France hits pause on controversial nicotine pouch ban after EU pushback

France has delayed its sweeping ban on nicotine pouches until at least August 25, giving lawmakers extra time to answer objections from seven European Union members. 

The ban, originally set to take effect on May 26, would have outlawed the production, sale, import, export, possession, and use of nicotine pouches. 

The draft decree treats nicotine pouches as “substances veneneuses,” placing them in the same legal category as dangerous chemicals.

If adopted unchanged, anyone caught with a pouch could face up to one year in prison or a €15,000 fine ($23,625 CAD), while manufacturers or retailers would risk five-year sentences and penalties of up to €375,000 ($590,800 CAD).

Those tough sanctions are on hold after Romania, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Italy, and Sweden filed “detailed opinions” under the EU’s Technical Regulations Information System. 

A “detailed opinion” triggers a mandatory pause of up to six months, during which France must justify its plan or amend it. 

The European Commission lists the new deadline as August 25.  

Critics say the ban would undermine harm reduction efforts. 

Sweden, where nicotine pouches and traditional snus have helped push smoking rates below 5%, argues that prohibiting lower risk products protects cigarettes instead of public health. 

Sweden became the world’s first “smoke-free” country, which is defined as a smoking rate below 5%.

“Banning the very products that are reducing smoking is like throwing away the fire extinguisher while the house is still burning,” Swedish industry advocates told Snusforumet news.  

In Canada, Health Canada has authorized Zonnic nicotine pouches for sale, and they are available only at pharmacies. Originally, Zonnic was available everywhere cigarettes were sold until Health Canada changed the rules in August of 2024. 

Critics say that pouches, which deliver nicotine without tobacco, are marketed in candy flavours that appeal to teens and lack long term safety data. 

France already bans flavoured disposable e-cigarettes and is expanding its smoke-free zones to where children congregate. 

France health officials say the pouch crackdown fits that wider strategy.  

For now, travellers may continue to carry nicotine pouches in France, but officials warn the legal landscape could shift quickly once the EU review ends. 

France could press ahead unchanged, soften penalties, or scrap the ban entirely. 

Further delays are also possible if France revises the draft, which would restart the EU notification clock. 

The next chapter in France’s nicotine control policy will hinge on how convincingly the government answers its EU critics and whether it can balance public health goals with the EU market built on free movement of goods.