In recent months rogue manufacturers have flooded the market with extremely high-strength nicotine pouches, with some up to 10 times stronger than mainstream brands. With sweet flavours and colourful packaging, many appear to be blatantly targeting under-18s, exploiting a legislative blind spot on age restrictions.
Let’s be clear: this is irresponsible.
Manufacturing, supplying and selling products like this is exploitation, which does not put the real customer at the heart and centre of the product. It shows a total lack of responsibility and damages the reputation of nicotine pouches as a legitimate smoke-free product that can help adult smokers quit cigarettes.
We all agree that the best thing smokers can do for their health is to quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether, but the reality is that many don’t. At the same time, no single smoke-free product will suit the wants and needs of all UK smokers looking to switch.
As with any other product, it is essential to provide a choice to consumers, so they can find whichever product works best for them. But choice must be given responsibly: that is, via products designed only for existing adult smokers.
Responsible nicotine sales
As a long-standing producer of tobacco and nicotine products, we understand the weight of this responsibility. Ours is an industry with a controversial past and a complex present. But we believe that the future can – and must – be shaped by responsibility and transparency.
We are at an inflection point. The worst actors in our market are undermining the trust of the public and threatening the alternative options for long-term smokers.
In order to protect youth and enable long-term smokers to switch to a safer alternative, exploitative manufacturers and retailers must stop using unethical marketing strategies and selling extremely high-strength products, and should only sell to those that are 18 and above.
We have taken our commitment to being a responsible actor seriously: including measures such as only marketing to existing adult smokers, calling for under-18 age restrictions, and limiting the nicotine strength of pouches to below 20mg.
But we can’t do it alone. The solution is continued dialogue between regulators, producers and retailers who sell these products, to ensure nicotine pouches are sold responsibly to the intended audience – existing adult nicotine users.
This is the only way to safeguard the principles that protect youth and minors. With the increasing interest in nicotine pouches by legislators, now is the time to act.
We want to see unscrupulous players behave as socially responsible actors. It’s time for retailers to turn their backs on irresponsible manufacturers in order to support the longevity of nicotine pouches as an alternative to smoking cigarettes – because actions have consequences.
Duncan Cunningham, external affairs director at Philip Morris Limited
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