What Nicotine Pouches Could Do for Türkiye. The case for opening a legal pathway [Briefing Paper]

Türkiye has some of the strictest tobacco control laws in the world, but about 30 per cent of adults, around 32 million people, still smoke. This is the second-highest rate in Europe. Approximately 85,000 people die each year from tobacco-related causes. Our latest briefing paper, What Nicotine Pouches Could Do for Türkiye, examines what might change this situation.

According to Path to Smoke-Free projections, Turkey will not achieve smoke-free status (less than 5 per cent prevalence) until well into the 23rd century if it continues at its current rate. However, it could reach that goal by 2071 if it moves at Sweden’s pace. Sweden, the only smoke-free country in the EU with a prevalence of 3.7 per cent, attained this status mainly because of the availability of snus and nicotine pouches.

Nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco leaves and produce no smoke. In June 2026, the US FDA approved that ZYN pouches can claim to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other serious illnesses when used instead of cigarettes. Regulatory authorities and governments in Germany, Sweden, Romania, and the Czech Republic have reached the same conclusion.

In Türkiye, nicotine pouches are governed by two ministries and, since there is no regulatory framework, they cannot be sold legally. Cigarettes remain widely available.

A draft legislation still being prepared would ban all tobacco sales from 2040 and broaden the definition of tobacco to include all nicotine products, such as pouches. It would also ban a product regulators classify as lower risk along with the cigarettes it could replace.

The paper suggests classifying nicotine pouches as ordinary consumer products under the Ministry of Trade, as several EU member states have done. This would create a properly supervised market with age restrictions, nicotine limits, flavour controls, and labelling standards.
 

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