The authorities began the fight against nicotine bags. In kiosks and other retail outlets, this product was found on sale. The pharmaceutical service warned that the implementation of such a spider in Cyprus is illegal. They can cause a number of health problems, including tachycardia and brain damage.
On June 24, the pharmaceutical service received a complaint. It said that a 15-year-old teenager bought a nicotine spider in a kiosk, used it, after which he lost consciousness.
A nicotine spider is a bag of a podsuchech, reminiscent of a tea, with a nicotin-containing filler. This is a variation of snuff - products containing crushed tobacco leaves. The difference between one and the other is that natural tobacco is usually not added to spider. The pillow is placed under the upper lip, as a result of which nicotine enters the body in approximately the same quantities as in smoking.
The pharmaceutical service said that spiders are a serious hazard of health, especially for young people whose brain is still developing. Pillows cannot be considered a safer alternative to smoking. The risks of eating nicotine thus may include:
- Development and strengthening of dependence, - poisoning, nausea, vomiting, - dizziness, - tachycardia, - loss of consciousness, - heart complications - problems with memory, concentration of attention and making decisions, - gum disease and destruction of teeth.
In the long run, nicotine spiders negatively affect cognitive development.
Pharmaceutical services resemble the public that from October 2024, nicotine bags have been classified in Cyprus as pharmaceuticals. Therefore, their sale requires a license. Not a single license has been given yet. If the distributors of nicotine pads want to sell them legally, then they can do this only through pharmacies.
In many countries, nicotine spiders fall into the gray zone, their distribution is not regulated in any way. In turn, Snus is prohibited in many countries, for example, in the European Union (with one exception), Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Turkey, Canada, Australia, etc.
The only EU country where Snus is permitted is Sweden, since there this product is considered traditional. Tobacco bags are also popular in Norway, where they can also be bought freely.
The text is prepared based on the materials of Cyprus Mail, Politis, Sigmalive and Filelefteros.
