Analysis: Health surveys show a steady rise in the use of nicotine pouches and vapes, particularly by people, who did not smoke cigarettes previously
Is it just me or has the rise of usage of nicotine pouches (also known as snus) gone unnoticed by many? Vaping has been a growing health concern among young people in recent years, yet little attention has been paid to the increase in the use of nicotine pouches.
When I ask friends and colleagues if they know what nicotine pouches are, most don't know of their existence. These products are on display behind the counter in many shops and their use by secondary school children and young adults has grown dramatically over the last couple of years.
My adult children admit snus/pouches are common in their peer groups when socialising, either along with or instead of e-cigarettes (vapes). It is nearly 20 years since vapes were introduced to the market whereas nicotine pouches were first introduced in 2019. The use of vapes to support smoking cessation has been adopted in the UK, but they are not considered a smoking cessation intervention here in Ireland.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, what are nicotine pouches and should we be worried for our teens?
Vaping amongst young people is an established trend internationally and in Ireland. Vapes are commonly used by under 25s, assisted by strong marketing and ease of availability, a large selection of flavours and low cost. A significant concern is that their usage has exceeded conventional cigarette use in adolescents. According to the most recent Healthy Ireland survey, 17% of 15 to 24-year-olds report daily or occasional use of e-cigarettes.
Nicotine pouches (snus) contain nicotine powder enhanced with flavouring, fillers and other chemicals and are used orally between the lips and gums. This is a relatively new product which has been for sale in Europe over the last six years and the potential health consequences of using these products is concerning.
Of concern is the potential health consequences of these products and currently research of their uptake and use by young people is minimal.
Irish legislation banning the sale of nicotine inhaling products to under 18s was enacted in Ireland three years ago, however nicotine pouches are not controlled by current tobacco/nicotine sale and availability laws in Ireland.
The Irish Cancer Society recently expressed serious concern about the marketing of pouches and calls for tighter regulation on their sale and availability as the health impact of these products is still emerging.
From RTÉ Six One News, Taoiseach says vapes are 'the revenge of the tobacco industry'
In 2025, sales of nicotine pouches soared in Ireland by fivefold. The marketing campaigns used for nicotine pouches are engaging and fun to appeal to younger users promoting these products as a tobacco-free lifestyle option which is a more socially acceptable alternative to cigarettes. Indeed, many companies also offer free samples, product bundling to increase sales coupled with fast, free delivery.
Vaping and nicotine pouch use has been raised as a concern by teachers in second level schools who are trying to manage this behaviour in the largely under 18 population. Emerging data from Irish based health surveys reveals a steady incline in the use of these products particularly by people who did not smoke cigarettes previously.
An increasing trend is the dual use of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches which normalises nicotine consumption, so strategies are needed to address this social and behavioural habit. The HSE is concerned about children and young people's use of vapes and has responded with a new Vaping awareness campaign Take a Deep Breath.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland, Irish Cancer Society calling for more regulation of emerging nicotine products
While this health information about vapes is welcome, it is hard to establish how effective these campaigns will be when going up against persuasive and well-funded advertising of tobacco companies. Sales of nicotine pouches 'the new kid on the block in terms of (tobacco-free) nicotine products' have soared in Ireland as this discreet product is perfect for teens and young people who want to use nicotine frequently during the day.
Currently nicotine pouches are freely available to buy in shops or online in Ireland and as a country that has previously led in tobacco control, the question now is how will the government respond to this new public health threat?
The pace of development and innovation coupled with the wide use of nicotine pouches is driven by tobacco firms who have shifted emphasis from the combustible products to nicotine pouches to maintain their profits.
Glamourising vaping and nicotine pouch use with canny and well-financed campaigns is here to stay, so a response from our statutory health providers needs to be equally innovative and timely to address this public health challenge.
The Minister of Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and the Department of Health are working towards introducing bans on the sale of nicotine pouches to under 18s to address the wide availability of these products and attempt to reduce uptake. However, it is unclear exactly how this will be addressed.
There is also scope by health promoters to exploit social media platforms/channels to directly target those who use these products with preventive messaging mirroring what currently done by the tobacco firms to drive sales and usage of these nicotine products.
Of course, more research is needed to explore young people’s uptake and use of vapes and nicotine pouches to inform the development of evidence-based prevention strategies.
The REACH Collaboratory, a joint research collaboration between DCU and the HSE, are currently researching nicotine product use by students and will be developing further research within this area.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ. If you have been affected by issues raised in this article, support information is available online.
