The Sniffy brand sells a white powder, with “energizing” properties, that can be snorted through the nose. Use that resembles the use of certain drugs. However, it can be bought online, or in a tobacconist, completely legally.
“An instant solution to boost your energy”: this is how the product is presented on the brand’s website. Consisting of caffeine, creatine, L-citrulline, taurine, beta alanine, maltodextrin and L-arginine, it contains nothing illegal. However, the symbolism raises questions. The powder is white, sold with a straw for nasal absorption. Disturbing similarity to cocaine.
Fruit flavors are on offer: passion fruit, strawberry, lemon… Enough to make the product even more attractive among young people. She then repeats “puffs”, a kind of disposable version of electronic cigarettes, very popular among minors, whose use was already controversial and was restricted. Sniffy powder can also resemble CBD or poppers, products that look like drugs but remain legal and sold in stores.
Wholesalers are already out of stock
Most tobacconists in Toulouse have not yet heard of the product. But if they receive any requests, they will not hesitate to place an order. For others, the buyers are already there. This is the case of Frédéric Pailhé, president of Haute-Garonne tobacco, who ordered some, not without difficulty: “The wholesalers already have no stock, but I should have them in a few days,” he assures The Dispatch.
For him, there is nothing problematic about selling Sniffy powder. “There are no substances inside that are declared dangerous, as long as they are not banned, we can market them,” he says. The sale of this type of product allows tobacco shops to diversify and “recover the nicotine market, by selling what is even remotely close to it,” explains Frédéric Pailhé. “With this product, we can be accused of being drug initiators. But that’s hypocrisy. We always see the dark side of things: wouldn’t we rather people consume this than ‘a gram of heroin bought on the street corner?’
“Banalization of gesture”
However, the situation is more alarming on the side of healthcare professionals. “This product calls for the trivialization of the gesture, warns Professor Nicolas Franchitto, head of the department of addiction at the University Hospital of Toulouse, with whom he spoke The Dispatch. As long as we are no longer afraid of putting white powder in our noses, why not try the illegal version? The resemblance to cocaine invites people to break the rules, especially among the youngest,” the doctor believes.
Since the product is still not sufficiently present on the market, the health risks are still difficult to measure, but should be taken into account. “This consumption can cause injuries to the nose and the risk of transmission of infection if the straws are changed”, explains the addictologist, “We know that we will have to set up an additional monitoring system at the University Hospital.”