Leitrim principal backs calls for nicotine pouch ban

As the school year begins again, a Leitrim principal has joined national calls for a ban on nicotine pouches.

“I have never seen a student use them, but I have found wrappers and packaging. That would suggest that they've definitely been in the school,” says Cllr Cormac Flynn, who is the principal of a secondary school in south Leitrim.

The small white pouches, sold in varying doses, are placed between the upper lip and gum. They can be bought in cans of 20 for €5–€7 depending on the brand, and are not subject to age regulations in Ireland.

“Incredibly discreet, and that's the issue … It's hiding in plain sight in many cases,” says Flynn.

The Irish Cancer Society has called for stronger regulation of nicotine pouches in recent days, with the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, echoing the call to have the pouches banned for under-18s.

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Though Flynn does not believe students are widely using them yet, he is concerned about their availability and the way they are marketed to teenagers.

“I can't say for certain that students are using them. I'm sure there are some students, of course, using them in all schools in the country, but a lot of these things, they start small and end up big. I hope it's small scale at this stage, but I certainly don't want to see it become as prevalent as vaping.”

Earlier this year, Sinn Féin brought forward a motion asking Leitrim County Council to coordinate and pursue funding sources to support the delivery of a drug education programme across local schools.

Ireland, however, has been slow to legislate on nicotine products. The Cancer Society called for regulation of vapes as far back as 2014, but legislation was not delivered until 2023.

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“We need to get ahead and stay ahead,” says Flynn. “This could become ubiquitous if the legislation doesn't get ahead of the problem, and that's going back to previous motions that were brought up at the council, that our legislation needs to be proactive ahead of the issues, rather than reactive and chasing the problem.”

“I'm just concerned that there's people out there who are ahead of the game always in terms of the law, and are able to inject illegal products, say synthetic cannabis oils, into these products, and it's drug use in plain sight.”

The growing popularity and normalisation of recreational drug use has prompted a call for drug education programmes to be introduced in Leitrim secondary schools.

“I just don't think these high-dose nicotine pouches have any place in our society at all. I don't see the benefits of them. They should never have been allowed into the country. Never. And the sooner the legislation gets rid of their importation, the better.”

International Nicotine pouche distributor SnusDaddy have advocated against a ban in Ireland, claiming it would be a negative for public health and remove Nicotine pouches as a option for those quitinng smoking. 

Instead they have advocated for age restrictions, no marketing targeting underaged people, Clear labelling of ingredients and nicotine strength, and a maximum nicotine limit of 16mg per pouch.

Currently there is no legislation around the sale or distribution of Nicotine pouches in affectin Ireland.