Australian Association Supports Pouch Attack
The Australian Medical Association in South Australia has welcomed a government crackdown on the sale of nicotine pouches
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by Dave Cross
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The Australian Medical Association (AMA) in South Australia has welcomed a government crackdown on the sale of nicotine pouches. It says the South Australian Government is leading the way in combatting the use of products that have helped Sweden to reach its smoke-free status.
In welcoming the South Australian Government’s move, the President of the Australian Medical Association in South Australia (AMA SA), Dr John Williams, said “not enough is known about the risks” of using tobacco-free nicotine pouches.
Williams stated: “Nicotine pouches are unregulated. There’s no quality control, which means the levels of nicotine contained in certain pouches could be extremely high.
“We also don’t know enough about the other chemicals hidden in these pouches and the damage they might cause.
“We applaud the Health Minister Chris Picton and his colleagues in government for taking firm and decisive action to clamp down on these risky products.”
It’s an odd position to take given the success Sweden has witnessed.
As Planet of the Vapes reported in November 2024, harm reduction experts called the government figures “sensational” and celebrated Sweden making international history by becoming the first country in world to become officially smoke free.
Dr Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden, said at the time: “By embracing and encouraging the use of alternative nicotine products such as snus, oral nicotine pouches and vapes, Sweden has paved a clear path to a smoke-free society while safeguarding public health.”
Outside of Australia’s warped echo chamber, international independent researchers have detailed the relative risk posed by pouches.
In The Potential Impact of Oral Nicotine Pouches on Public Health: A Scoping Review, published in 2024 in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research, the authors “conducted a structured literature search for empirical studies across three electronic databases through January 10, 2024. Outcomes included ONP product characteristics, use patterns, beliefs and perceptions, toxicity, and marketing and sales.”
They concluded: “[Pouches] appear to be less toxic than cigarettes and deliver comparable nicotine, presenting an alternative for combustible product users.”
None of this matters to the AMA or Williams, who went on to say: “For a long time now, AMA has been vocal about the risks of vaping. Nicotine pouches are shaping up as the next battle for youth health. The South Australian Government’s decision to enforce tough penalties on the marketing and sale of nicotine pouches will help stop this dangerous trend before it’s too late to turn back the tide.”
Not content with fibbing, he called upon Australia’s doctors to lie to patients: “Many people already turn to their GPs when they want help quitting smoking or vaping, it’s important they have all the facts about nicotine replacement products, so they don’t resort to vapes, nicotine patches or other risky alternatives.”
As can be seen in today’s other feature article on Planet of the Vapes, New Zealand is embarrassing Australia with its enlightened approach to tobacco harm reduction as smoking rates there continue to tumble.
Photo Credit:
Image created by author, logo added
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
