Richard Crosby and the Rise of Considerate Pouchers — A Voice for UK Nicotine Pouch Users

Richard Crosby isn’t your typical tobacco harm reduction advocate. As the UK spokesperson for Considerate Pouchers, a global consumer advocacy group, he brings something uniquely valuable to the debate around nicotine pouches: personal experience. A former smoker who discovered nicotine pouches by chance in 2019, Crosby has since become one of the country’s most consistent voices for responsible access, marketing, and regulation of this emerging product category. 

Considerate Pouchers is an international organisation representing adult nicotine pouch users. Their mission? To ensure that pouches remain available, responsibly regulated, and appropriately marketed, especially in countries like the UK where policy hasn’t always kept pace with consumer behaviour. 

Richard’s influence lies in his ability to connect lived experience with big-picture policy. From setting up a small blog reviewing pouches during the COVID-19 lockdown to giving evidence-backed commentary on proposed legislation, his story is rooted in pragmatism, not promotion. 

For Richard Crosby, the discovery of nicotine pouches wasn’t a strategic decision — it was accidental. "Within about two or three weeks, I’d almost quit smoking entirely," Richard recalls.

He describes nicotine pouches as “a discrete, substantially less harmful way of consuming nicotine” and notes that he reached a point where “I didn’t even realise I’d stopped smoking.” 

Having smoked for nearly 15 years, this personal transformation prompted him to launch Nicotine Freak, a small blog started during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Originally focused on product reviews, it quickly gained traction. Soon, he was speaking with brands, retailers, and consumers, and is now a regular contributor to The Daily Pouch. 

What began as casual social media commentary on nicotine policy evolved into a more formal role with Considerate Pouchers. Today, Richard is a regular contributor to discussions around responsible regulation and user rights in the UK nicotine market. 

Founded to protect the rights of nicotine pouch users globally, Considerate Pouchers has grown into a well-organised voice in policy and consumer advocacy. Their mission is simple: "to ensure adult nicotine pouch users can access products that are safe, clearly labelled, and sensibly regulated." 

"We work to represent nicotine pouch users,” Richard says. “We want to ensure the product many of us have used as an alternative to smoking remains responsibly regulated, available, and still an attractive proposition." 

The group operates in several countries across Europe and is increasingly active in UK policy discussions. Richard’s focus is shaping how the UK approaches these products, particularly as interest grows but misinformation lingers. With debates around vaping dominating the news, Considerate Pouchers seeks to ensure nicotine pouches aren’t wrongly swept up in the same narrative. 

For Crosby, the goal isn’t deregulation — it’s responsible regulation. He’s a strong supporter of Amendment NC4 in the UK’s upcoming Tobacco & Vapes Bill. This amendment proposes a nicotine strength cap of 20mg per pouch and introduces a formal age restriction on pouch sales. It’s designed to bring nicotine pouches into line with existing vape and tobacco controls while avoiding unnecessary overreach. 

"The first thing I started campaigning around was the astonishing fact that there was no legal restriction on under-18s buying nicotine pouches," he says. "It was a massive gap in policy." 

Considerate Pouchers supports the NC4 amendment because it takes a balanced view. “We need a sensible strength limit. High enough to be useful, not high enough to be harmful.” 

Haypp’s approach reflects responsible category leadership: we cap our nicotine pouch portfolio at 20mg per pouch, in line with guidance from the Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS), which states: “The maximum total nicotine allowed per consumable shall be 20mg.” Richard sees this kind of proactive industry standard as essential for long-term category credibility.  

In Sweden, the distinction is widely understood. But in the UK, the terms "snus" and "nicotine pouches" are frequently conflated, especially by the media. 

"It didn’t help that early pouch products in the UK were literally labelled as snus in stores," Richard adds. "It created a legacy of confusion." 

Richard believes this lack of clarity isn’t just semantic. It shapes public opinion and policy, often unfairly grouping nicotine pouches with tobacco products that carry a very different risk profile. Crosby views the solution lies in more accurate framing, clearer labelling, and responsible storytelling. 

Recently, British media coverage of nicotine pouches has increasingly caused confusion among consumers. Richard Crosby highlights this issue specifically with recent ITV reporting: 

“ITV are the latest British media outlet to take a misinformed swipe at nicotine pouches. Whilst they’ve finally grasped the difference between snus and nicotine pouches, we’re now being warned about an apparent rise in ‘illicit’ pouches. I can see the appeal of the term for headline writers, but it’s hard to pin down exactly what qualifies as ‘illicit’ here or the legal basis Trading Standards are using to seize them. There are sensible points made about ultra-high-strength products—the same points I’ve been making for years—but ITV wanders straight into misinformation when it comes to defining what makes a pouch ‘illicit’.” 

Richard continues “Their reporting leans too heavily on dubious claims from Trading Standards officers and teenage anecdotes, hardly the most scientific or unbiased sources of information. This kind of reporting wraps legitimate concerns in sensationalism and misses the chance to properly explore an important issue, while completely overlooking the harm reduction potential.” 

While he supports flavour variety, Richard is critical of branding that infantilises nicotine products.  

He sees echoes of the vaping market’s mistakes: cartoonish names, neon packaging, and candy references that invite criticism and regulatory backlash. "We’ve got to learn from the vape industry. The pouch category is already suffering from that legacy." Instead, he advocates for branding that clearly communicates the product is for adults — professional, straightforward, and serious in tone.

In the end Richard’s advocacy comes down to a simple truth. "Every cigarette not smoked is a win. Even if pouches only replace one cigarette a day, that’s a step in the right direction." He believes the future of nicotine pouches in the UK will hinge on open-minded, evidence-based discussions. And while manufacturers and retailers have a role to play, so do consumers and policymakers. "These products are already here. The question isn’t whether they should exist, but how we make sure they’re used responsibly."  

Want to learn more about nicotine pouches and regulation in the UK? Explore our latest consumer guides, comparison tools, and policy explainers at Haypp UK.