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.
