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20th January 2025
04:40pm GMT
The small white pouches deliver a nicotine hit to users and are tucked out of sight, under the lip.
They are based off a Scandinavian product known as ‘Snus’ and fall outside of the existing EU laws on tobacco or vapes.
In response to the rise in young people using nicotine pouches, principals are calling on the HSE to deliver a health advisory notice.
Speaking to The Pat Kenny Show, Director of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, Paul Crone said:
“It was very clear when students were smoking cigarettes, it became clear when they were vaping - they could be seen.
“It’s much harder to catch them [vaping], but it’s impossible to know when a student has a very small pouch tucked between their gum and their lip, to know how many students are using these products.”
He went on to say that they are very easily accessed by young students because the rules on tobacco laws in Ireland don’t apply to them.
“Because there is no tobacco in the pouches, there is no legal basis for restricting their sale or use here in Ireland.
“So, these pouches are available in local shops, in garages; there’s no age restriction on them because the restrictions apply to the use and sale of tobacco, not nicotine.
“They’re sitting in a loophole space at the moment.”
The issue is that many professional athletes and influencers are open about their use of the product and are influencing young people to look into them.
“Jamie Vardy came out quite strongly that he was using the other nicotine pouches, and other sports stars.
“So, students don’t see the danger in it, they don’t see that potential long-term health effects that it would have on them.
“They just feel that it helps to calm them, it gives them that, I suppose, immediate, instant hit, and they’re not aware of what the long-term implications of that would be for them.
“I presume they can persuade themselves, ‘this is not like smoking, there’s no tar in my lungs, so therefore it’s not harmful to my health'.”
Mr Crone is calling on the Irish government to revise this loophole and bring in stricter rules to protect young people in Ireland.
