Needham Bans Sale of Flavored Nicotine Pouches

August 18, 2025
• The Needham Board of Health voted unanimously to ban the sale of flavored nicotine pouches in a vote on Aug. 8. The policy includes restrictions on flavors and the amount of nicotine in pouches.

The new law, under the town’s smoking and tobacco sales regulation, forbids the sale and distribution of oral nicotine pouches with a distinct flavor and those containing more than six milligrams of nicotine content per pouch. Additionally, the pouches can only be sold in adult-only tobacco stores, which do not currently exist in Needham.

The regulation will take effect Oct. 1.

Nicotine pouches contain nicotine and flavorings, along with other ingredients. Users place the pouch between their gums and lip, making them less visible than cigarettes and vapes.

Multiple community members advocated for the ban at the Board of Health’s public hearing, sharing personal stories and statistics, as well as encouraging engagement with substance use prevention organizations.

“I see nicotine pouches littered all over the high school, in the parking lot, in front of school, on the fields. I can even see them stuck under desks like gum,” said Needham High School student Grace Tetreault, a member of the school’s Students Advocating for Life without Substance Abuse. “But nicotine pouches are very inconspicuous and can just be stuck in someone’s mouth during class at all times, and really not able to be detected.”

Needham Public Health conducted a comprehensive review in April of nicotine pouches and their impact on youth, as well as their influence on statewide policy. In May, officials decided that nicotine pouches were to be capped at six milligrams and remain unflavored prior to retail sale.

Needham Public Health’s Karen Shannon emphasized the addictive nature of nicotine products at the board’s June 20 meeting, where others provided feedback on the potential ban.

“As a substance use prevention coordinator, I can confidently say that the most effective prevention strategies begin with limiting youth exposure and access to addictive substances, including nicotine pouches,” Shannon said. “Evidence-based research consistently shows that reducing access and availability is a key component of primary prevention.”

“We know that nicotine is addictive,” she added. “We’ve talked about the brains of young people, that nicotine disrupts the brain circuitry responsible for action, attention, learning and memory.”

During the Board of Health’s public hearing on the matter, Needham High School senior Isabel Tashie voiced support for the ban. Tashie previously testified in other municipalities, including Needham, in support of a Nicotine-Free Generation policy, which age-gated tobacco products.

As a member of the 84 Movement — a state organization educating youth and adults on the harmful effects of nicotine — Tashie said she’s learned how big corporations use their funds and platform to influence young people.

“Nicotine pouches are a tool to hook new users,” she said in an interview. “People don’t understand the harm they could cause… they see them as coping mechanisms or ways to self-medicate.”

Tashie added that names and labels of the patches can be misleading, with names like “chill” leading people to believe it can help reduce anxiety. They also sometimes do not indicate being flavored until the pouch is opened, said Cheryl Sbarra, executive director and senior staff attorney at the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards.

Peter Brennan, executive director of the New England Convenience Store and Energy Marketers Association, opposed the ban at the board’s public hearing on June 20. Residents can travel to neighboring communities to obtain nicotine products, he said, making the flavor ban an “absolute waste of resources.” He added that adults use pouches to wean off of stronger tobacco products.

“This does nothing to impact youth usage,” Brennan said. “Youth are getting these products on the black market, they’re getting them online, and they’re not really using these products in any measurable numbers that would make one concerned.”

About 3.3% of Needham High School students reported using nicotine pouches over the last 30 days, according to the 2023 Metrowest Adolescent Health Survey results. Nearly 10% of high schoolers reported using any nicotine product, including cigarettes and vapes, in the same time frame.

Before the regulation takes effect this fall, the Public Health Division plans to coordinate with local tobacco vendors and later conduct checks to ensure compliance, Assistant Public Health Director Tara Gurge wrote in an email.

Other Massachusetts communities have implemented similar policies restricting nicotine pouches. Northampton, Southborough, Montague and Townsend have all restricted sales to adult-only retailers, and Athol and Amherst banned the sale of nicotine pouches with more than 6 milligrams of nicotine.

The Town of Brookline was the first in the country to pass an age-gated tobacco policy. Various public health advocates from Needham, including high school students, presented arguments at meetings in nearby towns such as Somerville, Dover and Bellingham. Needham itself became the first U.S. town to raise the tobacco sales age to 21.

In line with the Nicotine-Free Generation movement, state lawmakers are considering a ban on the sale of tobacco products to people born after 2006. The bill, still pending, would apply to nicotine pouches, cigarettes, vapes, chewing tobacco and cigars.

Abigail Meyers is a senior at Simmons University, where she serves as editor-in-chief of The Simmons Voice.