Nicotine pouches, often referred to as “snus”, are set to be caught up in the sweeping UK-wide tobacco clampdown, according to a Scottish Government minister. The pouches came to the attention of ministers after they were distributed for free at Edinburgh’s Waverley train station earlier this year.
These products are intended to be placed between the lip and gum, releasing nicotine into the user’s system. Health professionals have flagged them as addictive and potentially harmful. Although sometimes dubbed snus, that term is actually reserved for a specific oral tobacco product available in Sweden.
During a session of Holyrood’s Health Committee on Tuesday, the Tobacco and Vapes Bill was discussed—a piece of UK-wide legislation aiming to foster a “smokefree generation” by prohibiting tobacco sales to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009. The Scottish Government has suggested that Holyrood should give its legislative nod to the sections of the Bill affecting devolved matters.
Dr Sandesh Gulhane, the Conservative health spokesperson, said: “Given that in Waverley Station we saw these products being handed out to people for free as a trial, I think we probably need to do a bit more in this area.”
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto concurred, acknowledging the necessity for further action regarding such “novel products”. She said: “That is exactly what this Bill is aiming to do, bring products like heated tobacco and snus as you’ve talked about into the legislation to ensure that we do have better powers to reduce their availability to young people and older people.”
Public health adviser to the Scottish Government, Professor Linda Bauld, pointed out to the committee that while snus remains outlawed in the UK, its name has been co-opted for newer nicotine pouches. She underscored that if laws were updated, the distribution of such nicotine pouches would fall under the new regulations.
Professor Bauld remarked: “We’ve only had them in the market for the last few years. They’re going to be significantly less harmful than smoking – I’m pretty confident, from looking at their constituents.” However, she acknowledged some studies raising red flags over gum health and the addictive nature of these products.
She added: “The Bill is trying to strike a balance in keeping products available to people who smoke and who may use vaping or even a nicotine pouch as a cessation aid. While recognising that what we saw in Waverley is about marketing these products, including to young people, which is absolutely something we need to tackle.”
Jamie Strachan, VPZ’s operations director, chimed in agreeing that compared to traditional smoking methods, nicotine pouches pose less threat to health. After attending a committee session, he remarked: “We recognise the Scottish Government’s concerns around youth access and marketing practices, and we fully support responsible regulation that protects young people while ensuring adult smokers retain access to effective harm reduction tools.”
He added: “Nicotine pouches, which are often mistakenly referred to as ‘snus’, are tobacco-free products and represent a significantly reduced-risk option when compared to traditional smoking. We are committed to working collaboratively with regulators and public health bodies to ensure products are marketed responsibly and only to adult consumers.”
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