When adults attempt to stop smoking using nicotine replacement therapy, e-cigarettes or other non-combustible nicotine products, one practical question quickly emerges: how much nicotine is enough? The answer matters because cigarette dependence varies considerably between smokers. Two people who smoke the same number of cigarettes each day may not absorb the same amount of nicotine…
The debate over nicotine pouches in India is increasingly becoming a debate about regulatory classification. Tobacco-free nicotine pouches do not fit comfortably within some of the legal categories created for cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, electronic cigarettes or medicinal nicotine products. Recent commentary has therefore focused on whether existing Indian laws adequately cover them and which authorities…
The scientific evidence surrounding smoke-free nicotine products is only one part of the challenge facing the nicotine sector. Even where manufacturers believe the evidence supports differentiated approaches to regulation, that evidence does not automatically translate into public understanding, regulatory acceptance or proportionate policy. That disconnect was at the centre of the GINN panel “We’re Right…
Reporting contributed by Kiran Sidhu “There is definitely an opportunity to foster collaboration among all the different stakeholders in the industry, from the manufacturers and independent research companies, to build an evidence-based toolkit that can be utilised when facing regulators,” said Monica Andrade De Orbe. De Orbe was hosting a panel titled, ‘Making…
Reporting contributed by Kiran Sidhu “For those in the pouch industry, the harm reduction benefit of choosing a non-combustible nicotine product is irrefutably evident,” Joel Rubenstein told the audience. However, he said, step outside and the environment is hostile to this evidence-based fact. Rubenstein, an independent commercial consultant, was speaking at InterTabac, an…
A recent explainer asks whether nicotine pouches are “beyond the law” in India and concludes by suggesting that the government could quickly prohibit their import and sale on health grounds. The article identifies genuine uncertainty around the treatment of tobacco-free nicotine pouches under India’s existing legislation. However, the suggestion that these products effectively occupy a…
Europe’s nicotine market has changed considerably since the EU’s tobacco excise framework was last substantially updated. Cigarettes remain the dominant source of tobacco-related harm, but heated tobacco products, e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches now form part of a much more diverse market. The European Commission is attempting to respond through its proposed revision of the Tobacco…
As governments consider tighter rules for nicotine pouches, flavours have become one of the most contested parts of the debate. Policymakers face a legitimate concern: products containing nicotine should not be designed or marketed in ways that encourage uptake among young people or people who otherwise would not use nicotine. The regulatory question becomes more…
From 1 September 2026, New York State will bring tobacco-free nicotine pouches and other qualifying “alternative nicotine products” into its tobacco-products tax system. The headline figure is striking: 75% of the wholesale price. Under guidance issued by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, the tax applies to non-combustible products that contain nicotine…
The more immediate regulatory story is unfolding in Member States, not in a published EU-wide nicotine-pouch flavour ban Discussion around the next revision of the EU tobacco and nicotine framework is increasingly accompanied by speculation about what the European Commission may ultimately propose for nicotine pouches, including flavours. That discussion needs perspective. There are legitimate…