Richard Crosby 22 September 2025

 

On the 19th of September Rochdale Borough Council published the kind of article we’re used to seeing from local councils and the like – a well-intentioned piece titled “Council warns parents about new nicotine product legally sold to children”. Now I typically get a little annoyed at these low-effort ‘warnings’ but thought I’d take a different approach here…

Before I get into the article itself it’s perhaps worth me making clear the main issues I’ve been campaigning around in my role as UK Director of Considerate Pouchers –

  • I want to see formal age restrictions – preventing under 18s from purchasing nicotine pouches. The current legal loophole here will be resolved by the upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
  • We need to have sensible strength limits in place for nicotine pouches. Whilst some amendments to the Tobacco and Vapes Bill were proposed, this isn’t an area of concern that legislation will resolve.

So that’s the view of someone who uses nicotine pouches daily and has been campaigning around them for years. They’re not outlandish demands – to ensure nicotine pouches remain available for those looking to quit smoking we need to make sure they are safe and not sold to minors. All very common sense.

So whilst I can find myself getting a little frustrated by negative coverage, I always remind myself that ultimately they often draw attention to the points I’d raise myself.

So onto the article from Rochdale Borough Council…

The main warnings in the piece are that there are no age restrictions on nicotine pouches and that “children can legally buy in person and online without proof of age.”

They also point to the fact there are no strength limits and also suggest they are marketed in a similar way to sweets.

All generally points I agree with.

I must however give them credit for the inclusion of this paragraph though –

“The pouches are sometimes also referred to as Snus, although Snus is a tobacco product that is illegal in the UK.”

At least I don’t have to make my usual complaint around misnaming the product!

So really, what we’ve got here is a local authority highlighting the exact same gaps I’ve been talking about for some time. Sure, the tone is the usual “think of the children” angle we see in these kinds of press releases, but the underlying issues aren’t imaginary – they’re real regulatory blind spots that do need sorting.

That’s why I can’t be too harsh on Rochdale for putting this piece out. They’re doing what councils do: raising awareness in their patch, using the levers they have available. And if that ends up making a few more parents aware of what nicotine pouches are and why the rules around them are incomplete, then that’s not a bad outcome.

The frustration for me – and for many others who use these products responsibly – is that the tone often skips over the benefits. There’s never a line about how pouches have helped people quit smoking, or how they’re far less harmful than cigarettes. That bit of balance would make these articles feel less like scare pieces and more like genuinely helpful public information.

But in the absence of that balance, what we’re left with is still usable. Every “warning” article is also another chance to point out that sensible regulation is overdue. Age checks and strength caps are not radical demands – they’re exactly the sort of pragmatic guardrails that keep products available for adults while keeping kids out of the equation.

So yes, I find myself rolling my eyes at times. But ultimately, if Rochdale Borough Council and I are both shouting about the same gaps in the law, then maybe we’re not on opposite sides after all.

Because if the choice is between councils raising awareness and nobody talking about it at all, I’ll take the eye-roll and use it as another chance to push for the changes we all know are needed.