Health campaigners raise concerns over heavy marketing of nicotine pouches at festivals

HEALTH CAMPAIGNERS HAVE raised concerns over the heavy marketing of nicotine pouches at Irish music festivals this summer.

The Irish Cancer Society estimates that up to 686,000 festival and concertgoers this summer have been subjected to “heavy marketing and promotional campaigns” by nicotine pouch companies through free giveaways and competitions for tickets. 

Nicotine pouches are small pouches of nicotine that are put between the lip and gum. They can contain high levels of nicotine. They are sometimes known by the Swedish name snus, although unlike traditional snus they do not contain tobacco.

In recent years they have gone from being an almost unknown product to one that more younger people have tried, and the companies selling it have become more visible.

Among these are Velo, which had a presence at Ireland’s largest music festival, Electric Picnic, last month and at Forbidden Fruit and All Together Now, along with Japan Tobacco International-owned Nordic Spirit, which had a presence at Beyond the Pale in June.

A legislative ban on selling cigarettes and vapes at “temporary or moveable premises”, such as pop-up shops and market stalls, including at outdoor events, has left a loophole that still allows tobacco pouches to be sold and promoted.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health told The Journal that the system preventing the sale of cigarettes and vapes at festivals “has only recently become operational” and “does not currently include other nicotine products”.

“This will be considered as part of the review of Ireland’s Tobacco Free Ireland policy which is currently underway,” they said.

The department said the health minister has called for the directive to be revised to include all novel nicotine products, including pouches.

At Electric Picnic, caps and sunglasses the company had given out could be seen on festival-goers, including on young children. 

Velo’s large stand at Electric Picnic hosted an array of games and offered merchandise and snus.

Adults could scan a QR code to fill out a questionnaire on their nicotine habits and then bag their free tin of nicotine pouches, which usually sell for between €7 and €10.

The other main attractions were the free-to-play games on offer, including corn hole, ring toss and table football. Winning a game entitled visitors to spin a wheel and win Velo merchandise, including the popular caps and sunglasses.

Velo was launched in 2023 by tobacco giant British American Tobacco (BAT), which also owns major cigarette brands such as Lucky Strike and Pall Mall. 

PJ Carroll & Co Ltd, the Irish arm of BAT, reported an almost fivefold increase in tobacco pouch sales in Ireland in 2024 with sales increasing from six million to almost 29 million.

The directors for PJ Carroll & Co Ltd said at the time that sales of Velo “delivered exceptional growth in 2024″ where revenues from Velo increased by 442% on 2023.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health confirmed that new nicotine products such as pouches do not currently fall under EU or domestic tobacco control law and “as such, they are not subject to the advertising and sponsorship restrictions for electronic cigarettes under the EU Tobacco Products Directive”.

Ireland is progressing legislation on nicotine pouches that will introduce a minimum age of sale of 18, ban advertising in all retail environments and introduce a display ban in mixed retail. Retail environments include where products are being distributed for free.

The bill has passed all stages in the Dáil, and can be brought forward for enactment after the EU notification process concludes on 7 October.

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‘Cynical ploy’

Suzanne Dowd, senior advocacy officer at the Irish Cancer Society, said the marketing of nicotine pouches highlighted the need for regulation of the product.

The long-term health impacts of using nicotine pouches, particularly whether they increase the risk of mouth cancer, are not fully understood due to the products being relatively new.

However, nicotine pouches can contain high levels of nicotine, a highly addictive substance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that nicotine can be particularly harmful for children and young people as nicotine exposure can affect brain development and increase the likelihood of long-term dependence and future use of other nicotine and tobacco products.

The HSE has warned that the pouches can also cause teeth and gums issues, such as tooth decay or gum disease.

“There is no doubt that some of these marketing efforts, the coloured packaging, the fruity flavours, the alignment with gigs, is all a cynical ploy to hook another generation onto nicotine,” Dowd said.

“This ongoing heavy marketing activity is a real cause for concern and underlines the need for stronger regulations in this area to be enacted as quickly as possible,” she said. 

Dr Vikram Niranjan, assistant professor of public health at the University of Limerick, said he has seen how the advertising of nicotine pouches “directly mirrors” that of cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

He highlighted “lifestyle marketing portraying products as modern, stress-relieving fun, discreet youth sponsorships at festivals, and influencer campaigns on platforms like Instagram”.

“This raises serious concerns about a new generation becoming addicted to nicotine,” he said.

“Although nicotine pouches may be positioned as “cleaner” or more discreet alternatives to smoking, this framing risks obscuring their role in sustaining nicotine dependence at a population level. The emphasis on concealability and social acceptability is especially problematic in school and social settings.”

A WHO report earlier this year examining the marketing tactics of the nicotine pouch industry highlighted concerns about high nicotine delivery, misleading health messaging, youth-targeted advertising, and products with candy-like packaging and flavours.

WHO warns that without coordinated action, nicotine pouches could fuel lifelong addiction and undermine gains made in tobacco control.

Companies respond

A BAT Ireland spokesperson said: “We do not sell our products to those under the age of 18. We support the introduction of an under-18 sales ban on nicotine pouches in Ireland and regulations that restrict youth appeal.”

“All BAT Ireland marketing activities comply with applicable laws and our own internal responsible marketing framework. This includes comprehensive training for festival staff and vendors on preventing underage access and applying age-verification procedures on site,” they added.

A spokesperson for JTI said: “Nordic Spirit is an adult-only product, marketed only to existing adult nicotine consumers.”

“At any event where we have a presence, access is age-restricted, with ID verification on entry. We fully support the introduction of a minimum legal age of sale of 18 for nicotine pouches,” they added.

The popularity of nicotine pouches in Ireland is mirrored globally, with the overall industry valued at nearly $7 billion (€6.1 billion) last year. 

In Ireland, the product is most popular among young people, with 3% of those aged between 15 and 24 using them, according to statements made in the Dáil in April by Minister of State at the Department of Health Jennifer Murnane O’Connor.

The 2025 Healthy Ireland Survey found that 1% of the population currently use nicotine pouches either daily and 6% have tried them but no longer use them.

Electric Picnic did not respond to request for comment.