Spain appears to be relaxing its planned de facto ban on nicotine pouches. According to the latest version of the government’s proposal, the nicotine limit is being raised from 0.99 to 4 milligrams per pouch. At the same time, other far-reaching restrictions remain in place – including a ban on flavours for e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, as well as a ban on single-use products.
The Spanish government appears set to amend one of the most controversial aspects of its proposal for new regulations on nicotine products.
In the latest version, the maximum permitted nicotine content in nicotine pouches is said to have been raised from 0.99 to 4 milligrams per pouch. The information has been published by, amongst others, Nicotine Insider and Pouch Patrol, and has also been confirmed by the industry publication TobaccoIntelligence. The proposal is reportedly now with Spain’s highest advisory body, the Consejo de Estado, for review.
However, there is as yet no official final version confirming the new limit, according to the Pouch Patrol website.
Sweden protested against 0.99 milligrams
That uThe original proposal was presented by the Spanish Ministry of Health and set a limit of 0.99 milligrams of nicotine per pouch. At the same time, the Ministry wanted to ban all flavourings except artificial tobacco flavouring.
The border met with protests from countries including Sweden under the EU’s so-called TRIS procedure. The criticism centred, amongst other things, on the fact that, in practice, the limit would halt almost all sales of nicotine pouches on the Spanish market and constitute a disproportionate barrier to trade within the EU. The European Commission and several other Member States also raised objections to parts of the Spanish regulatory package.
In April 2025, Vejpkollen reported on the Swedish Government’s protest against the proposal.
Spain subsequently defended the proposed limit, citing, amongst other things, the health risks associated with nicotine. In its response to the criticism, it also emerged that the government had considered several other limit values – including 4 milligrams per sachet.
Quadruple the proposed limit
If the latest version is approved, this will mean that Spain is opting for a level that the government had previously considered but ultimately decided against.
Four milligrams is still considerably lower than the nicotine content in many of the products sold on the European market. However, unlike the 0.99-milligram limit, at least some nicotine pouches could remain on the Spanish market.
”Still restrictive”
Markus Lindblad, Head of Legal & External Affairs at Haypp Group, describes the change as a step in the right direction. Haypp Group is behind the public awareness campaign ‘Pouch Patrol’, which has highlighted the changes in the latest Spanish proposal.
”If the original limit of just under 1 mg had been introduced, most of the nicotine pouches currently used by adult consumers would, in practice, have disappeared from the market. A limit of 4 mg is still restrictive, but is closer to the reality of the market,” says Markus Lindblad via the Pouch Patrol website.
The ban on tasting remains in place
At the same time, other parts of the Spanish proposal remain in place. The government wants to ban single-use e-cigarettes and ban virtually all e-liquid flavours except for artificial tobacco flavour. The ban on single-use models is also included in the broader reform of the Tobacco Act put forward by the government.
This would affect a large proportion of Spain’s vejpare. In a a survey by Dynata, commissioned by World Vapers’ Alliance, 92 per cent of the Spanish vejp users surveyed said they use flavours other than tobacco. 87 per cent said that the flavours help them to stay away from cigarettes.
The Spanish the trade association UPEV At the same time, it warns that a ban on flavourings would hit the country’s specialist vejp shops hard. According to the organisation, more than 85 per cent of the shops’ revenue comes from products that would be affected by the ban.
Not decided yet
The Spanish regulations have still not been finalised. The revised version, which sets a nicotine limit of 4 milligrams, is reportedly currently being reviewed by the Consejo de Estado before the government can proceed.
The proposal therefore represents a relaxation of the rules on nicotine pouches compared with the version that Sweden and several other EU countries protested against. For e-cigarettes, however, the most far-reaching restrictions remain in place.
