The Swedish government is considering two measures that could have negative impacts on tobacco harm reduction in the country, according to a story by the tobacco policy commentator, Atakan Befrits published on the Nicotine Science and Policy website.
One proposal would see the warnings applied to snus, which is available for sale within the EU only in Sweden, harmonized with those applied to ‘other, more dangerous, smokeless products that are freely sold in the EU’.
Many of these products were acknowledged to have very serious health consequences whereas Swedish snus had not been shown to have any serious adverse health effects, despite more than 100 years of monitored use, said Befrits.
This measure would prevent possible use of snus in state-funded smoke-cessation initiatives, reduce consumer confidence in its use and send a negative message to other countries.
Another proposal would possibly lead to a de facto ban on e-liquids and electronic cigarettes containing and delivering.
What is at stake is whether or not such products should be classified as pharmaceutical products and placed under the Medical Products Agency.
According to Befrits, the prohibitive costs of the regulatory process necessary to register electronic cigarettes on a small market such as Sweden would result in a de facto ban for the foreseeable future.
The full story is at: https://nicotinepolicy.net/atakan-befrits/5622-sweden-banning-tobacco-harm-reduction-due-to-senseless-implementation-of-the-eu-tobacco-products-directive-snus-and-e-cigarettes-at-risk.