On Friday, 5th September, the French Government announced a total ban on nicotine pouches, with the ban expected to come into force in March 2026. The strict new law will ban a whole range of oral nicotine products, including pouches, gums, and liquids. Only products classified as medicinal products or medical devices will be exempt. The French ban was opposed by a number of EU countries, including Sweden, Italy, and Greece, who see the prohibition as disproportionate and damaging for anti-smoking strategies.
Markus Lindblad, Head of Legal and External Affairs at Sweden-based e-commerce retailer of nicotine products, Haypp, has now called on their customers to boycott champagne.
“We are encouraging our customers and nicotine users around the globe to boycott champagne and reconsider choosing France as a holiday destination next year. We want to do all we can to send a message to the French government that this ban is ill-conceived and will do more harm than good.
Of course, calling for a boycott of champagne is a little tongue-in-cheek, he adds, but there is a serious point here. France still has an exceptionally high smoking rate, around 23 per cent compared to about 12 per cent in the UK. Nicotine pouches are an effective alternative to cancer-causing cigarettes, so completely banning them removes the option for French smokers. Absurdly, this ban doesn’t include chewing tobacco, which is known to be cancer-causing. If the French government’s goal really is to improve public health, given the harms caused by alcohol, it would make much more sense for them to ban champagne rather than nicotine pouches. We want to see strong regulation of nicotine pouches, not total prohibition.”
French ban info:
- The ban criminalises possession as well as the sale of nicotine products. This means that just possession of nicotine pouches, even for personal use, could result in severe penalties, including fines and even imprisonment.
- For UK nicotine pouch users, the law will apply to anyone in France, meaning UK holidaymakers caught with nicotine pouches in France could face prosecution and thousands of euros in fines. Other countries across Europe, including Spain, have also been tightening regulations on smoking and vaping in public places, making it more difficult for holidaymakers to use nicotine products while abroad.
- A ban like this one can fuel black markets. Criminalising possession won’t necessarily eliminate demand; a ban can run the risk of driving the market underground and across borders, leading to unregulated products which can have dangerous health risks.