"We risk a tax shock and a taste ban for white snus. One million Swedish users should speak out."
This is according to Markus Lindblad, Head of Communications at Snusbolaget, as plans for new EU legislation on new nicotine products approach a critical stage.
Swedish retailer Snusbolaget is urging its customers to protest against the EU's planned minimum tax on new nicotine products. As Vejpkollen previously reported, the European Commission is likely to make a proposal before the end of the year.
"Traditional tobacco snus is protected, but things look bleak for white snus. The tobacco-free snus risks a tax shock of several hundred percent while the flavors may be limited" writes Markus Lindblad, Head of Communications at Haypp group (which runs Snusbolaget) in Snusjournalen.
More younger users
The debate on white snus has been raging for some years now. In Sweden, use has increased, particularly among young people, attracting media and political attention. According to Swedish Public Health Agency 18% of women and 12% of men aged 16-29 reported using 'nicotine snuff' daily or sometimes.
At the same time, smoking in the same group has declined steadily over the same period and is now below 5%. In the rest of the EU, the average is nearly 23%..
"If the EU decides on a far too high mini-tax on tobacco-free snus, it will become a much less attractive alternative to smoking. It limits Sweden's and the EU's ability to promote less harmful products through financial incentives." writes Markus Lindblad in Snusjournalen
Prohibition and restriction of flavors
In Sweden and several other EU countries, it is mainly public health authorities and state-supported lobby organizations who are critical of the increasing use of nicotine pouches. And they have been influencing policy internationally. In several countries, such as The Netherlands and Belgium, the products will soon be banned completely. In others, as in Finland, the government is leaning towards limiting flavorings.
Medan the Swedish government and a majority in the Riksdag is investigating the possibility of possibly regulating smoke-free products more leniently than cigarettes, it goes against the wishes of the Swedish Public Health Agency. FHM believes that white snus should be regulated like cigarettes and other smoking tobacco, with high taxes and taste bans.
"There is a need for regulation of these products that is more similar to the protective legislation that exists for tobacco smoking, including a ban on flavorings, regulation of nicotine content and marketing bans," says Director General Karin Tegmark Wisell. in a press release.
Improving public health in the EU
According to Markus Lindblad, this is a dangerous path to take, not only in Sweden but throughout the EU.
"Tobacco-related mortality in Sweden is half the EU average. This is because we have had the opportunity to use safer nicotine alternatives for a very long time and snus has replaced traditional cigarettes. Tobacco-free snus has a huge potential to contribute to improving public health in Europe. If Europeans were to replace cigarettes with snus to the same extent as Swedes, hundreds of thousands of deaths could be prevented every year. "
"Smokers prefer fruit flavor"
He also argues that the Folkhäslomyndighet's view of flavors and young users is grossly oversimplified.
"We know that smokers who switch to tobacco-free snus often prefer sweet fruit flavors, and are happy to swap the tobacco flavor for something that doesn't resemble tobacco at all. We also know from our sales data that there is no major difference between age groups. So there is no particular flavor that attracts a certain age group - regardless of age, people like the taste of strawberry, mint and orange."
"Clear signal from snus users"
The snus company believes that the million Swedes who use snus and nicotine pouches can make a difference in the upcoming EU negotiations.
"In a survey of our customers, 91 % said they would be against continued EU membership if white snus was subject to significant tax increases and 80 % if the EU introduced a taste ban on snus. This is a clear signal from Sweden's 1 million snus users." says Markus Lindblad.
Thousands of signatures already
Snusjournalen recently launched a petition that (in September 2023) attracted 30,000 snus users to sign the message. Something that Markus Lindblad is very pleased with.
"Everyone wants to help with this. And more answers are coming in all the time," says Markus Lindblad.
Leave the Snus behind!
Stop the drugs instead!
Yes rather how , let the people sniff and vejpa ❤️❤️
There is no MEP who sniffs... guess what drug they use instead...
My snus will stay! 🤬
My snus will remain
Stop all other shit but give a damn about our snus
Now the elected representatives must do their duty. Put the EU in place. The snuff MUST STAY.
Give me a break. For God's sake, leave Swedish snus as it is.
Leave our snus alone
Give a damn about our snus .....👿👿
Give us our snus
Surely enough is enough. Should everything in Sweden be banned or? I don't use snus myself, but let people decide for themselves what they want and don't want.
forget about the snuff, asshole
Don't touch my snus!
Aren't the already expensive prices enough?
Leave the snuff alone, nothing to do with you.
Do not touch our snus !!!
Leave our snus alone! There are other ways to make money.
I can't believe grown-ups aren't allowed to decide for themselves.
Fuck my snus
Something that has existed since the 1800s in Sweden, you can still give a damn, I think!
If they don't understand anything, you snuff, you clear your lungs, you don't get K.O.L. or Cancer in your lungs, so these damn political scrotum devils will have to get their shit together, otherwise we sensible people will take over.
Let Snuset exist....We have Democracy in Sweden, right? Or maybe NOT...🤬
Let the snus be . Reduce the tax . A can should have 50 grams of snus in the can....
Stop this damn taxing 🤮
Leave our snus alone!
Me stop now. Leave the spice of life, the snuff, behind. And stop paying attention to everything. Southern treasure land.
Leave our snus alone!!!!!
Don't give a damn about our snus!!!
Enough is enough, damn it! 😡
Ban the drugs instead, they have more side effects.
Now you f-n give your power abuse
When we joined the EU, they promised NOT to touch our snus. So why should they poke and prod? Fuck our snus!!!
!
Can we have a say in our own country!!!! SWEXIT....!!!
Let my snus remain, I have gone from cigarettes to white snus with fruit flavor.
Sweden's snus use is an old and deep-rooted tradition.
Should people in other countries decide what kind of snus we should have or whether we can even have it?
I don't want to be the politicians in Sweden who sign this!
Risk of a difficult situation, so to speak.
When we joined the EU, this was on the agenda and our politicians promised that snus would not be at risk.
Up for grabs now.
But as usual, our politicians are probably busy being a good brother abroad and stamping on their own people.
But remember that there are MANY of us!
Leave my snus alone, it's already expensive enough.
Leave our snus alone. I guess it's the cigarettes that are more dangerous. I have stopped smoking 20 years ago after a few months I started with nicotine free snus. Have since switched to regular snus. Let it remain, otherwise I think many people will start smoking again.
Leave my snus alone
You don't touch the only thing that makes you happy.
Our snus is our snus 🖕🏻🖕🏻🖕🏻
Fuck my snus
Leave the snus alone
Fuck snus, focus more on drugs and all the other crap that exists. We snus users don't smell bad, and we don't behave like drugged individuals
Don't touch our snus!
Leave the snus, take care of all the drugs instead & the damn crime we have in Sweden!!!!!
Leave the snus and make the drugs go away!
Leave our Swedish snus alone! The EU or no other country should be able to decide on this! Hope more people sign. I am a snus user myself.
Are we going to become a fucking prohibition society.
Don't copy other countries' shitty laws.
We have our own laws and regulations. Show that you can resist other countries' bullshit laws and bans.
Make sure you concentrate and focus your resources on more important things.
Drugs alcoholism poverty crime.
Today, people are starting to see how dangerous alcohol is. But there you can advertise on TV. Have the same text on liquor bottles as on snus in that case. Seriously damages your health.
Leave our snus alone.
Let snus be cheap we who had heart attacks due to cigars have many now this instead fy
Leave our snus alone....
Leave my snus alone and find a way to stop drugs and drug dealers etc. Do something about the other world like war and that we don't all have to follow the EU rules. They think they are in charge of all of Europe. Let us keep the snus!!!
My snus should remain mint
Now that I finally quit smoking and started snuffing, please leave my snuff alone
Låt bli vårat snus….se till o stoppa knarket o övriga hemska droger istället 😡
Leave the snus behind
Now they must be enough with over paternalism ... see to stop the drug instead ...
Fuck our snus and get out of the fucking EU membership it just makes a lot of shit.
SWEDEN OUT OF THE EU NOW !!!!
FUCK OUR SNUS !!!!
FUCKING IDIOTS......🖕
Leave our snus alone from the EU or our politicians all snus users protest NOW
Leave out the flavored white snuff. It has helped me become smoke free and risk getting COPD. Can help so many more young people to let go of the poison sticks!!!
Don't touch my snuff!
FUCK MY GENERAL SNUS!!! 😡😡
Spend your time and money on fighting the cooking of dangerous substances and drugs instead of our SNUS! Fucking idiots 😡
Give a damn about the snuff
Fuck my snus!
Get the hell off my snus!
Screw the snuff!
Can't anything be right in this country?
Leave this ridiculous EU
Leave the snuff alone!
Leave the EU and leave the snus!
Don't touch our snus. It is a Swedish cultural heritage.
Fuck our snus
Screw our snus!
To hell with our snus!
Fuck our snus
Fuck our snus
Fuck the snus! 😡😡😡😡 if it becomes more expensive, Sweden must leave the parasites EU 🇪🇺 Sweden cannot tax more!
Fuck our snus
Leave the snuff alone.
But is that democracy? Can't you decide for yourself whether to use snus or vape?
Leave the snuff alone!
Give a damn about the snuff
Why not just leave it alone... leave the snuff and vejp alone
Give a damn about the snuff 🤬
Leave the white snuff alone 😡
Leave our snus the hell alone
I don't understand why the EU should come and decide everything. Snus has a special status in several ways. Start raising taxes on southern European wines with 200%. I am so damn tired of the crap from Brussels. I voted no to that shit in the first place.
Hello! Why fight about this snuff... raising taxes? surely there are much more serious issues to deal with? Weed is so much more dangerous than people think.
Knowledge is important before speaking out.
Stop vejpa start using nicotine patches or nicotine snuff if you have to.
The EU has NOTHING to do with OUR SWEDISH SNUS!!! DON'T TOUCH OURS SNUS🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪
Leave the snuff and the ecigarettes or vejps alone...there is no nasty smell in them...ban stinky cigarettes instead !
Leave the snus alone. Referendum on leaving the EU please!
THAT'S ENOUGH NOW!
Fuck the SNUSH!!!
Everything is already expensive as it is today, take tax money from the disgusting politicians instead who sit and push grapes every day....
Peace on earth is still more important, snus here and snus there
Leave snus alone. There are other taxes to raise
If you see my snuff, leave it alone.
Fuck my snus
Leave the snus alone and get out of the eu...just shit with the eu. Better with a Nordic community, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway.
Tradition and vital. Snus user since 60 years !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Leave our snus alone, there are worse things
Leave our snus alone
Keep the snuff!!!!!
Ban the white snus that draws almost all young people in Sweden into a strong addiction.
Research done so far warns of major health risks. I understand that you do not want this as you have an addiction problem but think of our young people in Sweden!
What research are you referring to? Always good to attach a link or similar when arguing with research as a source. (note that the editors review the link based on source and credibility first, but this applies to everyone) 😉