Are Nicotine Pouches Legal In The UK?

Nathan Chilcott

The Law

Since Brexit, the UK has been free to set its own rules on a wide variety of products, including nicotine pouches. It doesn’t matter what the EU decide, or even the US, the UK can establish its own nicotine pouch regulations.

Fortunately, at present, nicotine pouches are legal in the UK.”

UK Guidelines

In the UK, nicotine pouches are controlled under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations.

That means, while it’s legal to buy and sell nicotine pouches, there are some rules which need to be adhered to.

Age Limit

You may be surprised to learn there isn’t an age limit on nicotine pouches in the UK. As mentioned, nicotine pouches are legal in UK and are monitored under the same regulations as tobacco.

This means most retailers have adopted the same approach and won’t sell nicotine pouches to under-18s. However, it's not actually law yet.

In other words, they can be sold to minors without any legal repercussions.

They Are Not Medical Devices

Tobacco harm reduction strategists see nicotine pouches as an effective way to reduce or eliminate smoking. They do this by eliminating the harmful tobacco while keeping the nicotine.

It means they can be used to transition from smoking to nicotine pouches or to simply quit smoking.

While this is beneficial to your health, the pouches aren’t accepted by the medical community as a medical aid.

That means you can’t add labelling or advertising that says nicotine pouches are therapeutic.

Flavour Range

At present, the regulations allow the full range of nicotine pouch flavours to be sold in the UK. However, this is one to watch as there are concerns that sweet flavours encourage young people to try nicotine pouches.

We recommend you sample as many of the flavours as possible now. They could end up banned in the future.

There are some great options, such as Velo’s Zest Flame and On! tropical spice.

You’ll also find liquorice, coffee, and a host of other flavours.

Standard Information

In the UK, cigarette packets need to carry health warnings. The same is true for nicotine pouches.

They should advise you that nicotine can be addictive and that pouches and packaging should be kept away from children.

In fact, the UK doesn’t allow any marketing that will make nicotine pouches look cool to people under the age of 18. That means marketing can be tricky, and you may not know where to go to get the best deal on your pouches.

Every can should also display the nicotine pouch strength. This ensures you purchase the one that matches your current intake of nicotine.

Don’t forget, you only absorb between 30-50% of the nicotine in a pouch.

It almost goes without saying that all nicotine pouches sold in the UK market must meet UK safety standards.

Summing Up

The good news is, if you’re in the UK or even visiting, you’re free to use nicotine pouches whenever and wherever you want.

We recommend you familiarise yourself with the regulations first. This will help to ensure you comply with them and keep your activity legal and above board.