Belgium to ban nicotine pouches from October 1; appeals by two tobacco giants rejected

Belgium will impose a full ban on nicotine pouches starting October 1. The ban is intended to curb products containing excessive levels of nicotine, as nicotine pouches are considered to pose potential health risks.

Breaking news: According to Belga on September 27, 2023, Belgium will stop the sale of nicotine pouches starting October 1. This is one of the measures included in an anti-smoking plan jointly signed by 24 Belgian health ministers. 

They believe that although nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco, they contain high levels of nicotine. Some pouches contain as much as 90 mg of nicotine, nearly nine times the level found in a typical cigarette. 

Multiple scientific studies have already revealed the potential risks of nicotine pouches, especially for young people. These pouches contain large amounts of nicotine, enough to cause addiction and harm the brain. 

Although wholesalers have been barred from selling nicotine pouches since July 1, retailers were allowed to continue selling them until October 1 in order to clear existing inventory. 

In May this year, tobacco giants British American Tobacco (BAT) and Philip Morris International (PMI) filed appeals with Belgium’s Council of State, seeking to overturn the rules. The two companies argued that nicotine pouches are a lower-risk alternative to cigarettes. 

Belgium’s move to ban nicotine pouches follows the lead of other European countries. For example, the Netherlands has already banned the sale of pouches containing more than 0.035 mg of nicotine, effectively banning most nicotine pouches because the vast majority exceed that limit by a wide margin. However, in Sweden, tobacco-containing oral pouches and nicotine replacement patches for smoking cessation are still legally sold.