France bans nicotine pouches when one in four Frenchmen still smoke
Europe has been shaken by the news that France, starting April 1, 2026, is introducing a total ban on nicotine pouches. The news is dominating Swedish media: SVT is reporting on the ban on TV, Aftonbladet is writing about the concerns of Swedes on the ground, and TV4 is asking the justified question: “Is this an attack on the Swedish way of life?” It was also revealed today that several Swedish Social Democratic EU parliamentarians have written a letter of protest to the President of the European Commission, demanding an immediate boycott of EU meetings in Strasbourg, as both politicians and staff would otherwise risk imprisonment for having white snus with them.
Immense Fines and Prison for Harm Reduction
What is colloquially known as “the French April Fool’s Joke” is, in reality, a draconian legislative proposal. Anyone caught with a nicotine pouch in France risks not only having their goods seized, but also penalties that, according to the media, could include up to 375 000 Euro fines and even prison sentences. This seems completely absurd considering that 25% of French people smoke—a rate five times higher than in Sweden. While lethal cigarettes from brands like Gitanes are permitted, the alternative that is 99.9% safer is criminalized.
The Swedish Protest and France’s Response
Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Trade, Benjamin Dousa, and the Swedish government have less than a year ago sent a so-called “detailed opinion letter” to the EU Commission in protest. In its official response to the Commission, the French government justifies the ban with, among other points:
“A study conducted in 2023 (Jackson et al.) concluded that prolonged regular use of oral products containing nicotine, such as oral pouches, can increase the risk of oral health problems, such as oral pain, ulcers, or gingival recession.”
Image: Part of the French government’s response to Sweden and the EU Commission
Science that Silences the Arguments
The French government appears to be ignoring current research. An international study with 11 researchers and leading dentists, published in Acta Odontologica Scandinavica (2025), has evaluated the Stingfree Protex® technology with fantastic results:
- 100% elimination of severe mucosal lesions (Axéll grade 3–4).
- 90% reduction in gum irritation.
- Statistical significance of p=0.0002.
Furthermore, the study by R. Murkett et al. (2022) shows that the relative risk of nicotine pouches is only 0.1% of the risk of smoking cigarettes. This means the health risk for a single smoker is equivalent to the combined risk for 1,000 nicotine pouch users.
Will “Les Bleus” players be Surrounded by Police?
This creates an absurd situation even for the French national football team, Les Bleus. It is no secret that many French players use nicotine pouches to maintain focus without damaging their lungs.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, France’s biggest stars now risk being surrounded by police at the Clairefontaine training facility—not because they are suspected of doping, but for the “crime” of choosing a nicotine pouch over a cigarette. The French players will simply have to wait to take their pouch until the plane has landed in the USA, where they will once again be treated as adults with the right to harm reduction.
Sweden has already shown how to reduce smoking
If France truly wanted to protect young people, it would be simple to “copy-paste” the Swedish law on tobacco-free nicotine pouches (2022). It prohibits sales to minors and strictly regulates marketing without banning safer alternatives for adults.
Sweden has Europe’s lowest rates of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, much of which is thanks to our switch from cigarettes to nicotine pouches. It is time for France to stop hunting nicotine pouch users and start making it easier for those who want to quit smoking instead.
