Big Tobacco Pushes Nicotine Pouches as Vaping Hit by Curbs
- JTI, PMI’S Swedish Match and BAT give free samples to adults
- Tobacco-free product can be legally sold to minors in Britain
Big Tobacco is turning to free giveaways of nicotine pouches in the UK through websites and at summer music festivals to lure consumers to the orally-administered substitute for smoking and vaping.
Tobacco companies are trying to show smokers that pouches — which in the UK are regulated only by general product safety laws — are a convenient way to get a nicotine hit in places where restrictions prevent smoking, like in the office or on airplanes. A few clicks on the website of British American Tobacco Plc’s Velo brand and a consumer in the UK can order a sample can of Polar Mint, Ruby Berry or Tropical Breeze nicotine pouches. Japan Tobacco International plans to give them away at the Isle of Wight and Creamfields music festivals later this year.