Nicotine pouches are sold in cans with different flavors such as mint, mango or blueberry Photo: Christian Lohse
By Sara Orlos Fernandes
Although the small bags are forbidden, they are offered in late night shops and shisha shops.
You clamp it between the gums and the lip and absorb the nicotine smoke-free. Nicotine pouches are often consumed to help people quit smoking, but according to the Berlin Addiction Prevention Center they are also popular with young people.
“Adolescents repeatedly report a positive perception of nicotine shock. At the same time, you don’t smell of smoke like you would with conventional cigarettes,” says Managing Director Anke Timm.
Nicotine pouches are sold in cans with different flavors such as mint, mango or blueberry © Christian Lohse Photo: Christian Lohse
BZ found the banned bags in several stores in Neukölln. Pankow also reports on controls this week: illegal goods for sale were discovered in three out of ten shops. The district wants to take measures to prevent this in the future.
But by no means every district has the capacity for this. That is why CDU consumer protection spokesman Danny Freymark (39) demands: “The state of Berlin does not manage to control officially banned products. The Senate needs to bolster districts with money for labor inspections.”
BZ looked for nicotine pouches in Neukölln and found them in several shops. On Sonnenallee, the banned products were not sold under the counter, but advertised openly. The can costs between 7 and 10 euros.
In a shop for shisha accessories, the cans stood on two large displays on the counter. Apparently nobody here is interested in the fact that the pouches are not permitted.