Benefits

A breakthrough for public health in tackling tobacco-related harm

Traditionally, the public health approach to promoting smoking cessation was to tell smokers to ‘quit or die’. But all too often, this approach fails. Despite most smokers’ desire to quit, only 4-7% succeed. But it does not have to be this way. As Michael Russell, the inventor of the nicotine patch, noted back in 1974: “People smoke for the nicotine but they die from the tar”.

With nicotine pouches, consumers still reap the benefit of the nicotine, but without the tar. Consider this graph depicting the relative risks of nicotine-containing products, placed along a harm continuum. Note that ‘Oral Products’ are at least 95% less harmful.

“

People smoke for the nicotine but they die from the tar.”

-Michael Russell

Easy to use and discrete

Many adult consumers of snus - people already familiar with how oral nicotine products work – may be attracted to ONDS because of the lack of tobacco and as well as flavours and since they can get their nicotine delivered in the same way as with snus. The nicotine pouches are small, and fit discretely in the gums behind the upper lip. They do not need refrigeration, do not require any batteries, and they can be disposed of normally in the bin.

Reduced harm to self and others

With oral nicotine delivery systems (ONDS), there is no second-hand smoke, no lingering unpleasant odours on clothing and hair, and maybe even mouths that dentists will find cleaner and healthier.

Reduced mortality: the Swedish example

In Sweden where snus use has been displacing smoking, adult daily smoking prevalence has already fallen to 5% – compared to a European Union average of 26%. Yet, snus is still banned in all European Union countries (except Sweden), a fact made even more curious after a study by the Swedish Institutet för Tobaksstudier, or Institute for Tobacco Studies, using data from the WHO’s 2012 Global Report on Mortality Attributable to Tobacco7 , concluded that if other EU countries practiced the same tobacco consumption patterns as Sweden – encouraging smokers to switch from cigarettes to snus, for example – no less than 355,000 lives per year could have been saved, most of them men over the age of 30. In particular, Swedish men have the European Union’s lowest level of tobacco-related mortality, of any cause.

John's Journey: From Smoker to Marathon Runner

John had been a smoker for over 20 years. He started in college, and what began as a social habit quickly turned into a two-pack-a-day addiction. He tried everything to quit—patches, gum, even hypnosis—but nothing seemed to work. Then, one day, his doctor suggested trying nicotine pouches. "At first, I was skeptical," John recalls. "I had tried so many things, and I didn't think anything would work. But I was desperate to quit for my health and my family." John started with a high-nicotine pouch, gradually reducing the strength over several months. The pouches helped curb his cravings without the harmful effects of smoking. Within three months, John noticed he could breathe easier and had more energy. "I started running to replace my smoking habit," he says. "At first, I could barely jog around the block. But with my improved lung capacity, I kept pushing myself further." Today, John is a proud marathon runner, having completed his first marathon last year. "If you had told me a few years ago that I'd be running marathons, I would have laughed," he says. "Nicotine pouches were a game-changer for me."

Carlos' Transformation: Healthier and Happier

Carlos started smoking in high school and continued into his late 30s. His wake-up call came when his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. "I realized I was heading down the same path," he says. "I needed to quit, but I didn't know how." Carlos's coworker introduced him to nicotine pouches. He liked that they were tobacco-free and less harmful than smoking. "I could use them anywhere, and they didn't smell or stain my teeth," he says. Over time, Carlos noticed significant improvements in his health. "I had more energy, I could taste food better, and my overall mood improved," he says. "I even started going to the gym regularly." Carlos has been smoke-free for over a year now. "I feel like a new person," he says. "Nicotine pouches were the tool I needed to quit smoking for good."

Paul Anderson Smoked For 26 Years

I started smoking at the age of 15, by my late teens I was smoking 25 to 30 cigarettes a day. I tried to give up many times but I wasn’t able to do it. At the age of 41 in 2019 I believed that quitting was a lost cause and that I was destined to smoke for the rest of my life, until a friend loaned me a vape device. I had been unwilling to spend the money on a vape device as I didn’t believe it would help me quit but my friend suggested I try it, just to see what it was like. I bought a bottle of Caramel Apple Cake flavoured juice and tried vaping, just to try it, but I didn’t intend to quit smoking. I enjoyed the flavour of the juice so I kept going back for another puff, just to enjoy it. within 10 days I was getting enough nicotine satisfaction from the vape that I had dropped to 10-12 cigarettes a day without realising. on 1st august 2019 I smoked 1 cigarette first thing in the morning and then got ready to go out. I decided to go for my morning out and try to see if I could do the whole morning without smoking, and I did. and the afternoon, and so on. three years on I still have not smoked another cigarette. soon after I switched to vaping I could feel my health improving. I could walk and cycle further and faster, I was sleeping better, I have had fewer days off work sick and my sense of smell and taste have improved. I truly believe that vaping has make me healthier and extended my life. I also think that the flavour’s of vape juice available were a significant factor, if I had not enjoyed the flavour so much I would not have kept going back to the vape. Even now, three years smoke free, I wont vape tobacco flavours because I worry that inhaling tobacco flavour vape will connect me to smoking and draw me back.