Emma McGrath
Danish nicotine expert warns banning specific products is not the answer to nicotine addiction.
Denmark’s top nicotine advisor Charlotta Pisinger, current professor at the University of Southern Denmark warns policy directed at specific products is not enough.
“We are being dragged behind the industry,” Pisinger said. If legislation restricts the advertisement or accessibility of a specific product like nicotine pouches, tobacco companies will introduce new alternatives.
Pisinger points out that cigarette restrictions only succeeded when tobacco was directly targeted, now companies evade these laws by launching nicotine-only products.
Nov. 2023 Denmark launched a plan to reduce nicotine use by banning flavours and raising prices to be equivalent to cigarettes.
Mirroring Denmark, in Aug. the Canadian Health Minister released his plan to reduce the appeal of, access to, and use of these products by young people.
Zonnic, a nicotine pouch brand approved by Health Canada, doesn’t fall under existing tobacco or vaping laws, as its products contain less than 4 mg of nicotine and no tobacco. Canada’s plan will restrict flavours to mint and menthol and limit sales to pharmacies. The current plan does not ban or restrict nicotine itself.
When snus was first introduced to Denmark, unrestricted marketing of the product was targeted specifically to youth, said Pisinger, tobacco companies “target the youngest groups, starting addiction when people can’t understand the consequences.”