Exclusive: Nicotine Limits in Pouches Will Lead to Black Market Explosion & Return to Smoking; Strongly Opposed by Consumers

The Tholos Foundation today released exclusive new research from international polling firm IPSOS on how Danish consumers would react if proposals to limit nicotine in nicotine pouches were implemented. In September 2024 the Danish Government published a ‘Draft Order on nicotine content limits in tobacco substitutes’ which proposed to introduce a limit of 9 mg per pouch.

Findings of the poll include that three quarters of consumers use nicotine pouches for health-related reasons, primarily to reduce or quit smoking. Since the introduction of nicotine pouches to Denmark in 2018, smoking rates have fallen from 19% to 14% in 2023, and the research shows close to 20% of current pouch users would return to smoking if this ban was implemented.

The poll also found that enacting such a proposal would lead to an explosion of black market sales, with fifty percent of consumers expecting to purchase illegally. The poll also found the vast majority of consumers do not support the proposed nicotine limit.

Tim Andrews, Director of Consumer Issues said:

“The evidence is clear: nicotine pouches help consumers quit smoking and reduce harm. The proposed nicotine limit is a disaster for public health which will increase smoking rates, and create a huge black market.”

“Eighty percent of consumers know nicotine pouches are helpful in reducing smoking rates, and believe governments should support less harmful alternatives to smoking – a powerful voting block. This is a clear sign to the government they should follow international best practices through introducing smart regulations based on research and evidence, which restrict sales to minors and prevent underaged experimentation, while still allowing adults the ability to quit smoking.”

In 2022 the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) conducted the world’s most comprehensive research into nicotine pouches, confirming their benefits in reducing health risks compared to smoking, and recommended regulation based around an optimal level of nicotine of 16.6mg per pouch.

The full report may be downloaded here.

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