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GENEVA: The World Health Organisation issued a strong warning on Friday over the rapid global expansion of nicotine pouch products, decrying the tobacco industry’s aggressive marketing tactics to hook young people.
Nicotine pouches, which are small sachets placed between the gum and lip that release nicotine through the lining of the mouth, are rapidly reshaping the global tobacco and nicotine market, the WHO said in a fresh report.
“Governments are seeing the use of these products spread quickly, especially among adolescents and young people who are being aggressively targeted by deceptive tactics,” said Etienne Krug, head of WHO’s health determinants, promotion and prevention department.
The products, which contain nicotine and typically also sweet flavouring, “are engineered for addiction”, he warned in a statement.
