Denmark is set to limit the maximum strength of nicotine pouches to just 9mg.
Currently there is no upper limit on the amount of nicotine allowed in pouches, a tobacco-free product that is placed between the lip and the gum.
But the Danish government is now consulting on an executive order that would make it illegal to sell nicotine pouches above the low strength of 9mg.
There are also plans to tighten rules on the packaging of vapes and other nicotine alternatives and to ban sweet flavours. Packaging will be required to be ‘neutral and standardised’ with no marketing of flavours and/or fragrances, except for tobacco and menthol.
Minister of the Interior and Health Sophie Løhde said: “Within a few years, nicotine pouches have become popular among children and young people, who can get hold of pouches with high concentrations of nicotine, which can make them addicted.
“They are particularly sensitive to nicotine and are more exposed because their brains are not fully developed. We therefore also have a special responsibility to protect children and young people from the harmful effects of nicotine products.
“Now we set a limit on how much nicotine can be in the nicotine pouches, while at the same time banning nicotine products with sweet flavours that appeal to children and the very young.”
A knock for smokers wanting to quit
However, vape advocates and anti-smoking campaigners argue that setting such a strict limit on nicotine pouch strength will deprive smokers of a much less harmful alternative.
Michael Landl, director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, said on X: “Denmark plans to limit nicotine pouches to 9mg, depriving smokers of a much less harmful alternative with a risk profile similar to NRTs [Nicotine Replacement Therapies].
“This low limit risks discouraging switching and harms public health progress. Bad policy, bad for smokers.”
Warning of unintended consequences
In response to the consultation, nicotine harm reduction campaigner Clive Bates said the limit is likely to trigger unintended consequences such as a spike in smoking rates and a boom in black market trade.
He said: “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.”
