May 15, 2026

expert reaction to the WHO report on nicotine pouches

Scientists comment on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) report on nicotine pouches. 

Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst, said:

Commenting on nicotine pouches for smoking cessation:

“There is a large, robust body of evidence showing that giving people who smoke nicotine in another form can help them quit smoking, for example through nicotine replacement products like patches, gums and lozenges, and through nicotine containing e-cigarettes. This is important, because nicotine is not the ingredient in cigarettes that causes cancer, so moving people off of cigarettes onto another form of nicotine can reduce health risks. We don’t yet have enough evidence on whether oral nicotine pouches can help people quit smoking, but large, independently funded studies are currently underway, meaning we should get more answers soon.”

Prof Caitlin Notley, Professor of Addiction Sciences, Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia (UEA), said:

“The WHO report is a comprehensive report on oral nicotine pouches. It suggests that claims that nicotine pouches are helpful smoking cessation aids are unsubstantiated. This is not quite accurate, as there is emergent evidence of the potential role of nicotine pouches for smoking cessation, despite them not being licensed as an approved cessation aid.

“Our research group has just completed a qualitative analysis of public perceptions of nicotine pouches using over 20,000 data points gathered from publicly available comments on YouTube content. A major finding was that people with lived experience discussed how they had found nicotine pouches helpful to transition away from tobacco smoking, and also potentially nicotine vaping. Although this is exploratory evidence, it is clear that reduced harm ‘non-medicalised’ consumer options to support smoking cessation are helpful for some, in addition to licensed and approved medications, which may appeal to different groups of people.

“Although the 2025 Cochrane review reported limited evidence on the use of oral nicotine pouches for cessation or reduction of cigarette use, this is because good quality research evidence is not yet available. Limited, short‐term data did not identify any serious health harms from using nicotine pouches when used to help people transition away from tobacco smoking. To support people to quit smoking, choice is important.”

Dr Harry Tattan-Birch, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London (UCL), said:

“The WHO report shows the wide-reaching ways in which nicotine pouch companies are trying to sell their products, including in ways that may appeal to young people, and how these products have fallen between the cracks of existing legislation. Because they do not contain tobacco leaf, and are not vapes, they have often not been covered by tobacco- or vape-specific rules. The UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Act 2026 is an important step towards closing this gap, by bringing nicotine pouches into a clearer regulatory framework, including introducing restrictions on advertising and a ban on sales to children.

“However, governments need to regulate these products with relative harms in mind. Nicotine pouches do not produce smoke or require inhalation into the lungs, meaning they are likely to be substantially less harmful to health than cigarettes. The WHO report states that 16 countries have banned the sale of nicotine pouches. But an outright ban on nicotine pouches, while cigarettes remain widely available, could be counterproductive for public health. In the UK, most people who use nicotine pouches have a history of smoking or vaping, so policy should avoid unintentionally pushing them towards more harmful nicotine products. The challenge for governments is to reduce the appeal and accessibility of pouches to children and people who would otherwise not use nicotine, while preserving their potential as a lower-risk alternative for adults who smoke.

“Data from the Smoking Toolkit Study show that increasing numbers of smokers in Great Britain are using nicotine pouches during attempts to quit smoking. However, the WHO report is right to treat claims about smoking cessation cautiously. The recent Cochrane review found that the current evidence is too limited and uncertain to conclude that nicotine pouches help people quit smoking. More studies are needed, particularly comparing nicotine pouches with established quit aids such as nicotine replacement therapy and e-cigarettes, before we can know whether they are a useful method for smoking cessation. “

‘Exposing marketing tactics and strategies driving the growth of nicotine pouches’ by the WHO was published at 08:00 UK time on Friday the 15^th of May 2026. 

Declared interests

Dr Jamie Hartmann-Boyce: “I don’t have any disclosures.”

Prof Caitlin Notley: “No conflicts of interest.”

Dr Harry Tattan-Birch: “I have no links with the tobacco or nicotine industries.”