Why does “Sniffy”, this legal powder that can be “sniffed”, worry the authorities?

“We must ban it as soon as we can,” the Minister for Health, Frédéric Valletoux, declared on franceinfo on Saturday. But it will first be necessary to demonstrate that this product constitutes a danger.

It is a white powder which “sniff” with a straw and which, according to its promoters, would have an effect “instant euphoric”. Playing on a mode of consumption reminiscent of cocaine, an illicit drug whose numerous dangers are no longer in doubt and whose sale and consumption are strictly prohibited, a French company has marketed Sniffy, a product with a legal composition to absorb through the nose. A gram of this powder, available over the counter on the internet as well as in certain French tobacco shops, costs between 15 and 20 euros. But this brand new product (the brand was registered at the end of June 2023 with the INPI) could disappear as quickly as it appeared, promised Saturday May 25 the Minister Delegate in charge of Health and Prevention, Frédéric Valletoux.

“I discovered this latest ‘invention’ 48 hours ago, and I put in big quotation marks, of course, this junk that some people want to sell”he was indignant on Saturday on the Franceinfo set. “I will actually see in the coming days how we can ban this type of thingcontinued the minister. We must ban it as soon as we can.”

“It’s the symbolism of the cocaine that is sold there”denounced Saturday on BFMTV Amine Benyamina, psychiatrist-addictologist. “It’s not just the gesture, it’s the gesture and all the unconscious thinking around the product which is in powder form, with a pipette which is the equivalent of the gestures and the ritual of cocaine, it “is even more pernicious than one can imagine”, he added, denouncing “a product which is not toxic in the sense of its components, but which is toxic through the message it conveys”.

President of SOS Addictions, Doctor William Lowenstein also considered that “snorting is too similar to cocaine. There is no point in promoting this nasal use”he declared on Saturday on Franceinfo.

The brand itself maintained this parallel with cocaine on its website: “A white powder that one inhales through the nose? Although it may evoke forbidden pleasure, it is completely within the law”, could we read on its website, before the slogan was changed to “no confusion, Sniffy is legal”reports 20 minutes.

But can symbolism lead to the banning of a product? Under theArticle L3421-4 of the Public Health Code, “fPromoting drugs, whether their use or trafficking, is punishable by 5 years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros.recalls the site drugs-info-service.fr, even if this advertising “concerned products which are not narcotics, but which were presented as having the same type of effects.” Here, “the intentions of the author, the form and the context of these offenses will separate the situations where justice considers that the offense is constituted from those where it is not”, continues the site.

For William Lowenstein, “the fight against addictions is how to delay the age of first use. Now, because of this kind of cynical marketing, we should add how to delay the age of first bad imitations”, he told franceinfo. However, if the brand mentions on its website as well as on its packaging that it is prohibited for under 18s, how can we demonstrate any desire to promote illicit use among young people? For the president of the Addictions France Association, Bernard Basset, who expresses himself in a blog post, the fact that“There are different sweet and tangy flavors (Passion fruit, strawberry candy, plain, fresh mint and lime)” corresponds to marketing aimed at this audience. For him, these perfumes, “let’s have no doubt, it will attract younger people.”

So, by explaining that it is “harmless, that we have the right, that it is not dangerous, that it is original”, these sellers “try to attract young people to tobacco, drug use and ultimately addiction”, pointed out the Minister Delegate in charge of Health again.

It is for this reason that chocolate cigarettes, although legal in terms of composition, have disappeared from the shelves: article 16 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, signed by France in 2003, includes in this process “prohibiting the sale of confectionery and toys intended for children and manufactured with the clear intention of giving the product and/or its packaging the appearance of a type of tobacco product.“

None of the ingredients listed on the brand’s website appear on the list of narcotics drawn up by ANSES, the French health safety agency. On the other hand, they are considered food supplements for the most part well known to athletes. “Unlike medicines, the marketing of food supplements does not require marketing authorization., specifies ANSES. They are, however, subject to declarations to the Department of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) “which examines their composition and carries out checks like other categories of foodstuffs.”

“Ingredients such as caffeine, creatine, taurine and beta-alanine can potentially irritate sensitive mucous membranes, causing dryness or inflammation.specifies the product site, adding that“it is imperative to consult a healthcare professional before adopting this method of administration to assess individual risks”.

Finally, thbelieving that the “maximum daily dose not to be exceeded is 2 g, or two vials”, the site warns that“excessive consumption may cause undesirable effects”, does not recommend the use of the product for people sensitive to caffeine (“we strongly recommend that you do not consume it”) and warns that “Mixing Sniffy with alcohol or other products should be avoided.”

Sufficient precautions? An ANSES report on food supplements consumed by athletes noted, in 2016, that “Lhe risk of experiencing an adverse effect following the consumption of this type of product is all the higher as certain consumers tend to consume the product in doses higher than those recommended by the manufacturer (risk of overdose) or at take several products concomitantly.”