A grim month for millions of french smokers
Paris, November 6th 2024
The Health Minister's unilateral decision to ban nicotine sachets and other nicotine alternatives without parliamentary debate bypasses a genuine and open democratic process.
BAT France is not afraid of debate, so why shun it?
To mark the launch of Tobacco-Free Month, the French Minister of Health, Geneviève Darrieussecq, is attacking nicotine sachets , which would contribute to reducing smoking and achieving a Smoke-Free Generation in France by 2032. BAT France points out that the role of the French Ministry of Health during Smoke-Free Month is to offer smokers effective alternatives, sold by trained and responsible professionals.
Her intention to prohibit nicotine sachets by regulation will be a clear step backwards for French smokers, ignoring at the same time a flagship measure of the National Tobacco Control Program 2023-2027, which planned instead to draw up “ a coherent roadmap on the regulations applicable to all nicotine products, such as nicotine pouches[1].”
Instead, discussions should be held with manufacturers, retailers and the elected representatives of the French people, with a view to introducing robust and effective regulations that will meet the objectives of protecting minors while offering an alternative to adult smokers. This should include the imposition of a minimum age for purchase, a maximum nicotine threshold, and a ban on marketing that may be attractive to young people.
Prohibition will never work
The Minister underlined her commitment to protecting young people, but prohibition will have no concrete impact on them. The Health Minister must be well aware that the French market will be flooded with nicotine sachets offered by illicit retailers, and could put consumers at risk. There are already numerous online stores selling nicotine sachets to French consumers. A Webdrone study[2], commissioned by BAT France, on the scale of the nicotine pouches market on social networks counted 370 “ points of sale” over the last 12 months. These virtual points of sale will not close store with a possible ministerial decree. “In fact, illicit sales will only increase,” adds Charbonneau.
BAT France therefore urges the Minister to follow the recommendations of the Programme National de Lutte contre le Tabagisme and leave the debate on a regulatory framework coherent to the regulations applicable to all nicotine products, such as nicotine sachets, to parliamentarians.
Contact
Romain BAYLE
+33 620 497 554
romain_bayle@bat.com
BAT is a leading, multi-category consumer goods business with a purpose to build "A Better Tomorrow" by reducing the health impact of its business through offering less risky products for adult consumers.
The company continues to be clear that combustible cigarettes pose serious health risks, and the only way to avoid these risks is not to start or to quit. BAT encourages those who would otherwise continue to smoke to switch completely to scientifically-substantiated, reduced-risk alternatives*†. In order to deliver this, BAT is transforming into a truly consumer-centric multicategory consumer products business.
BAT’s ambition is to have 50 million consumers of its non-combustible products by 2030 and to generate £5billion of New Categories revenue by 2025. BAT has set stretching ESG targets including achieving carbon neutrality for Scopes 1 & 2 by 2030 and eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic and making all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
BAT employs over 53,000 people and operates in over 180 countries. The BAT Group generated revenue of £25.8 billion in 2020 and profit from operations of £9.9 billion.
The company’s Strategic Portfolio is made up of its global cigarette brands and a growing range of reduced-risk*† New Category tobacco and nicotine products and traditional non combustible tobacco products. These include vapour, tobacco heating products, modern oral products including tobacco-free nicotine pouches, as well as traditional oral products such as snus and moist snuff. In 2020, we had 13.5 million consumers of our non-combustible products, a rise of 3 million on the year before.
* Based on the weight of evidence and assuming a complete switch from cigarette smoking. These products are not risk free and are addictive.
† Our products as sold in the US, including Vuse, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, and Camel Snus, are subject to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation and no reduced-risk claims will be made as to these products without FDA clearance.