Snus: Hooked on Nicotine (Channel 4) — UK Documentary Review

Tir Dhondy follows up the very watchable Hunting the Rolex Rippers by exploring the “epidemic” of people using a reduced-risk, legally available smoking alternative product. But if you think this show is a much-overdue celebration of the UK’s declining smoking rates, you might be disappointed.

Ostensibly, Snus: Hooked on Nicotine is a documentary. However, I always feel a little uncomfortable calling TV programs like this by that name. When someone says the word documentary, my mind is transported to work like Hoop Dreams, Capturing the Freedmens, O.J.: Made In America, the Act of Killing, and so on.

Those obsessional, exhaustive projects meditate on fascinating subjects or phenomena. They are products of a passionate exploration of culture and the human psyche. These films resonate with us because they teach us things, provide incredible access and insight into different words, and are packed full of meaning.

Then, there is this type of documentary. Behind the rapid editing style and the sort of music that Channel 4 commissioners probably call “urban”, there is not a lot there.

And look, I get it. The audience for this is people who are watching TV while simultaneously scrolling on social media. It’s Muzak, and it’s pointless being upset with it because it’s not A Love Supreme or whatever does it for you.

It probably seems like I’m going on a hate-filled screed against Tir Dhondy. I promise you I’m not. I enjoyed Hunting the Rolex Rippers, even if I felt the nihilism of the subject matter rubbed off on the narrative. But Dhondy did an excellent job of getting these men to talk, so it was compelling viewing and an interesting insight into criminality.

None of that energy is present here. Hooked on Nicotine is gossamer-thin and lacks the balance and curiosity that the subject matter deserves. Sadly, the show is very selective about what voices it seeks out, just in case it gives screentime to the wrong sort of opinions.

Snus: Hooked on Nicotine starts with a bit of background on snus, a product that is illegal to sell in the UK. Dhondy does manage to pick up a few tins of contraband snus from a shop, but the primary focus of this piece is tobacco-free nicotine pouches, even if the title confuses things a little.

The show has everything you might expect. It commissions a small survey of a few hundred pouch users. Some of them say they use pouches to relax or feel good. Then we get a flat section with someone who is a dual-user (i.e., pouches and cigarettes) who warns Dhondy that she’s better off with nicotine gum. And, of course, there is the prerequisite hand-wringing about “creating a whole new generation of nicotine addicts.”

Dhondy seems oblivious to the dynamic that has reduced smoking prevalence rates in the UK and other countries. It never feels like she gets the power and importance of these products for citizens who want to live healthier lives. The downstream consequence is that, too often, she asks the wrong questions and speaks to the wrong people.

Then, we’re on to the moral panic about snus in football. Will David James be wheeled out to offer his expert opinion on snus? Of course, he will. James says he suspects nicotine could affect athletic performance. He neglects to share how he used snus to give up cigarettes in the 1990s.

After that, will we have a doctor pushing the now entirely debunked gateway theory? You bet we will. The same doctor speculates that people who cite nicotine pouches as a way to alleviate anxiety are actually just experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Expect a WHO infographic blaming nicotine for causing teen anxiety any day now.

He also claims that when people stop using nicotine, their mental health tends to improve. Another bold claim that goes unchecked and uncited. While that may be true for smoking, the best “data” I could find to support this claim was a survey from, you’ve guessed it, conflict of Interest’s Truth Initiative.

Of course, Hooked on Nicotine makes no effort to reach out to consumer advocacy groups or any of the legion of healthcare professionals and experts who understand the instrumental role of smoking alternatives in helping people achieve healthier lives. Similarly, there is no representation for people who don’t feel it’s the government’s role to tell us how to live our lives.

The documentary’s lack of balance really hurts its credibility. It could have been more than a one-sided fear-mongering hit piece. There is a story here, but Dhondy can’t see it. Instead, we get something that feels like every other mainstream media coverage of snus and nicotine pouches.

Humans have always and will always be interested in stimulants like nicotine, caffeine, ginseng, and so on. Combustible tobacco is a lethal delivery method; vapes and pouches offer an alternative that is much safer.

There is a story here. It’s about how smoking alternatives can reduce the death and destruction caused by combustible cigarettes. It’s about the consumers who will live to see their grandchildren because the market solved a problem.

In time, the moral panic around pouches and snus will be seen for what it is. In the meantime, let’s hope this work doesn’t stop anyone from switching to a product that can transform their health.