There is a significant shift in the world of tobacco consumption among the youth. After decades of public health messaging on the dangers of smoking, young people are stigmatised and now seek smokeless alternatives.
Nicotine pouches have emerged as among the most preferred options, especially among women. Instead of puffing, they place the pouches under the lip and get a quick and powerful hit of nicotine.
It is both satisfying and discreet and the consumption has come to be associated with elegance.
Celestine Wairimu*, 30, a mother of one says a pack of her favourite nicotine pouch brand is always in her purse. It helps her calm down her anxieties and be the parent that her baby deserves.
“Instead of smoking and exposing my two-year-old child to secondhand smoke that can result in significant health risks, I prefer it as a substitute,” she says.
Mary Mandera*, 28, says most of her female friends use the pouches, claiming they are 99 percent less toxicant than cigarettes.
“In 2020, some of my female friends recommended that I try. Although it was unpleasant and caused nausea and vomiting the first time I used it, I use it severally as it helps me sleep better. The scent is pleasant and it is discreet enough that others who do not know might mistake it for chewing gum,” notes Ms Mandera.
Doctors warn that the pouches are just as harmful as cigarettes.
Joseph Aluoch, a pulmonologist at Nairobi Hospital says while the pouches are marketed as a less harmful alternative to smoking, nicotine is still an addictive substance with negative health effects.
“Cigarettes, vaping, and pouches all have similar effects as they contain nicotine which can impact various parts of the body. The brain, liver, heart, and lungs are particularly affected as they are the primary organs exposed to nicotine. Long-term use of nicotine products such as the pouches can lead to addiction,” says Dr Aluoch.
Health risks
He adds that both men and women may experience reduced fertility due to nicotine's influence on hormone production.
“In women, it can affect egg production while in men it may harm the DNA of sperm,” he observes.
In the Kenyan market, Velo is the most common oral nicotine product. Its manufacturer British American Tobacco (BAT) silently introduced it in the market last July after its previous local brand, Lyft was banned by the government amid disagreement over regulatory compliance.
While the then Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe insisted that oral nicotine products should be licensed under the stringent Tobacco Control Act of 2007, BAT held that the nicotine is not a product of tobacco, but rather from a laboratory and therefore the registration falls under the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.
Exciting opportunity
BAT said earlier that they “continue to believe that Modern Oral represents an exciting opportunity to offer affordable New Category alternatives to adult nicotine consumers in emerging markets, given the absence of an electronic device and a pre-existing ritual of oral product consumption in several markets.”
When the BDLife purchased Velo from a local store, the tin had a printed warning that it contained nicotine. It did not go into detail about the effects of nicotine consumption.
The use of Velo however has sparked conversation online.
“The common side effects are dry mouth, constipation, nausea, and sleep disturbances, the typical side effects of nicotine usage. Stay hydrated!
Some individuals use it in replacement therapy to stop smoking (it doesn't contain tobacco) or to wean themselves off nicotine altogether,” tweeted Wade Edwards-Green.
