India’s fight against tobacco used to be easy to spot. You’d catch bold warnings on movie screens and find leftover gutka or paan masala wrappers scattered on sidewalks. Cigarette smoke was obvious too, curling through parks and bus stops. Then came e-cigarettes, blowing visible vapor clouds and making it even simpler for parents and teachers to call out tobacco use and step in early.
But now there’s a new threat- it’s quieter and harder to catch. Nicotine pouches are tiny, white packets slipped up under the lip, with no smell, no cleanup, and nothing to light. If you’re a parent or teacher, odds are you wouldn’t even know if a teenager right in front of you was using one. Meanwhile, the nicotine is already working its way into their system.
The World Health Organization has flagged a big spike in nicotine pouch sales worldwide. The numbers are wild, sales are exploding, valuations are hitting billions. Still, most governments are scrambling to react. The WHO warns these “tobacco-free” and “clean” labels make pouches extra tempting for young people-basically handing addiction an open invitation.
Don’t let the “clean” branding fool you. Nicotine is right at the center. It’s a serious toxin and one of the most addictive chemicals around. Pop a pouch in your mouth and the nicotine goes straight to your brain, spiking dopamine and making you crave more. Teenagers are especially vulnerable—their brains are still developing, and nicotine messes with that, wrecking focus, making impulse control harder, and laying groundwork for lifelong addiction or later substance abuse.
That’s just the start- nicotine also speeds up your heartbeat, raises blood pressure, and strains your blood vessels. Even if we’re still learning about the long-term impacts of just using pouches, we already know the short-term risks are nothing to ignore.
Industry’s Playbook: Targeting the Young
Companies claim nicotine pouches are for adult smokers wanting a safer alternative. But a quick look at the products and ads tells a different story:
- Flavors like “bubble gum,” “gummy bear,” and “blueberry ice” are clearly aimed at teens. It’s much easier for a kid to get hooked when the stuff tastes like candy.
- Packaging is another trick. Tins look like trendy mints or little gadgets—easy to show your friends, or slip into a pocket.
- Influencers and online ads skirt old advertising bans, pushing pouches right onto social feeds where teens spend hours, making them seem just another cool accessory.
All this turns nicotine use into something normal- just another fun thing for kids and teens, blurring where play ends and addiction begin.
India’s Legal Blind Spot
So, what’s stopping all this? Not much, honestly. India’s main tobacco law, COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003), covers old-school tobacco products, but each state must enforce it. Plenty have banned gutka and paan masala, but nicotine pouches slip right through because there are no actual tobacco leaves inside.
Companies have switched to synthetic nicotine, claiming this somehow makes them exempt from these laws. In reality, synthetic nicotine is just as addictive and dangerous. “Lab-made” is just a loophole.
India banned e-cigarettes in 2019 under the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), but here’s the problem: pouches aren’t devices. No batteries, no vapor, no tech—so they skate around that law. Vapes are gone to protect young people, but pouches, which are just as risky, are still sold in high-end stores and online, simply because they don’t fit the tech definition.
What India Needs to Do Now
India can’t sit back while a new addiction crisis takes root. Lawmakers should act fast, using WHO guidance and international strategies:
- Close all loopholes. Update COTPA, PECA, or bring in a fresh law covering every oral nicotine product—no matter what kind of nicotine is inside.
- Ban kid-friendly flavors. No fruit, candy, or dessert options. If neutral flavors help adults quit smoking, fine—but don’t let them lure new teen users.
- Stop aggressive marketing. Block all social media ads, influencer promos, and sponsorships targeting teens. Shut down illegal ads online as soon as they pop up.
- Mandate plain packaging. Drop the flashy tins and cool designs. Require warnings showing exactly how these products mess with your brain, heart, and overall health.
- Cap nicotine content. Set a maximum legal limit for nicotine in each pouch. No more “expert” high-strength versions making addiction even easier or risking overdose.
- Tax them heavily and limit sales. Price the pouches out of reach for teenagers, and use that money for real public education campaigns. Restrict sales to adult-only, age-checked counters or pharmacies, not places where teens can grab them out of curiosity.
Where India Goes from Here
India’s made real progress on tobacco: public smoking bans, bold health warnings, outlawing certain products. But all that’s at risk if nicotine pouches get a free pass.
WHO’s warning is stark: Products that are easy to hide, full of sweet flavors, and packaged to look cool will hook kids fast. This isn’t a theory- it’s happening.
India stands at a pivot point. We can let corporations exploit loopholes, or step up and put young people’s health first. Closing gaps, banning flavors, ditching slick packaging, and treating nicotine pouches as what they are- a huge addiction threat- isn’t just smart policy, it’s urgent. Waiting only makes things worse. And in the end, it’s India’s youth who’ll pay the price.
The article is written by Dr Ravi Mehrotra, Founder, Centre for Health Innovation and Policy Foundation and Former Director ICMR-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research.
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