Considerate Pouchers and allies in UK Harm reduction have objected to proposed laws in Denmark limiting the strength of nicotine pouches to 9mgs

In a letter to health minister Sophie LØhde, Richard Crosby, Director of Considerate Pouchers UK, Bernice Evans, chair of the New Nicotine Alliance, Clive Bates, founder of The Counterfactual and We Vape director Mark Oates have urged officials to “reassess the proposed cap”, that they fear will drive people back to cigarettes.

They believe such a limit would stop the effectiveness of pouches – credited alongside vaping with the eradication of smoking in Sweden – and risk a surge in unregulated black market products.

Of the 9mg limit the letter reads: “This will have the effect of leading to a greater number of consumers in Denmark smoking, and subsequently lead to an increase in the health harms caused”.  It added: “The cap is likely to inadvertently hinder public health efforts by discouraging smokers from transitioning to less harmful alternatives.”

A recent study showed Denmark’s proposed 9mgs cap could cause up to 50% of current nicotine pouch users to seek alternative purchasing channels, such as online platforms or cross-border shopping in other EU countries, while 18% might return to smoking.

The campaigners suggest a “more flexible” limit would “better support public health objectives by encouraging smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives and preventing the growth of unregulated markets”.

Considerate Pouchers UK director Richard Crosby said: “It’s important to balance product safety with efficacy, ensure pouches remain as a proven and effective tool to quite smoking and save lives”.

The campaigners also highlight the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment considered a safe limit for nicotine pouches of 16.7mg per gram.

We Vape Director Mark Oates said: “Nicotine pouches save lives and while regulation is of course extremely important, such a low limit on strengths will be counterproductive if it means more people end up returning to smoking – a death sentence – or fueling the unregulated black market.”

In the UK, the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which is working its way through Parliament, will age-restrict pouches to over 18s. However, calls to limit the strength to 20mgs have been rejected.