Nicotine pouches are increasingly discussed as a distinct category within the broader harm-reduction landscape, raising important questions about how they should be regulated, communicated, and positioned relative to smoking cessation tools. A recent commentary in The Lancet Public Health provides a timely and balanced lens through which to assess these questions, particularly as policy debates…
As nicotine pouches continue to attract regulatory attention, a recurring challenge for policymakers is separating assumptions from evidence. Much of the debate has focused on hypothetical risks, youth narratives, or product novelty, while comparatively less attention has been paid to how adult users actually perceive and use these products in real-world contexts. A recent peer-reviewed…
Following GINN’s recent market‑insights visit to Lebanon, led by our Director Shem Baldeosingh, we continue to learn from frontline experts who see the realities of nicotine use, smoking, and harm reduction every day. This week, Dr Vera Matta (@dr.veramatta), a respected clinician and public health communicator, highlighted an important point while reviewing REBEL White Slim…
As nicotine pouches continue to expand across multiple markets, questions about who uses them, why they are used, and how they fit into tobacco control strategies are becoming increasingly important. A recent peer-reviewed article published by Springer adds to this evidence base by examining patterns of nicotine pouch use and their implications for public health…
In recent months, Argentina has emerged as an unexpected focal point in the global debate over nicotine pouches, harm reduction, and regulatory coherence. As international brands begin to enter the market and attract consumer attention, provincial authorities have moved quickly to restrict nicotine pouches using existing tobacco-control frameworks. The result is a familiar tension seen…
As regulators continue to assess the role of nicotine pouches within tobacco control frameworks, evidence on how these products are actually used over time remains limited. A recently published prospective study in Cureus helps address this gap by examining real-world patterns of nicotine pouch use across a ten-week period. The study is important not because…
Across Europe, policymakers continue to express concern that fragmented nicotine regulation is leaving young people exposed to risk. Recent commentary has pointed to uneven national rules governing nicotine pouches, vapes, and other novel products as evidence that current policy approaches are failing to protect youth. While these concerns are legitimate, fragmentation itself is not the…
A GINN response to “The war on snus” The Cyprus Mail article “The war on snus” highlights a regulatory paradox that is becoming increasingly familiar across Europe: nicotine pouches are treated as an urgent public-health threat, while combustible cigarettes remain legally available, widely sold, and socially embedded. From a GINN perspective, the issue is not…
Executive context Innovation in nicotine pouches has largely focused on formulation variables, nicotine strength, pH, buffering systems, flavours, and moisture content. These factors shape nicotine delivery and user perception and are central to regulatory assessment. However, a growing body of clinical, observational, and design-science evidence indicates that oral tolerability and mucosal outcomes are also strongly…
Regulation, clinical context, and evidence-based harm reduction Cigarette smoking continues to impose a disproportionate health burden in Appalachia, a region marked by persistently high smoking prevalence, elevated rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer, and long-standing socioeconomic barriers to cessation support. Despite decades of tobacco control efforts, combustible cigarette use remains entrenched in many Appalachian communities,…