PRODUCT WATCH ROUNDUP We’ve added new information to ASH Wales Product Watch about nicotine products that may be less familiar. Pouchless nicotine pods have a UK-facing retail listing: these small oral portions have no outer pouch and are not designed to melt. We’ve also added international examples of ultra-thin and semi-gel nicotine pouches, and updated our page on gels, creams, sprays and nasal inhalers. UK or Welsh availability has not been established for those international examples. These updates explain what the products are, what is verified and what remains uncertain. They do not establish how widely any product is used in Wales.
Switch, Quit & Save
Smoking costs money every day. Moving away from cigarettes can improve your health and free up money for the things that matter to you.
For people who smoke, quitting completely is the best option. If you are not ready to quit in one step, licensed nicotine replacement products or switching completely from smoking to a nicotine vape can help some adults move away from cigarettes.
Start with the cigarettes
Most of the harm from smoking comes from burning tobacco and breathing in the toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke. The priority is to stop smoking cigarettes completely.
Nicotine is addictive, but it is not what causes most smoking-related disease. That is why nicotine replacement therapy and, for adults who smoke, switching completely to vaping can be used as routes away from cigarettes.
Quit smoking
Stopping cigarettes completely gives the biggest health benefit and removes the ongoing cost of buying tobacco.
Use stop-smoking treatments
Nicotine replacement products and other stop-smoking treatments can help manage cravings. A Help Me Quit adviser, pharmacist or healthcare professional can help you choose an option that suits you.
Switch completely from smoking
For adults who smoke, vaping is less harmful than continuing to smoke, but it is not risk-free. The benefit comes from switching completely rather than smoking and vaping together.
How much could you save?
The amount depends on how much you smoke and what you pay. Our cost calculator lets you use your own numbers instead of relying on a generic annual saving figure.
Want help to stop smoking?
Help Me Quit is the national NHS stop smoking service for Wales. Support is free, there is no GP referral needed and advisers can help you plan a quit attempt and manage cravings.
A note on vaping
Vaping is for adults who smoke as a route away from cigarettes. It is not harmless, and children, young people and people who do not smoke should not start vaping. If you have stopped smoking with a vape, the priority is to avoid going back to cigarettes; you can think about stopping vaping when you feel ready.