Get a Grip! – Four severe poisoning cases since 2013 among 1 000 000 consumers

Every case of nicotine poisoning is a tragedy but how many daily severe poison cases does France have linked to alcohol?

The ban on nicotine pouches

In an interview with Le Parisien, Health Minister Darrieussecq stated that nicotine pouches target youth, but according to the latest Eurobarometer report, almost 75 per cent of people aged 15-24 say they have never seen an ad for nicotine pouches.

Furthermore, Darrieussecq expressed concern that nicotine pouches are a gateway to cigarettes, though she cited no research to support this claim. The above-mentioned Eurobarometer report shows that only 1% of nicotine users in the 15-24 age group tried nicotine pouches as their first nicotine product.

Cases of nicotine poisoning

Darrieussecq has also expressed concerns over an increase in nicotine poisoning cases in France, suggesting this might justify a ban on nicotine pouches. However, it is unclear whether this increase is factual, as no detailed data on trends in France have been published.

In 2023, a Swedish report was conducted by the Swedish Poisons Information Centre, with the aim of summarising and making knowledge available about the harmful effects of various tobacco and nicotine products. The report shows that the Swedish Poisons Information Centre has received 4 cases of enquiries about nicotine poisoning in Sweden, linked to snus and nicotine pouches, where the person concerned has been assessed as having a clear risk of serious symptoms. This is over a nine-year period. This can be compared to the 53 drowning deaths in the past year.

“In Sweden, where nicotine products are regulated and produced according to industry standards, the rogue, strong products are not on the market. This brings the total number of poisoning cases to just four calls over nine years. In an unregulated market, filled with rogue actors and products, the risk of nicotine poisoning cases is higher,” says Markus Lindblad, Head of Communications at Pouch Patrol, and continues:

“Banning nicotine pouches will not solve any problem. It is better to have reasonable regulation of the products, based on independent research. For example, in Norway, the media is reporting a vape epidemic among young people, despite the fact that the products have never been authorised in the country.”

Smoking rates in France

In France, around 25% of the population smokes – an extremely high figure. It would be counterproductive to ban nicotine pouches, which have proved to be a good alternative for smokers who want to save their health and switch to less harmful alternatives.

“Sweden is well on its way to being considered a smoke-free country by World Health Organisation (WHO) standards. The main reason for this is that Swedes have access to attractive, less harmful nicotine products than cigarettes. If nicotine pouches are banned in France, all smokers in the country risk dying prematurely,” Lindblad concludes.