Why we’re flagging this: Not every nicotine gum is a stop-smoking medicine.
Last checked: 30 September 2026
What’s being sold?
The UK has familiar nicotine replacement gum used to help people stop smoking. There are now also consumer nicotine gums that are not licensed stop-smoking medicines.
UK Government material lists nicotine gum as one of the nicotine products on the market, and UK-facing vape retailers are selling flavoured nicotine chewing gum as an adult consumer product.
Why does this matter?
A parent, teacher or youth worker could reasonably assume that any nicotine gum is medicine. That is not always the case.
Check the packaging, branding and stated purpose rather than judging the product by the fact that it is gum.
What don’t we know?
Being available for sale does not tell us how common it is among young people. We do not have a reliable Wales-wide figure for young people’s use of non-medicinal nicotine gum.
By ASH Wales