Australia
- Queensland’s 2025 Amendment Regulation now classifies nicotine pouches as “illicit nicotine products,” creating new offences for their supply or possession in a business context and imposing penalty-infringement notices up to 200 penalty units for individuals and 1,000 for corporations.
- South Australia has banned nicotine pouches under its new illicit-products framework, treating them on par with illicit tobacco and vape goods. Retailers supplying or possessing pouches face the same enforcement powers, including seizure and fines.
Europe
- France’s planned ban on the sale, possession and import of all nicotine pouches—originally set for May 26—was delayed for six months (until August 25, 2025) after seven EU members lodged objections, forcing Paris to revisit its proposal against EU rules.
- Bulgaria introduced a law restricting nicotine pouches to a maximum of 20 mg nicotine per unit and prohibiting their marketing and sale near youth-oriented venues, aiming to curb underage use amid an ongoing EU directive review.
- The UK government confirmed that oral nicotine pouches will be included in its forthcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Scotland’s health minister signaled a UK-wide crackdown, extending tobacco product controls to cover pouches and tightening penalties on unauthorized supply and promotion.
European Union (Overall)
- No EU-wide rules yet cover nicotine pouches under the 2014 Tobacco Products Directive. Individual member states continue to fill the regulatory gap with divergent approaches—ranging from outright bans to flavour or nicotine-level limits—but harmonized EU legislation remains pending.
Other Regions
- Many harm-reduction advocates in the Philippines pressed health authorities to adopt science-driven regulation rather than prohibition for oral nicotine products, though no new laws have been enacted in the last three months.
- In parts of North America, the US FDA’s June 30 deadline for updating tobacco product listings under TRLM affects manufacturers of pouches sold as tobacco products, requiring biannual submissions of product changes—an administrative measure rather than a new safety standard.
