What France Gets Wrong About Nicotine Pouches

So France is at it again. Their proposal in the Senate – innocently titled “Proposition de loi n° 641” – was pitched as a way to “regulate” nicotine pouches. But don’t be fooled by the technocratic language. It’s not regulation. It’s a velvet-gloved ban.

I know what you’re thinking: “Surely they’re just trying to protect public health, right?”

Let’s take a look.

The French proposal seeks to ban all nicotine pouches above 16.6mg, restrict flavors, criminalize almost any kind of advertising or sponsorship, and funnel all legal sales through state-sanctioned tobacco outlets. Oh, and slap an excise tax that doubles by 2028.

You’re probably wondering: “But wait, isn’t France the same country where cigarettes are sold on nearly every street corner?”

Yes. Exactly. That France. The same France where nearly one in four adults still smokes daily.

So here’s the paradox: the French government is proposing to ban the safer product while leaving the deadlier one widely available. It’s like banning seatbelts while subsidizing car crashes. You can’t make this up.

But let’s talk numbers.

Nicotine pouches have become a tool for smokers who want to quit – quietly, cleanly, without smoke, smell, or stigma. We know from Sweden’s experience that they reduce smoking rates dramatically. Sweden is on track to become the first smoke-free country in the EU, and spoiler alert: they didn’t get there by banning harm reduction. They embraced it.

I know what you’re thinking now: “But aren’t the French just trying to keep pouches out of kids’ hands?”

Of course. So are we. No responsible adult wants children using nicotine. That’s why at Considerate Pouchers we support age restrictions or ingredient standards. What we oppose is punishing consumers who are using these products to get away from cigarettes.

Instead of building reasonable guardrails, the French proposal goes for the jugular. A blanket advertising ban. A state-controlled retail monopoly. A tax schedule so aggressive, it would make Big Tobacco blush.

Here’s the kicker: the proposal doesn’t just overreach. It violates the spirit – and arguably the letter – of European single market law. By over-regulating products not classified as medicine or tobacco, and taxing them arbitrarily, France is setting itself up for legal headaches in Brussels. Just ask Spain how that’s going!

So what happens if this law passes? Let’s be honest. People won’t stop using nicotine. They’ll either go back to cigarettes, or they’ll find unregulated alternatives in the online black market – or worse, on the street. This isn’t speculation. It’s what real-world data tells us will happen. We saw it with vape bans. We’re seeing it now with pouches.

You’re probably wondering what we propose instead. Simple. Regulate pouches like people regulate most things: with facts, not fear. Set age limits. Impose clear packaging rules. Monitor ingredients. Enforce real penalties for illegal sales. And let the people decide – with their own lungs – what works for them.

Because in the end, health policy is about results, not rituals. Banning what works to feel morally superior isn’t public health. It’s politics. And in France’s case, it’s bad politics.