Dr. Marina Murphy, Senior Director of Scientific Affairs at Haypp Group, emphasized that U.S. smokers need greater access to low-risk nicotine products, not less. She cautioned that banning online sales would only fuel the illicit market and push smokers back to cigarettes.
Key Takeaways
- Market Constraints: Only 13% of nicotine products are approved in the U.S., creating supply shortages.
- Policy Risks: Banning online sales would reduce choice, fuel black markets, and push smokers back to cigarettes.
- Disproportionate Impact: Rural and underserved communities, which rely heavily on online channels, would bear a disproportionate harm.
- Alternative Approach: Enhance age verification and oversight through technology, rather than implementing blanket bans.
Haypp Group experts warn: Banning vapes may backfire
September 1, 2025 — According to Businesswire, Dr. Marina Murphy, Senior Director of Scientific Affairs at Haypp Group, recently published an article warning that proposals by U.S. academics and regulators to “ban online sales of nicotine products” could backfire.
Dr. Murphy noted that the U.S. market is already highly restricted, with only 13% of nicotine products currently approved for sale. Cutting off online channels would further limit consumer choice, fuel the black market, and force smokers back to cigarettes. Rural residents and vulnerable groups reliant on online channels would bear the brunt of this impact.
She emphasized: “Progress isn’t achieved by closing doors. If smokers can’t find low-risk alternatives, they’ll simply keep buying cigarettes.”
While online sales bans are often touted as a youth protection measure, Dr. Murphy contends the root issue lies in weak enforcement, not the channels themselves. She highlighted the “double standard” where age-restricted goods like alcohol remain purchasable online across multiple states.
She called for the U.S. to strengthen age verification and compliance through a combination of innovation and smart regulation, thereby protecting youth while ensuring adults continue to access low-risk alternatives.
“Restricting adults’ access to adult products protects neither public health nor youth—it protects only cigarettes,” she stated.
Haypp Group, the parent company of Northerner.com and Nicokick.com, is a leading global online retailer of nicotine pouches and snuff. Committed to advancing tobacco harm reduction, it serves hundreds of thousands of consumers annually across the U.S., Europe, and other regions.
