Warning: "EU wants to ban white snus - also in Sweden"

EU health bureaucrats want to ban white snus, i.e. nicotine pouches, in all EU countries, including Sweden. This is according to Charlie Weimers, Member of the European Parliament, after reading a leaked report commissioned by the European Commission ahead of a revision of the EU tobacco directive.
"The report finds that the EU snus ban has been very successful and recommends that the same ban should apply to nicotine pouches," writes Charlie Weimers in a high-profile post on X (formerly Twitter).

The debate on nicotine pouches has raged in many European countries since the products became popular. Swedish snus was banned in the early 1990s but the sister variety is now available alongside cigarettes in many tobacco shops, although perhaps mainly online. However, despite their growing popularity, nicotine pouches are selling best in the Nordic countries. According to Charlie Weimers, Conservative member of the The European Parliament, nicotine pouches, alongside Swedish snus, have contributed to the fact that not only Swedish men smoke less than the European average. He points out that nicotine pouches have become particularly popular among women in Sweden, a group whose proportion of smokers has long been significantly higher than among men.

"Men have largely opted out of smoking in favor of snus, while women seeking less dangerous alternatives are more likely to choose white snus. Therefore, a ban on nicotine pouches would hit women particularly hard." writes Charlie Weimers.

Warns against various bans

For several years, the European Commission has been preparing a revision of the TPD, the European Tobacco Products Directive, which also includes e-cigarettes. The work has been characterized by several open consultations, where thousands of stakeholders have been able to give their views on how the current rules work and how to deal with possible stricter rules in the future. By spring 2023, the Commission warned Sweden's largest snus retailer because white snus is likely to be heavily taxed, face flavor restrictions or, in the worst case, be banned altogether unless consumers and politicians start acting within the EU. 

"Swedish snus is protected by an exemption from EU legislation," says Charlie Weimers.

"Unfortunately, the Swedish exemption for tobacco snus does not apply to nicotine pouches. If the European Commission and the Member States accept the report's recommendation, white snus will also be banned in Sweden." writes Charlie Weimers.

He also argues that the authors of the commissioned report have grossly misinterpreted the impact of the EU snus ban as a success. He believes that it is quite the opposite.

"The idea that the EU snus ban is a success is completely wrong. In fact, it is snus that makes Sweden the only country in the EU that is on track to reach the UN's goal of a smoke-free society (defined as less than 5% smokers), which has saved many lives. A ban on white snus would be a severe blow to the attempt to eradicate smoking in the EU." writes Charlie Weimers in its post on X.

"Covering up upcoming bans"

In connection with the publication of the as yet unofficial report by Charlie Weimers, the interest group revealed Pouch Forum that it is unlikely that the people most affected, businesses and users, would find out that a ban is in the works. According to documents seen by the Pouch Forum writers, two versions of the report have been circulated: one for so-called "stakeholders" (i.e. business owners and consumers) and another for politicians within the EU apparatus. 

"The text sent to economic operators states that "economic operators believe that extending the snus ban to nicotine pouches will be detrimental to users who intend to switch "to safer alternatives", while the text sent to Member States states that "new products covered by the relevance criterion, require the extension of the ban to nicotine-containing oral products." writes Pouch Forum on its website.

Ignoring the role of snus

According to the writers at Pouch Forum this suggests a cover-up tactic, where those with economic or user-related interests are kept out of the discussion as much as possible. A neutral account of the impact of snus on smoking in Sweden (close to the threshold for being considered 'smoke-free') should not be presented in a positive light for future decisions in the Parliament, says Pouch Forums writers.

"They want policy makers to ignore the situation in the only Member State where smokers have access to many alternatives to cigarettes. Sweden shows that a wider range of nicotine products on the market leads to better public health outcomes no matter how it is measured" writes Pouch Forum.

Regulated differently in EU countries

Nicotine pouches are currently allowed to be sold in most EU countries. Belgium has prohibited the sale. In countries such as the Netherlands, only ultra-low nicotine portions have been allowed to be purchased on prescription (but will be banned completely) A similar system was recently abolished in Finland, where nicotine portions since May 2023 can be sold in regular shops. In countries like Sweden, only 6% of the population smokes, while 10 to 20% use snus, e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches.

Facts: The debate on smoke-free nicotine.

• Consensus in international research, including in reviews British Royal College of Physicians, argues that smokeless nicotine products are very likely to cause a fraction of the harm caused by smoking. However, it is argued that, with the exception of Sweden, there are no extensive epidemiological studies to support this. 
• Swedish politicians have divided opinions on snus (and later the role of nicotine pouches) in relation to Sweden's low smoking rate. At present, a majority in the Riksdag (including the parties that have formed the government) support a principle of harm minimization. This means the government wants snus and other smokeless nicotine products, such as e-cigarettes, to be regulated differently from smoking tobacco.
• Recently, the government announced that tax on snus to be reducedand that the reduction will be financed by an increase in taxes on cigarettes. Nicotine pouches are regulated at the same way as e-cigarettes, with taxation, age limits and restrictions on marketing.
• The Swedish Public Health Agency, on the other hand, sides with the opposition and believes that snus and vejp products should be regulated in the same way as cigarettes. The Public Health Agency has, among other things, pushed the issue of taste bans for e-cigarettes, a proposal put forward by the previous social democratic government, but which was voted down in Parliament.
• The WHO also believes that it is more important to curb the market for all nicotine products than to promote harm reduction for current and future smokers. The WHO is expected to introduce stricter guidelines for alternative nicotine products in the upcoming revision of the The Tobacco Convention in November, during the tenth meeting of the signatories to the Convention (COP10).