Buenos Aires Province issues health alert over growing use and promotion of nicotine pouches

Key points

• Buenos Aires Province health ministry issued an alert on rising nicotine pouch circulation, promotion and use

• Pouches are disposable oral products placed between the lip and gum, releasing nicotine via oral mucosa for about 30 minutes

• The ministry says they are marketed as “smoke- and vapor-free” and “tobacco-free,” but contain addictive nicotine

• It cites warnings that high-concentration pouches may produce blood nicotine levels exceeding cigarettes, with heart and nervous-system harms

• The ministry says there is no health authorization for commercialization and no specific nicotine-pouch regulation

2Firsts, January 13, 2026 – According to the Ministry of Health of the Province of Buenos Aires, the ministry issued a health alert to the public and health teams regarding growing circulation, promotion and consumption of nicotine pouches.

The ministry described nicotine pouches as disposable products that do not require combustion or vapor and dissolve in the mouth without the need to spit. It said they are sold as tobacco-free but contain nicotine and have a high addictive potential. Citing risks and the absence of health authorization for commercialization, the ministry said it seeks to limit consumption of this product strategy attributed to the tobacco industry, describing it as particularly dangerous for children, adolescents and young people by increasing early nicotine exposure and facilitating initiation among those more vulnerable to addiction.

The ministry said pouches are small oral-use bags placed between the lip and gum and contain a powder with flavorings that releases nicotine through absorption via the oral mucosa for about 30 minutes. It said the products began being marketed in Argentina in 2025 and have been promoted with the slogan “Sin humo ni vapor, cuando quieras, donde quieras,” alongside the warning: “Este producto no es libre de riesgos y contiene nicotina, que es adictiva. Venta exclusiva para adultos.”

The ministry cited specialist warnings that in high-concentration products, blood nicotine levels can even exceed those reached with conventional cigarettes, increasing addictive potential and harm to the heart and nervous system.

On regulation, it said Argentina does not yet have a specific rule expressly regulating this product, and that there are no current health permits or authorizations for commercialization; it added they could be treated similarly to existing restrictions on tobacco-derived products. It referenced Buenos Aires Province Law No. 13.894 as a general framework to protect health from the promotion and consumption of tobacco products and/or derivatives, with special attention to children and adolescents.

2Firsts has noticed that the BAT in Argentina claims to have launched VELO nicotine pouches as a tobacco-free, non-combustible alternative for adults. At the same time, social media and media reports indicate that Philip Morris International (PMI) ZYN has also been reported to be available in the Argentine market.

Image source: Buenos Aires Province Health Department