By Timothy S. Donahue
Top Takeaways:
- STMA formally defined smokeless tobacco products and explicitly listed nicotine pouches, including pouch “sheets” and patches.
- Oral nicotine products will be regulated as cigarettes or cut tobacco, not under e-cigarette rules.
- STMA stated that the category falls under restricted industrial policy and prohibited unauthorized production and sales.
China’s tobacco regulator has issued a formal regulatory framework covering nicotine pouches and other oral nicotine products.
In an announcement dated Jan. 6 and made public Jan. 9, China’s State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) defined “smokeless tobacco products” as nicotine-containing products used orally, nasally, or externally without producing smoke.
The STMA definition explicitly lists nicotine pouches (including pouch “sheets” and patches), snus, chewing tobacco, and snuff, according to reports.
The STMA said that smokeless tobacco products will be managed as either cigarettes or cut tobacco, depending on product characteristics, rather than under China’s e-cigarette framework. The statement means private manufacturers and brands of oral nicotine products will no longer have a viable path to operate in China’s domestic market.
The regulator also stated that smokeless tobacco products will be subject to China’s restricted industrial policy classification and reiterated that producing or selling smokeless tobacco products without authorization is prohibited.
