“A white powder that you inhale through your nose? Although this may suggest forbidden pleasure, it is completely within the law. » On its website, Sniffy assures us, its white powder is legal, unlike cocaine. However, the two substances come in the same form and are inhaled in the same way: by snorting them, as the name of the product indicates.
This energizing powder has been sold for several days in certain tobacco shops and on the Internet. It is presented as a “food supplement”, comes in five flavors and acts – with immediate effect – for 20 to 30 minutes.
Sniffy assures that the product is ideal for staying awake or focused. It would contain 90% natural elements. The substance is composed in particular of caffeine, creatine or taurine (present in certain energy drinks). Concerning health, it is recommended to only use this powder – prohibited for minors – “only when you need it”, it is written on the brand’s website. The maximum daily dose would be two grams and excessive consumption carries risks of adverse effects.
Towards its upcoming ban?
“It’s infuriating to see this type of product offered to young people,” Frédéric Valletoux, Minister Delegate for Health and Prevention, reacted Saturday morning to -. He claims to have discovered the existence of what he describes as “smut” “48 hours ago” and wants to ban it “as soon as we can”. “I will check very quickly with the services, starting this weekend,” he promises.
The spotlight has been on this product invented by Highbuy, a Marseille-based CBD specialist, since the show “La grande week”, broadcast on M 6. Interviewed by 20 minutes, the designer of Sniffy was himself surprised that his powder had been sold in a Parisian tobacco shop. Surprisingly, he did not wish to provide his name to the media. He recognized that the product could “shock people”, that “mixing up” the mode of consumption was possible, while denying any incitement.
“Trivialization of cocaine”
However, Sniffy logically made addictology specialists jump. At the microphone of BFMTV, the president of the French Federation of Addictology, Amine Benyamina, had already called for it to be banned by the public authorities.
In an article published on the Addictions France website, Bernard Basset, president of the association, deplores the “advertising promotion” and the “trivialization of the gesture (sniff), of the appearance (white powder), of the motivations for consume (boost your energy, party)”: “Sniffy is not cocaine, but it looks so much like it that it indirectly trivializes its use,” he writes. According to the organization, the different sweet flavors “will attract younger people”.
Addictions France also assures that tobacconists will “contribute to the trivialization of cocaine in our world” through the marketing of this white powder. If the mixture is now available, the Confederation of tobacconists assures that “more than 90% of the network refuses the marketing of this product”. “We do not sell out our ethics,” she wrote on her social networks. The organization indicates that it has contacted the authorities regarding an already controversial product.
