Consumer and harm reduction groups have hit back at the World Health Organization’s latest report on nicotine pouches, accusing the global health body of spreading “dangerous misinformation” that could discourage smokers from switching to lower-risk alternatives.
The WHO this week warned that nicotine pouches are being aggressively marketed to young people through flavours, influencer campaigns and “discreet use” messaging, while calling for tighter restrictions on the category.
But campaigners from Considerate Pouchers UK and We Vape argued the report fails to properly distinguish between combustible cigarettes and smoke-free nicotine products.
Richard Crosby, director of Considerate Pouchers UK, said the WHO was ignoring the concept of relative risk.
“That matters because when public health bodies imply all nicotine products are equally dangerous, many smokers simply continue smoking – which is by far the worst outcome,” he said.
The WHO report acknowledged that nicotine pouches do not contain tobacco leaf, but questioned claims around smoking cessation and criticised marketing slogans such as “no smoke, no smell, no hassle”.
However, Crosby said those statements were “objectively true”.
“Nicotine pouches do not produce smoke or smell, and pretending otherwise is scientifically absurd,” he said, describing the report as part of a “broad, aggressive anti-nicotine ideology”.
The criticism follows wider debate among public health experts over the WHO’s position. Academics from institutions including University College London and University of East Anglia said this week that while stronger safeguards are needed to prevent youth uptake, nicotine pouches are likely to be substantially less harmful than cigarettes and may have a role in smoking cessation and harm reduction.
Experts also warned that outright bans could prove counterproductive if they discourage smokers from switching away from combustible tobacco.
Campaigners also highlighted comparative risk data suggesting nicotine pouches rank among the lowest-risk nicotine products available. Considerate Pouchers referenced the Murkett comparative risk scale, which places combustible cigarettes at the top of the danger spectrum while nicotine pouches rank close to zero relative risk by comparison.
The groups further pointed to Sweden’s low smoking rates as evidence supporting smoke-free nicotine products.
Mark Oates, founder of We Vape, said: “Sweden achieved historically low smoking rates not through prohibitionist ideology, but by giving smokers acceptable alternatives. To ignore this raises serious questions about the credibility of WHO and its motive.”
While defending nicotine pouches as a reduced-risk option for adult smokers, campaigners said youth marketing restrictions should still be enforced.
The report follows years of WHO hostility toward vaping, despite public health experts in the UK – including the NHS – repeatedly concluding e-cigarettes are substantially less harmful than smoking, and are one of the most common aids used in quit attempts.
The WHO report comes shortly after the UK’s Tobacco and Vapes Act received Royal Assent, introducing age restrictions on nicotine pouch sales and bringing the category under a clearer regulatory framework.
The 20isPlenty campaign, led by Considerate Pouchers UK, establishes a 20mg per pouch limit as the definitive ‘Goldilocks’ standard for nicotine regulation – a safe level but strong enough to stop a heavy smoker lighting up.