Doctors Warn Over Gulf Nicotine Pouch Rise

Flavoured sachets hooking young users and raising heart risks, physicians warn

TDT | Manama

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Nicotine pouches are growing rapidly across the Gulf, with doctors cautioning that the small flavoured sachets carry serious health risks despite containing no tobacco or smoke.

The pouches are tucked beneath the lip, releasing nicotine through the gum into the bloodstream over about 30 minutes. While physicians consider them less harmful than cigarettes for smokers who quit tobacco entirely, they say the pouches are neither safe nor a proven quitting aid.

Dr. Kadhem Al Halwachi, head of the smoking cessation clinic at Manama Medical Centre, warned that some pouches deliver more nicotine than a standard cigarette. Repeated use can damage gums and teeth, raise blood pressure, accelerate the heartbeat and affect cholesterol levels.

"There is no health benefit," he said, adding that long-term effects remain unknown because the products are still relatively new.

Dr Wafa Ajur, vice-president of the Bahrain Cancer Society, said pouches sit below vapes and cigarettes on the harm scale as no aerosol is inhaled, but risks around addiction, oral health and cardiovascular effects remain significant. She urged smokers seeking to quit to use licensed nicotine-replacement therapies instead.

The World Health Organisation has flagged sweet flavours and social media marketing as key concerns. A 2026 Saudi study found nearly half of pouch users were aged 18 to 24. Nicotine exposure during adolescence can impair brain development and raise long-term addiction risk.

Industry forecasts value the GCC market at $1.1 billion, with 19.5 per cent annual growth projected through 2030.