Response to a Danish proposal to impose a 9 mg per pouch nicotine content limit
Documentation
Consultation: Høring over udkast til seks bekendtgørelser i relation til forslag til lov om ændring af lov om tobaksvarer m.v. og forskellige andre love (Del II af udmøntning af forebyggelsesplanen målrettet børn og unge – tobak, nikotin og alkohol) [link] Bekendtgørelse om grænseværdier for nikotinindhold i tobakssurrogater [link] 30 August 2024.
My response: Comment by Clive Bates (PDF)
Summary of response
I would like to comment on the proposals to limit the nicotine content of nicotine pouches. In my view, these products promise the same form of public health gains experienced from snus use in other Nordic countries as an alternative to cigarette smoking – both for smokers who wish to quit and as a diversion from smoking uptake. Snus use is a very low-risk form of nicotine use, but nicotine pouches are likely to be still lower risk and approximate to nicotine replacement therapy. The European Union banned snus (oral tobacco) in 1992 and denied EU member states other than Sweden this public health opportunity for over three decades. This error must not be repeated for nicotine pouches through prohibition or excessive regulation that renders them ineffective as alternatives to cigarettes. For that reason, I believe the proposed limit of 9mg per pouch is too low and will trigger a range of potential unintended consequences – more smoking, illicit trade and workarounds. I recommend setting an initial nicotine limit at 20mg per pouch with the option to reduce further if there are no material unintended consequences following market surveillance.