High-dose nicotine pouches: British authorities issue warning

As the United Kingdom prepares to ban disposable e-cigarettes in June 2025, health authorities are warning of the rise of another nicotine product: nicotine pouches. Discreet, flavored, available in very high concentrations—sometimes up to 150 mg per pouch—and often sold with no age restrictions, these products are causing growing concern among public health experts.

Since 2023, several thousand non-compliant bags have already been seized by the British authorities, highlighting a framework that is still lacking.[1].

In the UK, nicotine pouches do not fall under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR) like tobacco and vaping products containing nicotine. They are covered by the General Products Safety Regulations 2005 (GPSR). These more general regulations are less stringent than the regulations governing tobacco. This means that nicotine pouches are currently widely available in stores and online, and their sale is not restricted to people over 18. There are also no strict regulations regarding advertising or packaging.

Addictive products with risks that are still little known

Under current UK law, these products are not subject to the same regulations as cigarettes or e-liquids: there is no minimum age requirement for their sale, as there is no tobacco content. This loophole has allowed them to be distributed to minors, particularly through convenience stores or online platforms. Brands such as Velo (British American Tobacco) and Zyn (Philip Morris International) dominate the market, but many independent sellers also offer products with high nicotine content, up to 150 mg per pouch.

Although nicotine is not carcinogenic, it is a highly addictive substance and is not without its dangers. In young people, it can impair brain development and increase vulnerability to other addictions. Hospitalizations were reported in the UK in 2023 and 2024, linked to accidental overconsumption or ingestion of pouches, causing heart problems and allergic reactions.

On the oral level, professionals warn of a possible risk of gum recession, as observed with snus (banned in the EU, except in Sweden), which is consumed in a similar way.

Growing popularity among teenagers

A recent survey by the British Daniel Spargo-Mabbs (DSM) Foundation, conducted among 2,100 adolescents aged 15 to 18, revealed that 46% of adolescents identified nicotine pouches as one of the products most used by their peers. This was far behind vaping (95% of adolescents), but ahead of alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis.

The bags are often flavored (cola, iced mint, red berries) and marketed with an attractive design—to the point of sometimes being mistaken for candy or chewing gum. Their consumption easily goes unnoticed in schools, especially since they emit neither smoke nor vapor.

Thousands of non-compliant products seized by British authorities

Faced with the proliferation of non-compliant products, British authorities have stepped up controls. Since 2023, more than 12,000 high-nicotine pouches have been seized by enforcement teams. Trading Standards, mainly for the lack of mention of health risks or precise information on distributors. These actions are part of a context of increasing sales of non-compliant products and packaging, including via social networks. [2].

Faced with the rise of these products, the British government has included nicotine pouches in its bill Tobacco and Vapes BillThis text plans to prohibit their sale to minors, to regulate their nicotine content, their advertising and their packaging. Once adopted, the ban on sales to those under 18 will take effect six months later.

An assumed industrial strategy

Major tobacco companies, while claiming to target adults exclusively, continue to promote these products through visible channels: sponsorship of sporting events, advertisements in the subway or airports. Philip Morris International claims that the pouches are a "less harmful" alternative to cigarettes, while acknowledging their addictive nature. BAT, for its part, insists that its marketing partnerships are aimed only at adult audiences.[3].

But for many public health officials, this strategy aims to place young people in a "nicotine economy," with products with an attractive design and "cool" positioning, in line with the marketing strategies already used for tobacco products and, more recently, electronic cigarettes. The Sunday Times In particular, it revealed that some British brands – excluding BAT and PMI – are promoting nicotine pouches as a way to “enhance concentration during long study sessions,” or as a “quick and easy solution” to replace disposable e-cigarettes once they are banned in June.

Growing concern about these products

Faced with the rapid rise of nicotine pouches and the risks they pose to young people, several European governments have decided to act. Belgium and the Netherlands have banned their sale as of 2023 to limit the introduction of nicotine to young people. In France, anti-smoking associations such as the National Committee Against Smoking (CNCT) and the Alliance Against Tobacco (ACT) have been calling for a ban on these products for several years. The French Ministry of Health also supports this position and has notified the European Commission of a ban to this effect.

But as the regulatory debate intensifies, the CNCT is already warning of the circumvention strategies implemented by the industry. One of these concerns the introduction of new synthetic substances, such as 6-methyl-nicotine.[4], a molecule recently detected in certain oral pouches and vaping products. Synthesized in the laboratory, this molecule mimics the effects of natural nicotine. Its presence raises major concerns about its safety, potential addictiveness, and misuse to maintain the appeal of these products to young people. This development underscores the urgent need for increased surveillance and legal oversight commensurate with the nicotine industry's increasingly innovative strategies.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Ottoline Spearman and Katie Tarrant, How pouches of pure nicotine became a teenage craze, The Times, published April 18, 2025, accessed April 22, 2025

[2] Lewis Denison, Health warnings as high-strength illicit nicotine pouches flood the UK, ITV News, published 18 April 2025, accessed 22 April 2025

[3] Tobacco-free generation, Nicotine pouches: British American Tobacco's illegal marketing offensive in France, published on March 18, 2025, accessed on April 22, 2025

[4] Tobacco-free generation, 6-Methyl-Nicotine: A synthetic molecule present in vaping products and oral pouches, published March 31, 2025, accessed April 22, 2025