiming they are a tool to quit vaping.
The health minister, Mark Butler, has led a major government crackdown on illegal vapes, but a sudden influx of ads for nicotine pouches on Instagram and Facebook suggests resellers are stepping up efforts for the novel nicotine product in Australia.
“The Albanese government is deeply concerned about the rising profile of nicotine pouches being advertised and supplied in Australia,” Butler told Guardian Australia.
“We condemn the widespread marketing and use of nicotine, especially marketing targeted at our children.”
Australian influencers spruiking nicotine pouches have garnered millions of views on TikTok, while Google trends shows searches for “nicotine pouches” are at an all-time high in Australia.
In February 2023 Google trends showed searches for “nicotine pouches” was zero, meaning there was not enough data for the term. But a sharp rise in traffic volume since October 2023 has seen searches increase more than tenfold – bringing the number in February 2024 to 100, representing the peak popularity for the term.
Nicotine pouches are also entering physical retail settings, with NSW health announcing on Tuesday that 284 containers of the product were seized across 60 Sydney retailers between 29 January and 2 February.
Nicotine and tobacco products with an estimated street value of $1.1m were seized in the raids carried out by NSW Health and NSW police with assistance from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Nicotine pouches have been regulated under the Poisons Standard as prescription medicines since October 2021, meaning they require a prescription to be lawfully supplied in Australia, according to a spokesperson for the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Butler and the TGA said nicotine pouches can only be supplied with a prescription, or if expressly indicated for quitting smoking. In the latter case the product must be Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. No nicotine pouches have been approved by the TGA for use in Australia, and it is illegal to supply nicotine pouches without those conditions being met, the spokesperson said.
“The TGA is monitoring the advertisement and supply of oral tobacco and will take action where advertisement and supply is in breach of the Therapeutic Goods Act,” Butler said. “Advertising restrictions apply to both online and offline sales.”
The government may consider future reforms on nicotine pouches.
Regulation of nicotine pouches is being investigated worldwide.
In January the US Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, called for the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the use of social media by tobacco company Philip Morris International’s Zyn nicotine pouch brand to advertise to teenagers and even younger children, and assess their health impact.
Philip Morris acquired the Zyn brand when it bought Swedish tobacco company Swedish Match in 2022 as part of a push into its portfolio of smokeless products, which it projects will make up more than two-thirds of their revenue by 2030.
The latest report from the World Health Organization’s Study group on tobacco product regulation said “introduction of new products that closely resemble traditional tobacco and nicotine products poses serious regulatory challenges in all WHO regions”.
The shadow health minister, Anne Ruston, said the Coalition was also worried about the rising trend.
“It is really concerning to hear that another illegal nicotine product is on the rise and being marketed to young Australians,” she said.
“The government must step up and ensure that the laws banning these products from being imported into Australia are being enforced, so that we don’t see the emergence of an organised crime fuelled black market as is being seen with both vapes and tobacco.”
A University of Sydney tobacco control expert, Prof Becky Freeman, said nicotine pouches were often marketed as an alternative product in spaces where vaping or smoking is not allowed.
“I’ve seen them marketed at international airports as being aeroplane safe to get you through those long flights,” Freeman said. “Rather than getting you to quit, it’s sort of a stopgap measure until you can get your next hit of smoking or vaping.”
