A NEW CAMPAIGN to regulate and promote nicotine pouches could mark a pivotal moment in the UK’s fight against smoking.

The 20IsPlenty initiative will call on the Government to acknowledge and educate around pouches in a way that protects the rights of smokers wanting to quit, keeps strengths at a sensible limit and thwarts rogue traders peddling dangerous products.

As the Tobacco and Vapes Bill moves through parliament, our demand of a 20mg cap on nicotine strength and strong government-backed public awareness initiatives would strengthen our ability to make the UK smoke free.

And it would give Trading Standards and Border Force the power to clamp down on a rampant super-strength black market already known to be targeting children.

I have campaigned tirelessly for several years over this issue, and have been frustrated at cross party efforts to include a strength limit on pouches within the new bill being ignored.

It’s easy to find countless pouch companies – mainly from China – marketing super-strong products in bright packaging with names clearly aimed at UK youth.

This has led to a panic around pouches, just as we saw when misinformation around vaping was willfully adopted by some quarters of the media.

But with the coming together of some of the biggest harm reduction advocates in the UK, we are determined to make government recognise these products can help us save lives through reducing smoking numbers, while easing the burden on the struggling NHS.

We Vape, ecigclick, Planet of the Vapes, Considerate Pouchers and the Snus and Nicotine Pouch Users Alliance have all joined forces to support this campaign.

And with over 350,000 UK adults already using pouches – mostly smokers or former smokers seeking cleaner, safer alternatives – protecting access to these products while safeguarding young people is more important than ever.

Public health experts, including NHS UK, already recognise the potential of pouches as an effective quitting aid. So why aren’t the government?

The 20IsPlenty campaign urges our leaders to learn from countries that have embraced harm reduction, rather than bans or over-restrictive measures.

It warns that ignoring consumer voices or banning ultra-high strength products without a balanced limit risks driving consumers back to smoking or to unregulated black markets. This would jeopardise the UK’s ambition to become smoke-free by 2030, a target which will already be missed by almost a decade.

The lessons from Sweden are clear and inspiring. The country is on the verge of becoming the world’s first smoke-free nation, and nicotine pouches have played a huge role in that success.

Unlike the UK and many EU countries struggling to meet smoke-free targets, Sweden’s pragmatic public health policy embraced oral nicotine products, including snus (a kind of smokeless tobacco) and pouches, alongside vaping.

These safer alternatives helped reduce smoking prevalence dramatically – from nearly half of Swedish men smoking in the 1960s to only about 5% today. Cancer rates and lung disease have plummeted, underscoring the public health benefits of harm reduction.

Women in particular have greatly benefited, with quit rates doubling. One report showing since their introduction in Sweden in 2016, nicotine pouches have led to a 49% drop in female smoking.

Other countries like Slovakia, Romania, Iceland, and even outside Europe, New Zealand, have also recognised the power of harm reduction. By applying balanced regulations with supporting access to safer nicotine products, they have protected youth while maintaining public trust.

In stark contrast, countries like France and Belgium, have banned nicotine pouches entirely, opting for heavy restrictions in an attempt to deter smoking. France’s punitive ban criminalises sale and possession of pouches, imposing harsh fines and penalties. This restrictive approach has not only failed to lower smoking rates, which remain at around 27% in France, but has driven demand underground to unregulated and potentially unsafe black markets. The UK must avoid repeating these mistakes and we can no longer afford to ignore the evidence that safer nicotine alternatives save lives.

This is a critical moment. Consumers, health advocates, and policymakers must unite to ensure that safer nicotine products remain accessible, responsibly regulated, and supported as part of the UK’s smoke-free future. Government public awareness campaigns must then follow.

Help us follow the example of Sweden, and other forward-thinking nations, by supporting our campaign to embrace harm reduction not just as policy but as a public health revolution that saves lives.

For more information or to join the campaign, visit 20IsPlenty.co.uk and help protect the right to a safer, smoke-free future.