US Pouch Users Quitting Smoking
Nicotine pouch users in the United States of America are turning away from smoking, according to new research from TobaccoIntelligence
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by Dave Cross
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Nicotine pouch users in the United States are increasingly abandoning smoking and making the safer pouches their sole source of nicotine, according to new research from TobaccoIntelligence. According to the report, 8.5 million Americans are expected to use pouches this year.
The just published survey of nearly 500 regular users was conducted late last year. It found that although some nicotine pouch users do still smoke or vape, the proportion who rely solely on the pouches increased substantially between 2022 and 2024.
The survey also found that health concerns were the single biggest reason for switching to nicotine pouches, and that around 80% of pouches sold in the United States fall into the “light”, or “lower-nicotine”, category.
According to TobaccoIntelligence, the US nicotine pouch market is currently the largest worldwide by value and number of users, and has seen dramatic growth over the last half-decade to reach an estimated 8.5m users this year, against around 1m in 2020.
Nearly all of the users surveyed only started using pouches in the last two years.
“Our findings underline one of the most striking developments in the US nicotine market over the last couple of years — the way that the pouch format has come out of almost nothing to be a significant player,” said Barnaby Page, editorial director at TobaccoIntelligence.
“Now the big question is how much further it can go, and there may be a lot of factors affecting that, ranging from negative media coverage on health effects to the knock-on effect of President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese vapes.”
The two new reports from TobaccoIntelligence, US: The Nicotine Pouch Market, March 2025 and US: The Nicotine Pouch Market – Consumer Survey Report, March 2025, are available through a subscription to TobaccoIntelligence or for separate purchase.
TobaccoIntelligence is the leading provider of detailed global market and regulatory analysis, legal tracking, and quantitative data for the novel nicotine sector worldwide. We provide our clients with the tools to navigate this fast-moving sector, tailor their business strategy, optimise resources, and make informed decisions. Our global perspective on the international tobacco sector offers valuable data such as market trends, key players, regulatory obligations and industry dynamics.
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Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
