The lobbying expenses of tobacco industrialists exploded between 2023 and 2024. This intensification of influence activities, in particular carried by the Cigaretier British American Tobacco (BAT), could partly be explained by the will of tobacco manufacturers to prevent the prohibition of nicotine sachets in France.
Lobbying expenses increased by 85% between 2023 and 2024
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According to the online media context, the tobacco industry has increased its lobbying expenses between 2023 and 2024[1]. Each year, tobacco economic players or their representatives must declare the amount of their expenses allocated to their influence activities at the Ministry of Health. Thus, in 2023, seven organizations and industrialists declared having devoted 805,000 euros for their activities. In 2024, these expenses reached 1.5 million euros, an increase of 85%. For this year, an additional player has declared influence spending: the Logista distributor. With nearly 720,000 euros declared, almost half of lobbying expenses were carried out by the British American Tobacco. In the decreasing order then come the association of smoking tobacco suppliers (273,600 euros), the federation of cigar manufacturers (224,540 euros), Philip Morris (89,796 euros), Imperial Brands Seita (70,006 euros) and Japan Tobacco (67,462 euros).
The leader in nicotine sachets has more than tripled his influence expenses
Between 2023 and 2024, British American Tobacco multiplied his lobbying expenses by 3.6. This increase is undoubtedly not unrelated to the place of leader that the manufacturer occupies in France in the marketing of nicotine sachets. In 2024, the former Minister of Health Geneviève Darrieussecq had announced his intention to ban sachets of nicotine. A few months later, in accordance with European law, the French government had notified the European Commission its proposal for decree aimed at prohibiting oral products for nicotine, for an expected response in August 2025.
Manufacturers activate all levers to avoid a prohibition of nicotine sachets
For its part, the tobacco industry is organized to deal with this new regulatory threat. First at the national level, by mobilizing parliamentarians to table law proposals and amendments to prefer supervision rather than the prohibition of these new products. Then, on a community scale, based on certain Member States, to delay the publication of the opinion of the European Commission. Also according to context, manufacturers have also worked since September 2024 in the development of an AFNOR standard, aimed at setting the requirements for “security” and the “quality” of nicotine sachets[2]. This standard, published in May 2025, specifies in particular the information to appear on the labeling of products, or even maximum levels of nicotine (16.6 mg, or four times those authorized for nicotine substitutes).
A voluntary standard to take the lead on a potential ban
By definition, an AFNOR standard is voluntary, and does no constraint on manufacturers. If the publication of a decree for the prohibition of nicotine sachets would in fact make such a deduction standard, such an operation aims to “send a strong signal” to the government, and encourage it to return to its decision to prohibit the product by seeking to assert the capacity of the tobacco industry to self -regulate and adopt responsible standards. The establishment of standards by the tobacco industry also tends to induce the consumer in misleading, by suggesting risk -free consumption.
However, as the National Committee against Smoking specifies (CNCT), the marketing of nicotine sachets is in fact illegal in France. The advertising and commercial strategy implemented by the tobacco industry thus appears incompatible with the discourse of responsibility run by manufacturers. In addition, a study Jointly conducted by the CNCT and the National Consumer Institute/60 million consumers had alerted to the presence of heavy metals, and in particular arsenic, in all the nicotine sachets analyzed.
FT
[1] Context, the tobacco industry almost doubled its lobbying expenses in 2024 (briefing), 07/07/2025, (consulted the same day
[2] Context, The tobacco industry goes through the standard to convince the interest of nicotine sachets07/07/2025, (accessed the same day)
