Today (May 15), the World Health Organization released its first global report on nicotine pouches, warning that rapid market growth and uneven regulation could increase youth exposure to nicotine. The report, issued ahead of World No Tobacco Day, says sales exceeded 23 billion units in 2024 and values the category at nearly $7 billion in 2025. WHO said, “nicotine itself is highly addictive and harmful,” and accused companies of using “widespread industry tactics” to appeal to younger audiences, and outlined policy options for governments, including limits on flavors and nicotine strength, age-verification requirements, advertising restrictions, and clearer labeling for the oral nicotine products.
In response, Dr. Marina Murphy, senior director of scientific affairs at Haypp, said the report does not sufficiently distinguish between combustible tobacco and lower-risk nicotine formats. She pointed to regulatory approaches in the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and Sweden as examples in which authorities have set product standards, age controls, and manufacturing requirements while allowing adult access. Murphy cited toxicological comparisons to nicotine replacement therapies and population data suggesting most pouch users are current or former smokers, arguing that regulatory frameworks can address youth concerns while preserving alternatives for adults.
“The WHO should be leading a science-based strategy to end smoking. Instead, it remains ideologically opposed to the very products helping make that goal achievable,” Murphy said. “The lesson is straightforward. Countries that follow the evidence are accelerating the decline of smoking and reducing disease.
“Those who treat all nicotine products as equally problematic risk protecting cigarettes from competition. The WHO should be helping governments distinguish between products that kill and products that can help people move away from smoking. Until the WHO embraces this reality, its reports will look increasingly detached from both the science and the real-world policy successes unfolding around it.”
