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Nicotine pouches under scrutiny as vape ban prompts shift in use
Following the UK’s 1 June 2025 ban on disposable vapes, concern is growing that younger users may choose to switch to alternative nicotine products like nicotine pouches. Although current usage of pouches remains very low at 1%, rates have increased since 2020. While these pouches don’t contain tobacco or require inhalation, they still deliver nicotine and may carry long-term health risks. Experts caution that, despite being less harmful than smoking, pouches can still lead to nicotine addiction and may cause oral health issues.
Caroline Cerny, Deputy Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health stressed that while the disposable vapes ban is progress, stronger regulation of marketing and branding via the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is essential to prevent youth uptake of nicotine products.
Source: Yahoo News UK, 5 June 2025
See also: KCL & ASH - Nicotine Pouch Use in Great Britain at 1% in Youths and Adults as government plans to regulate
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Blackpool pupil’s artwork chosen to promote smokefree playgrounds
A local anti-smoking campaign in Blackpool has been given a creative boost thanks to an 11-year-old student whose artwork will now appear in playgrounds across the city. The winning poster, selected from entries by schoolchildren as part of the Smokefree Blackpool initiative, delivers a strong public health message encouraging smoke-free spaces where children play. Judges praised the design for its clarity and impact. The campaign forms part of the council’s broader effort to reduce smoking through the Local Government Declaration on Tobacco Control, supported by health and emergency services.
Source: Blackpool Gazette, 5th June 2025
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Opinion: Alcohol industry accused of echoing tobacco tactics to mislead public
Writing in the Financial Times, Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, condemns alcohol companies for casting doubt on well-established scientific evidence about the harms of drinking.
Gilmore, who is a biomedical scientist and liver specialist, warns that such statements from the alcohol industry contradict the consensus among medical experts and public health bodies. Gilmore underscores the fact that alcohol is carcinogenic, places consumers at risk of over 200 conditions and caused the deaths of over 10,000 people in 2023.
Gilmore concludes by highlighting how policymakers need to remain vigilant to undermining tactics used by the alcohol industry, copied from Big Tobacco, ensuring that policy is based on established scientific facts rather than industry spin.
Source: Financial Times, 6 June 2025
Editorial note: Media stories covering prevention of ill-health are being included in ASH Daily News because policy change in these areas is indicative of the Government’s position on prevention and their attitudes to harm-causing industries.
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German study on cannabis and tobacco use
A new German study has found that adolescents who smoke cigarettes or use e-cigarettes are more likely to experiment with cannabis, where the recreational use of cannabis is partially legalised. Researchers analysed data from over 6,700 students aged 13 to 16, showing an association between tobacco product use and both a lower perception of cannabis risk and a higher intention to use it. The study was cross-sectional and relied on self-reported data, limiting conclusions about causality.
The findings suggest the need for German school-based prevention programmes that target co-use behaviours.
Source: News-Medical.net, 5 June 2025
See also: Kleine, R. et al. Association of cigarette and e-cigarette use with cannabis-related risk perceptions and intentions. Journal of Cannabis Research. 2025. 7, 31. DOI: m10.1186/s42238-025-00288-6
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Podcast: Let’s talk e-cigarettes
This podcast, hosted by Associate Professor Jamie Hartmann-Boyce and Associate Professor Nicola Lindson, discusses the new evidence in e-cigarette research and interviews Dr Steven Cook from the University of Michigan’s Department of Epidemiology and the Centre for Assessment of Tobacco Regulations. In this episode, Cook discusses the methodological problems of cross-sectional data on the health effects of e-cigarette use, a topic he addressed at the May 2025 EC Summit.
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Blog: Serving people, not institutions: a new direction for The King's Fund
This blog, written by Chief Executive of The King’s Fund, Sarah Woolnough, lays out the organisations renewed strategy aimed at placing people, not institutions at the forefront of its work. The move comes as the organisation responds to the ever-changing social and political landscape, looking to use their research to focus on long-term solutions to complex issues in health and care. Strategic priorities include reimagining social care, improving children’s health, and leveraging international learning to inform UK policy.
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Podcast: The Rest is Money discusses obesity and tactics used by the food industry
This podcast, presented by journalists Robert Preston and Steph McGovern, discusses obesity and the food industry. In this episode the presenters draw parallels between the tactics of food giants and the tobacco industry, delving into the food industry’s role in marketing ultra-processed and formulated foods that are addictive.
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.
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