The secrecy surrounding the upcoming meeting on the Tobacco Convention, COP10, is causing concern among many Swedes. Not least among those who use or work with smokeless nicotine products such as snus and e-cigarettes.
"All documents are confidential. But if the government does not stand up for harm reduction, it has some explaining to do to Sweden's 1.4 million snus and vejp users" says Bengt Wiberg, activist and founder of the network "#EU4Snus"
The World Health Organization (WHO) has made no secret of its views on e-cigarettes and other nicotine products competing with cigarettes in the nicotine market in recent years. The WHO has on several occasions, via campaigns and statements said that smokeless nicotine products should be banned or at least regulated as strictly as cigarettes. At the same time, the global framework set to tackle smoking and its harmful effects, The Tobacco Convention, never included smokeless nicotine products. Although both e-cigarettes and snus are heavily regulated in some countries, it has been up to individual national governments to manage the products without being bound by the Convention. Swedes, for example, can buy snus in regular shops, even though it is banned in the rest of the EU.
But that could change. At least that's what many people working in the field called tobacco harm reduction fear.
Many bans on the list
According to the public documents produced by the WHO Secretariat for Tobacco Control presented ahead of the tenth meeting of the Tobacco Convention, COP10, delegates will now have to consider issues related to smokeless nicotine products. These are mainly heat-not-burn products and e-cigarettes. Here the Secretariat proposes everything from tasting ban to classify vaporized nicotine as smoke. The aim is to bring all inhaled nicotine products under the Tobacco Convention framework, without having to rewrite the whole convention. But snus and nicotine pouches are also under scrutiny. Here too, there are proposals to ban or at least severely restrict access.
More 'anti-industry' than health issue
At the same time, it is clear that the reason for the proposed measures has little to do with health. Nicotine pouches (white snus) have a similar harm profile as nicotine medicinesThe product was originally developed for the pharmaceutical industry. The same applies to for e-cigarettes, invented by a pharmacist almost 20 years ago. Rather, the key point is that the products in question are now strongly linked to tobaccodustrin - something that is seen with very unblinking eyes by the established the anti-tobacco movement which once laid the foundations for the Tobacco Convention.
The Tobacco Convention has been signed by nearly 200 countries, including Sweden, and guides tobacco legislation worldwide.
Bengt Wiberg are snus users, vejp users and harm reduction activist for several years now. He is the contact person and founder of the 'EU4Snus' network - a loosely connected platform that organizes snus users from nearly 100 countries. And he is concerned about the trend.
"Overall, it doesn't look bright for products that many people think are important to replace cigarettes," he tells Vejpkollen.
"Does Sweden think like the EU about snus?"
Sweden will stand behind a EU common line regarding smokeless nicotine products under COPO10. It is unclear what this means, as all documents are confidential. Bengt Wiberg believes that the Swedish government is playing a high-stakes game.
"If the government does not stand up for harm reduction in the form of snus and other smokeless nicotine products, it has some explaining to do to Sweden's 1.4 million snus users and also those who use snus or want to quit smoking in the rest of Europe," says Bengt Wiberg.
No clear decisions in the fall
Earlier this winter, the Member of Parliament Isak From a similar question to Health Minister Jacob Forssmed. At the time, the Minister replied that Sweden had not adopted a clear position on the issue of harm reduction and the use or non-use of snus. Shortly afterwards, however, the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs presented a list of the delegates who will represent Sweden at COP10.
"Has the government ensured that Sweden's delegation stands up for tobacco harm reduction and explained that snus and tobacco-free nicotine products such as white snus and vejpning are important keys to why Sweden has basically quit smoking?" says Bengt Wiberg.
High level of confidentiality at the Ministry
Paula Ericsson, expert at Ministry of Social Affairs is the Swedish delegation's chief representative at COP10. And she is very quiet about what mission the delegation has actually been given by the government.
"We will have a common approach with the other EU countries. That's really all I can say on the matter" says Paula Ericsson to Vejpkollen.
High confidentiality - a security issue
When Vejpkollen asks the Ministry of Health and Welfare to see the minutes of the consultative meetings in preparation for a common position, it turns out that virtually all the crucial texts are marked confidential. According to Paula Ericsson the secrecy is due to the fact that the content concerns the security of other countries.
"The reason for omitting information is that this information concerns Sweden's relations with another state or otherwise concerns another state, intergovernmental organization, authority, citizen or legal person in another state or stateless person. It can be assumed that it would disrupt Sweden's international relations or otherwise harm the country if certain information were disclosed. This information is therefore subject to secrecy under the Public Access to Information and Secrecy Act." says Paula Ericsson to Vejpkollen.
"Complies with the tobacco convention"
Paula Ericsson notes that the interest in COP10 and the Swedish delegation's mission has been relatively high. Not least from companies operating in the nicotine market, in some cases tobacco companies. Few journalists have been in touch.
"There has been some pressure from those who want information and documents. But as Sweden is a signatory to the Tobacco Convention, which clearly sets out guidelines for interactions with the tobacco industry, it is important that we treat industry representatives with caution." she tells Vejpkollen
For example, what positions will Sweden support at COP10 on snus and nicotine pouches?
"Not necessarily. But in this case, as I said, it's a different kind of confidentiality that relates to international relations. We will, however, comply with the Tobacco Convention when it comes to contacts with the tobacco industry" says Paula Ericsson.
Affects one and a half million Swedes
But according to Bengt Wiberg it is completely unreasonable that information affecting so many Swedes is in principle confidential.
"We are one and a half million Swedes who use snus and vejpar, most of them to stay smoke-free. Our government has also decided that Swedish tobacco policy should have strong elements of harm reduction. This means that snus and other less harmful nicotine products have an important role to play and should be allowed" says Bengt Wiberg to Vejpkollen.
Vejpkollen on the ground in Panama
COP10 takes place in Panama City between 5 and 10 February. Vejpkollen will report from the meeting and the surrounding conferences organized by activists and other interest groups.
