In a laudable move, the Centre recently instructed State governments to crack the whip on the sale of nicotine pouches. The initiative follows a series of warnings, starting with the World Health Organization’s May 2026 report. The health body highlighted the rapid proliferation of these products among youth, thanks to deceptive marketing. It has urged governments to protect gullible users from manipulative campaigns as these products are engineered for addiction.
A joint study by the ICMR and National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research cited nicotine pouches as a public health concern, noting they reach consumers aged 18-40 via e-commerce platforms, hookah shops and gig delivery services. The Drugs Technical Advisory Board has also urged the government not to approve such nicotine formulations. These pouches have so far ducked strict regulatory action because they do not conveniently fall under laws that govern the sale of medicines, cigarettes or food. In contrast, for example, nicotine gums and transdermal patches used in the treatment of nicotine addiction, are regulated under the Drugs Act. The tobacco-free pouches also bypass the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA), which regulates only cigarettes and other tobacco products. Further, the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act prohibits only vaping devices.
This regulatory grey area will hopefully be resolved as the government has clarified that the sale of nicotine pouches is unapproved and illegal. Indeed, nicotine exposure during adolescence impairs brain development, attentiveness and learning, amplifying the likelihood of long-term dependence. Research has also shown that nicotine triggers adrenaline surges and irregular heartbeats, narrows blood vessels, causes endothelial dysfunction, spurs platelet aggregation and is a major cause of atherosclerosis. In a recent impasse between the Adani Group’s Mumbai airport duty-free operations and the government over imported pouch brands — such as Philip Morris’s Zyn and Sweden’s White Fox — the defendants contended in court that international departure area shops operate ‘beyond the customs frontiers of India’ and outside domestic jurisdiction. Yet, local law enforcement would retain jurisdiction over a criminal offence in these zones. Fiscal exemptions cannot be taken to mean that regulatory immunity applies as well.
It is the responsibility of both the Centre and State governments to swiftly bring nicotine pouch sales to a stop. Tobacco firms view these pouches as a lucrative frontier beyond cigarettes. Tobacco major BAT predicts industry pouch revenue will reach $15 billion by 2030, almost trebling from 2025. Meanwhile, Philip Morris reported that its US pouch business yielded eight times the gross profit per thousand units of its international cigarette business in 2024. With private estimates valuing India pouch sales at about $550 million, the government must step in to snuff out this business.
Published on October 8, 2026
