Sweden's Snus Experiment: A Path Away From Cigarettes, or a New Generation of Nicotine Addicts?
TBS CROSS DIG with Bloomberg
Sweden is close to becoming the first European country to declare itself smoke-free, and many people credit snus, a small pouch of nicotine tucked under the lip. This report examines that claim. It asks whether snus and newer nicotine pouches explain Sweden's low smoking rate, why big tobacco companies are now betting on these products, and why health advocates warn the result may be widespread nicotine addiction under a different name.
A Country on the Edge of "Smoke-Free"
The report opens with Morton, a 20-year-old who has just bought a few fresh packs of snus at a shop in central Stockholm on their lunch break. Morton says they have used it for a long while and simply find it relaxing.
Snus is a tobacco product sold in small pouches and placed under the lip to deliver nicotine. According to the report, whether it explains Sweden's near-exit from smoking depends on whom you ask. The figures are striking. Only 5.6% of Swedes smoked in 2022, the lowest rate in Europe and close to the 5% threshold at which a country can declare itself smoke-free. Swedish smoking rates have fallen by more than half over the past 15 years. Today about 5% of men and about 6% of women smoke.
About 15% of the population uses snus. Users are mostly men, but the report describes women as a fast-growing market. Women tend to use nicotine pouches, a product that appeared less than a decade ago. They work like snus but contain no tobacco. Instead they combine plant fibers with nicotine.
Inside a Nicotine Store
The reporter visits a store devoted entirely to nicotine products. It sells vapes, nicotine pouches and traditional snus, but no cigarettes. The report presents this as a snapshot of how Sweden's market has moved away from smoking without moving away from nicotine.
Snus has been part of Swedish popular culture for more than 200 years, and the report says it is now making a comeback. Supporters argue that Sweden's centuries-long experience offers the rest of the world a road map for finally quitting cigarettes. Policymakers and health advocates, however, remain divided. In the EU there are hints that legislators could move to ban tobacco-free nicotine pouches, which the report says would be a severe economic threat to pouch makers.
Big Tobacco's "Reduced-Risk" Pivot
Vapes and snus were once seen as competitors to big tobacco's core cigarette business. The report says the industry now embraces them as "reduced-risk products." It cites Philip Morris International's purchase of Swedish Match, which owns several domestic snus and nicotine pouch brands, described in the report as happening "last year." An industry voice in the piece calls for "effective policies that make cigarettes a historical artifact, a museum piece collecting dust behind glass cases."
The commercial stakes are large. The global nicotine pouch market is projected to grow from about $2 billion in 2022 to as much as $17.6 billion by 2029. The report frames alternative nicotine products as an existential lifeline for big tobacco. They let companies shift sales gradually from cigarettes to products the companies describe as less harmful.
The Health Evidence Cuts Both Ways
The report cites evidence that supporters point to. Despite growing snus use, Sweden has the lowest tobacco-related cancer rates among European men. In 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration declared eight varieties of Swedish Match snus less risky than cigarettes, saying such smokeless tobacco products pose lower cancer risks.
The report also stresses that nicotine is highly addictive. It notes that nicotine can raise blood pressure, contribute to cardiovascular disease, and worsen heart conditions and other health problems.
"A Whole New Generation of Nicotine Addicts"
The critics' main concern is who is using these products. One health advocate says they are most worried about "a whole new generation of nicotine addicts." A young user describes how they started: the product "started to look good," they wanted to try it, and they "just kept going." A critic argues that people "bought into the tobacco industry's story about snus as a smoke cessation product."
A critic identified in the report as Kågström offers a different explanation for Sweden's low smoking rate: the restrictions introduced in the 1990s. Sweden was among the first countries to make workplaces smoke-free and to set age limits on buying cigarettes and tobacco. Kågström says these measures have been proven effective in reducing smoking in Sweden, which challenges the claim that snus deserves the credit.
Not There Yet
The report concludes that, with a flurry of new nicotine products entering the market, governments need to settle on best practices and policies. The closing speaker cautions that Sweden has not yet reached its goal. Smoking rates still vary with income and education, and the speaker says there is "a lot more to do before becoming a smoke-free country." The question left open is whether snus is Sweden's route out of smoking or a replacement dependency. The report presents both sides without settling it.
This is Morton. He's 20 years old and has just picked up a few fresh packs of snus at a shop in central Stockholm on his lunch break.
I think that I have been using for a long while now, but I just think it's relaxing.
Snus is a tobacco product that comes in small pouches. It's tucked under the lip to get a nicotine buzz. And depending on who you ask, snus is the reason why Sweden has just about quit smoking.
Only 5.6% of Swedes smoked in 2022. That's the lowest percentage in Europe and within touching distance of the 5% target where a country can declare itself smoke-free. Swedish smoking rates have fallen by over half in the past 15 years.
Today, only 5% of men and about 6% of women smoke, but about 15% of the population uses snus, mostly men, but women are a fast-growing market. Women tend to use nicotine pouches, a relatively new product that appeared less than a decade ago. Think of them like snus, but with no tobacco. Instead, they're made of plant fibers combined with nicotine.
I'm at Nikoteket. This is a nicotine store. In a store like this, you can find a veritable plethora of nicotine products: vapes, nicotine pouches, and traditional snus. The one thing you won't find here are cigarettes.
Snus has been part of the Swedish popular culture for more than 200 years. Now, it's making a comeback. Snus fans say Sweden's centuries-long experiment provides the road map for the rest of the world to finally quit using cigarettes.
But policymakers and health advocates are divided over its use. In the EU, there are hints legislators could move to ban tobacco-free nicotine pouches. That would represent a severe economic threat to nicotine pouch makers.
Products like vapes and snus were once seen as competitors to big tobacco's core business. But these days, they're embracing them as so-called reduced-risk products. Last year, global tobacco giant Philip Morris International bought Swedish Match, which owns several domestic snus and nicotine pouch brands.
It's time to work toward the common goal of delivering effective policies that make cigarettes a historical artifact, a museum piece collecting dust behind glass cases.
The global market for nicotine pouch makers is projected to soar from about $2 billion in 2022 to as much as $17.6 billion by 2029. Alternative nicotine products represent an existential lifeline to big tobacco, offering a gradual sales shift from cigarettes to what they say are less harmful products.
Despite growing snus use, Sweden boasts the lowest tobacco-related cancer rates for European men. And in 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration declared eight varieties of Swedish Match snus less risky than cigarettes. The regulator said use of such smokeless tobacco products poses lower risks of cancer.
Still, nicotine is highly addictive. It can elevate blood pressure, contribute to cardiovascular diseases, and aggravate heart issues and other health problems.
Of course, I'm mostly worried about that we're now seeing a whole new generation of nicotine addicts.
It started to look good and I wanted to try it and just kept going.
They bought into the tobacco industry's story about snus as a smoking cessation product.
Kågström instead attributes Sweden's low smoking rates to restrictions put in place in the 1990s.
Sweden was one of the first countries to introduce smoke-free workplaces and introduced age limits on buying cigarettes and tobacco products. And these are measures that have been proven effective in reducing smoking in Sweden.
With a flurry of new nicotine products entering the market, it is key for governments to get a handle on best practices and policies.
We're not there yet and we see inequalities in terms of smoking rates depending on your level of income and education. So, we still have a lot more to do before becoming a smoke-free country.
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