23 April 2025
ITV doesn’t exactly have a reputation for fair and balanced coverage of harm reduction products. Their “work” on vaping veers between one-sided propaganda and outright hysteria.
Now that nicotine pouches are growing in popularity, are they in for the same jaundiced treatment from ITV?
Of course they are. So, let’s take a look.
ITV’s investigation
ITV’s coverage of vaping typically falls into one of four categories:
- Exaggerated health risks.
- Overblow worries about underage vaping or nicotine “addiction”.
- Hand-wringing from teachers or tobacco control lobbyists.
- Illegal or unregulated products.
As nicotine pouches surge in popularity, expect the dog-eared anti-vaping playbook to be wheeled out with slight modulations. All the excited warnings about lung collapse that never materialised will now be channelled into concerns about oral cancer or whatever else they can get readers to swallow.
And of course, because nicotine pouches are the safest way to consume nicotine, the goalposts have shifted toward the exaggerated perils of reefer madness nicotine addiction.
ITV’s investigation — which consists of a freedom of information request from Trading Standards and a few interviews — does not break the pattern in the slightest. It’s laser-focused on pouches’ popularity with teens, despite the fact that, per statistics they cite in the article, adult use is roughly similar (1.2% vs 1%).
The black market problem
Nicotine pouches do have a black market problem. The Daily Pouches’ very own Richard Crosbyhas been banging this drum for years. While responsible manufacturers are self-regulating by keeping limits at 20mg, the black market is less constrained.
As the ITV article points out, there have been tens of thousands of tubs intercepted at UK borders, with thousands more confiscated from high street shops.
The danger here is that many of these rogue pouches come in recklessly high strengths, with pouches as strong as 50mg or 150mg occasionally getting through. The other big concern here is the potential use of ingredients that could cause harm.
Now, of course, that dynamic was of scant concern to outlets like ITV, which brainwashed the public into believing in a vaping epidemic, to the point that there was support for a disposable vape ban. From June, UK citizens won’t be able to buy disposables, and many will turn to the black market and face its potential risks.
The interviews
The article also seeks out the views of a number of people, one of whom is the Principal Trading Standards Officer, Oliver Jewel. He makes some remarkable statements in the article, essentially stating that consumer choice and marketing are a “race to the bottom”.
He’s also worried that children will confuse pouches for sweets. I counter that the price and the words nicotine pouches on the tubs might give the game away, but what do I know?
We also have an anecdote from a mother and son who tried a strong pouch and felt sick. We aren’t informed of the brand or mg strength, but it was purchased online, and most likely was above 20mg.
Finally, they speak to UCH’s Harry Tatton-Birch. As many of you know, Tatton-Birch is a credible researcher who is driven by curiosity and science rather than ideology. Despite pointing out that pouches are much safer than cigarettes, he warns non-smokers away from the product.
Then, it seems that he confuses the long-standing association of nicotine with mental health and implies there might be some causation, stating “because it’s this sort of, highs and lows that you see with being dependent on a product.” With all due respect, that’s garbage.
Final thoughts
Although this was better than the usual smoking harm reduction article from ITV, it’s not a high bar. The failure, time and time again, to talk about the transformative effect of harm reduction products like vapes and pouches on public health is intentional, irresponsible, and indistinguishable from someone who wants to keep people smoking.
Yes, let’s regulate pouches, but not because of their risks, but because of their safety.
Originally published on daily-pouch.com
https://daily-pouch.com/media-watch-itv-investigates-black-market-pouches/
