“Trivializing Cocaine”: What is this “invigorating snorting powder” sold in some tobacco stores?

“The white powder you inhale through your nose? Although this may represent a forbidden pleasure, it is completely within the law. » On its website, Sniffy assures us that its white powder is legal, unlike cocaine. However, these two substances come in the same form and are inhaled in the same way: inhaled, as the product name indicates.

This invigorating powder has been available for several days in some tobacco stores and online. It is marketed as a “dietary supplement,” comes in five flavors, and works—with immediate effect—within 20 to 30 minutes.

Sniffy says the product is perfect for staying alert and focused. It will contain 90% natural elements. The substance consists, in particular, of caffeine, creatine or taurine (present in some energy drinks). From a health standpoint, it is recommended to use this illicit powder only “when you need it,” the brand’s website says. The maximum daily dose is two grams, and excessive consumption carries the risk of side effects.

The spotlight has been on this product, invented by Highbuy, a CBD specialist from Marseille, since the show “La grande Week” broadcast on channel M 6. In an interview lasting 20 minutes, the designer of Sniffy himself was surprised that his powder was sold. in a Parisian tobacco shop. Surprisingly, he did not want to give his name to the media. He acknowledged that the product could “shock people” and that consumption patterns could be “confused” while denying any incitement.

“Trivialization of Cocaine”

However, Sniffy logically made drug experts jump. In a BFMTV microphone, the president of the French Federation of Addictology, Amin Benjamin, called on the authorities to ban this phenomenon.

In an article published on the Addictions France website, Bernard Basset, president of the association, condemns “advertising promotion” and “trivialization of gestures (sniffing), appearance (white powder), motives of consumption (increasing your energy, partying)”: “Sniffy “is not cocaine, but it is so similar to it that it indirectly makes it easier to use,” he writes. According to the organization, the different sweet flavors will “attract young people.”

Addictions France also claims that tobacco sellers will “contribute to the simplification of cocaine in our world” through the sale of this white powder. If the mixture is now available, the Confederation of Tobacco Traders claims that “more than 90% of the chain is refusing to sell this product.” “We don’t sell our ethics,” she wrote on her social networks. The organization indicates that it has contacted authorities regarding the already controversial product.