"People Won't Quit": Is Banning Nicotine Pouches a Futile Action?

Nicotine pouches, also known as "pouches" or "snus," will be banned in France starting March 2026. These products are intended to serve as an alternative to tobacco, but remain harmful. And among the ranks of users, there are many young people.

Benoît, 18, a non-smoker, takes it regularly. "You put it under your gum. At first, it burns a little, it stings, and then you're not stressed. Let's just say it makes you feel good, it makes your head spin. You're a little stoned," the teenager told RMC.

The ban on these bags will not change anything for him: he will continue to take them and already knows that he will be able to obtain them very easily.

"Puff, snus... There's everything on TikTok. People are so addicted to it. It's just nicotine, it's worse than cigarettes. People aren't going to stop," he says.

These products are indeed very harmful and contain a high level of arsenic , a carcinogenic substance, according to a study by the National Committee against Smoking. And much more than in a cigarette.

In 2023, ANSES called for particular vigilance on nicotine pouches, due to the increase in the number of poisonings, particularly among children and adolescents.

The Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity told AFP that banning these products was aimed "to protect public health, as nicotine is now considered a poisonous substance," and because of the "risk of initiating smoking" they present.

Eric, the father of a teenager, was unaware of these "pouches," but said he was reassured to learn that they will soon be banned. "All the things that are on sale over the counter and that are harmful to health , I think we need to regulate them," he said.

The Alliance Against Tobacco sees this ban as a public health victory.

"Influencers, particularly on TikTok, are promoting it extremely regularly and aggressively," Loïs Josserand, the association's president, told RMC. This is especially true since, according to him, everything is being done to attract young people.

"These are not withdrawal products. They are addictive products, which have only one goal: to make people addicted to nicotine or keep them addicted to it," he adds.

For their part, tobacconists denounce this as an admission of weakness by the public authorities, who should have focused on prevention and regulation. "We're using the wrong approach once again. There was an opportunity today to offer an alternative to adult smokers, and it will be banned in France," laments Philippe Coy, president of the Confederation of Tobacconists.

He explains: "We've been asking for this product to be regulated for two years. We've tried to raise awareness among public authorities to make them more responsible. For young people, we must above all be kind so that no one sends this product to them."

According to a recent study by the Alliance Against Tobacco, nearly a third of 10- to 15-year-olds were familiar with these "pouches" and 10% use them regularly.