Nicotine pouches no longer lawful in Australia – what you should know

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has announced that, from 24 July 2026, there is no longer any lawful pathway for consumers to buy or import nicotine pouches in Australia. The changes close the remaining regulatory pathways that previously allowed limited access to these products.

Importantly:

• It is illegal for retailers, including online sellers, to sell nicotine pouches in Australia.

• Medical practitioners cannot prescribe nicotine pouches.

• Pharmacies cannot compound or supply nicotine pouches.

• Consumers can no longer import nicotine pouches through the Personal Importation Scheme or access them via the Special Access Scheme or Authorised Prescriber Scheme.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR PUBLISHERS

While these changes are not primarily about advertising compliance, they do have implications for editorial, commerce and affiliate content.

Publishers should be mindful that content which promotes, facilitates or encourages access to products that cannot lawfully be supplied in Australia may create unnecessary legal and reputational risk.

This is particularly relevant for:

• lifestyle and men's health content

• "best of" product round-ups

• shopping and affiliate articles

• news coverage of emerging nicotine products; and

• social media content linking to overseas suppliers.

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE

When producing editorial content about nicotine pouches, consider the following.

Do

• Clearly explain that nicotine pouches cannot lawfully be purchased or imported by consumers in Australia.

• Present the information in a factual, news or public health context.

• Ensure any discussion of overseas trends is clearly identified as relating to other jurisdictions where the products may have a different legal status.

Avoid

• "Best nicotine pouches" or product recommendation articles.

• Reviews or comparisons encouraging product selection.

• "Where to buy" or "how to order" content.

• Affiliate links to overseas retailers.

• Direct links to websites selling nicotine pouches to Australian consumers.

• Content that could reasonably be interpreted as encouraging use or facilitating access.

ADVERTISING CONSIDERATIONS

Although the recent TGA announcement is principally about the lawful supply of nicotine pouches rather than advertising, publishers should remember that commercial content featuring products that cannot lawfully be supplied in Australia is likely to present significant compliance concerns.

Any proposed commercial partnership, sponsored content or affiliate campaign involving nicotine pouches should therefore be approached with extreme caution.

ADREVIEW INSIGHT

This announcement is a timely reminder that products gaining popularity overseas are not necessarily lawful to supply or promote in Australia.

Before publishing buying guides, product reviews, affiliate content or shopping features involving emerging health products, publishers should first confirm that there is a lawful supply pathway in Australia. Doing so can help avoid content that inadvertently encourages consumers to seek out products that are not legally available.