[New nicotine products bypass legal regulations and youth protection measures]

The increasing use of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, even among children and adolescents, is alarming from the perspective of prevention and youth protection. The sale of these products to children and young people is illegal in Germany. E-cigarettes may only be sold to adults. In contrast, nicotine pouches are not marketable at all in Germany, i.e. they may not be legally sold to anyone regardless of age. We investigated whether the sale of new nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, complies with legal requirements and protects minors.Seven adult researchers ordered e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches online from German-language websites in January and February 2025. A total of 33 order attempts were made, including 17 attempts to purchase e-cigarettes online and 16 attempts to order nicotine pouches.Reports of administrative offenses against the marketing of nicotine pouches were submitted to three authorities.Although not marketable in Germany, all 16 orders for nicotine pouches were delivered. Not in a single case was a reliable age check carried out when the order was placed. The authorities reacted inconsistently to reports that the nicotine pouches had been delivered by post. The ordering of e-cigarettes showed the following results: With one exception, in 16 of the 17 attempted orders, age verification was carried out either directly when the order was placed by uploading ID card data in order to successfully complete the ordering process or by the shipping service provider, who asked to see the ID card for age verification (≤18 years) when the package was handed over.The sale of nicotine pouches does not comply with legal requirements, nor does it protect minors. E-cigarettes and nicotine pouches can be ordered online without restriction from Germany. Although nicotine pouches are not marketable, they are actually delivered and, according to our observations, are even sold through vending machines. The protection of minors is being systematically circumvented here. The protection of minors is better regulated for e-cigarettes. Age checks are reliably carried out in the majority of cases. In the interests of preventive health protection, the state authorities responsible for food control are called upon to prevent illegal orders and deliveries of nicotine pouches.