I.
Nicotine pouches resemble small tea bags. They do not contain any tobacco, but they do contain nicotine, which is extracted from tobacco plants or produced synthetically. They come in a number of fruit and herb flavours, and are placed between the lip and the gum, according to a study from Sydney university in Australia.
Contrary to what some people say, a report in the British Guardian newspaper warned of health hazards connected to nicotine pouches. The report affirmed that these pouches are not safe at all, especially since nicotine is a chemical substance that is found in tobacco, and this makes it difficult to give up smoking. Moreover, sniffing it causes it to reach the brain rapidly, leading to the secretion of chemical substances in the brain called neurotransmitters, which control mood. But relying on these pouches and getting used to using them could turn into addiction.
Dr. Amjad al-Haddad, a consultant allergist and immunologist, also gave a warning, in his public statement in Al-Watan [newspaper], of the dangers of nicotine pouches, explaining that they contain the main substance connected to smoking, but without having to burn it. He said:
This substance, which is found in cigarettes in particular, has a clear impact on the heart muscle, immune system, brain centres and psychological signals.
Al-Haddad stated that using nicotine patches leads to feelings of dizziness, headaches, nausea and stomach cramps, in addition to problems in the heart and blood vessels, and he emphasised that there is no clear evidence that they are an effective means of giving up smoking. End quote.
As the harms mentioned are proven, using these patches is as prohibited as smoking cigarettes.
II.
It is prohibited to use these patches when fasting, because they dissolve and some juices come out of them, and the user cannot help but swallow some of that after it mixes with his saliva. So they are the same as dissolvable chewing gum.
It says in Nayl al-Ma’arib Sharh Dalil at-Talib (1/278) about things that invalidate the fast: Or if he chews gum and notices its taste in his throat.
Shaykh Ahmad ibn Nasir al-Qu`aymi (may Allah preserve him) said in Fayd al-Jalil (1/551): Chewing gum… it is prohibited to chew gum if it dissolves, and it is disliked (makruh) if it does not dissolve. End quote.
III.
It is permissible to use nicotine patches [when fasting], because they do not affect the fast, as we explained in the answer to question no. 103523.
And Allah knows best.
