More and more young people are becoming addicted to snus or nicopouches, these nicotine pouches with or without tobacco that are inserted onto the gums. In four years, consumption among 15-year-olds has more than doubled, enough to alert prevention circles.
Similar to chewing gum, snus – or nicopouches – is the name given to these nicotine pouches, which are consumed orally. Around 7% of young people aged 15 to 24 consume it, whether in the evening, in the army or in the hockey locker room. But that’s not all.
“It has become an addiction. By taking it in such quantities, it has become a habit, it is something that can be taken anywhere, quickly,” a regular user told RTS at 7.30pm. Another admitted to taking it three to four times a day. “It helps me concentrate for classes and during revision, but otherwise in the evening, I consume double,” says another.
There are three types of snus: those that contain tobacco and therefore nicotine, those that do not contain tobacco but do contain nicotine, and finally those that are based on plants or minerals. The first two are the most consumed. Often flavored and highly addictive, it is believed that with a single pouch, we will be exposed to the same amount of nicotine as three cigarettes.
Risks to health
“These are dangerous products for young people, mainly because of the addiction to nicotine, but also related health problems, heart disease, cancer and diabetes,” warns Thierry Favrod-Cuène, doctor responsible for the dependency unit of the University Hospitals of Geneva.
Manufacturer BAT defends itself by arguing that snus is much less harmful than burnt tobacco. “Our vision is to create a smoke-free world in which traditional cigarette smokers who do not want to give up nicotine intake are turning to smoke-free alternatives.”
Explosion in consumption among girls
In a few years, consumption has doubled among 15-year-old boys, and quadrupled among girls of the same age. Evelyne Laszlo, director of CIPRET Geneva, estimates that this increase is due to aggressive marketing that primarily targets young people.
“Half of snus consumers also consume combustible cigarettes or move on to other types of products such as disposable electronic cigarettes, I think the industry targets young people knowing full well that they will increase their consumption”, regrets the tobacco expert.
Snus has actually colonized Swiss newsstands since 2019, while most of our European neighbors have banned its sale.
Clemens Vonlanthen/Asch