Pirha launches autumn campaign to tackle surge in youth nicotine pouch and vaping use

Pirkanmaa wellbeing services Pirha is launching a new autumn campaign to reduce rising nicotine pouch and e-cigarette use among young people across Pirkanmaa, and will expand support services for those trying to quit, Tamperelainen reports.

Nicotine pouch use among young people has nearly doubled in the past two years, while vaping has also become more common. After nicotine pouch sales were liberalised in 2023, use among working-age men doubled by 2025. Use among 8th–9th graders rose from 6% to 10%. Among vocational students it climbed from 15% to 30%. About one in three vocational students now use nicotine products. Roughly one in five students in vocational institutions vape, and about one in ten upper secondary students do.

"We are very worried that ever younger people are starting to use nicotine products," said Iina Nummi, preventive substance abuse planner at Pirkanmaa wellbeing services. The autumn campaign, branded a nicotine-free initiative, will run in schools, educational institutions and on social media. Adults will be offered a new digital self-help quitting path. Oral health services will raise the issue of nicotine use more actively with patients, and residents will be invited to take a local substance use survey later in the season.

The campaign builds on recent local youth-focused efforts such as Tampere's 'Listen to Youth' campaign and the city's youth wellbeing ecosystem, both designed to strengthen outreach and services for young people.