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SNUS SNUB for SWEDEN at EU COURT  The EU court in Luxemburg has dealt a blow to Swedish national pride, balance of trade figures, and, depending on who you believe, European public health. On Tuesday, the court's lawyers recommended that the ban on snus (a Swedish form of snuff tobacco inserted under the top lip) introduced in 1992 should stay in place. Wednesday's GP reported that the statement only represented a recommendation, but that it was unlikely that the court would deviate in its final ruling later this year. It's a major blow for snus giant, Swedish Match. They had been eyeing new markets such as Britain and Germany as smoking regulations across Europe become increasingly restrictive. The lawyer leading the investigation, Leendert Geelhoeds, gave two reasons for maintaining the ban: it prevents tobacco use spreading to new groups; and it's the only way to protect the health of citizens. The second of these reasons was the real twist of the knife. Only last week, Sweden was taken to task by EU Commissioner Frits Bolkestein over its restrictive alcohol policies. Apparently, then it was the free market which was more important than public health. Click here to read the rest of this article. Source: www.thelocal.se Author: Andy Butterworth BECAUSE of SNUS, SWEDES TAKE SMOKING BAN in STRIDE  STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Sweden is a few days from joining the select group of European countries that have banned smoking in restaurants and bars. But unlike Ireland, where the ban upset pub owners, or Italy, where cappuccino drinkers complained about having to smoke outdoors, no one here expects the June 1 event to be met with much protest. The main reason for this indifference is a four-letter word: snus. A moist, finely minced snuff tobacco inserted under the upper lip, snus is the Swedish alternative to cigarettes. The substance has been used widely here for almost two centuries and has grown in popularity in recent years. More than a million Swedes use it, and as smoking is banned in eating and drinking establishments, snus (pronounced snoos) is expected to become even more popular. "Historically, we've seen a lot of smokers switching to snus," said Sven Hindrikes, chief executive of Swedish Match, which made 95 percent of the almost 200 million cans of snus sold last year. "If you're not allowed to smoke in restaurants, it will have a positive effect on our sales." Swedish Match is also promoting its relative health benefits of snus compared with other tobacco products. "If you ask people who have stopped smoking in Sweden, the biggest group says they have used snus as the main aid in quitting," Hindrikes said. But Swedish health care groups are hardly prepared to embrace snus. "In a sense, all things you compare with smoking unavoidably look quite healthy because it's such an extremely dangerous habit," said Margaretha Haglund, who specializes in tobacco policy at the National Institute of Public Health in Stockholm. "Recommending snus to a smoker is a little like telling an alcoholic that it's OK to shift from vodka to wine." By IVAR EKMAN New York Times News Service Sunday, May 29, 2005 BIG CIGARETTE COMPANIES BET ON SMOKELESS TOBACCO  SNUS POUCHES: With rules on smoking getting even stricter, leading cigarette firms are pouring money into an alternative nicotine hit via tobacco that one can suck. Advertising The tobacco industry has seen the future and it's smokeless. As countries including England outlaw lighting up in enclosed public places, big cigarette firms are pouring millions of dollars and research hours into developing and promoting a product that delivers the addictive hit of nicotine, without the harm to health caused by cigarette smoke. "They know the days of the cigarette are numbered. It's a long way off but as circumstances change, cigarette firms believe people will still want nicotine and they see smokeless alternatives as the way forward," said Amanda Sandford, research manager at the British anti-smoking charity Ash. British American Tobacco (BAT), the UK's biggest tobacco company, confirmed that it wants to sell snus -- smokeless tobacco -- across the EU where, except for Sweden, it is currently banned. Snus (pronounced `snuz') is a sweet-sized pouch like a teabag that a user places under the lip. It delivers the nicotine hit in roughly a minute -- around nine times slower than a cigarette, but much faster than nicotine patches used in giving up smoking. In Sweden, snus outsells cigarettes and is credited with helping reduce lung cancer to the lowest rate in the world. Around 16 percent of men use snus, compared with 14 percent who smoke. BAT is testing snus in South Africa under the Lucky Strike brand, while rival Gallaher has an interest in a Scandinavian company that produces a similar product. But it could be a long time before snus is approved, if at all. Health watchdogs recall the 1980s, when US tobacco firms brought Skoal Bandits tobacco pouches to the UK. The pouches were banned amid protests over cancer fears. Significantly, though, health groups are ambiguous about snus. A BAT briefing document quotes Ash as saying it is illogical to keep cigarettes legal "while snus, which is over 100 times less harmful, is barred." "We wouldn't want to see it promoted as a completely safe alternative," said Ash's Amanda Sandford, stressing such products had been linked to pancreatic and mouth cancers. "But there is evidence snus gets people off smoking tobacco. We wouldn't want young people to start using it, but in Sweden a lot of middle-aged men have given up smoking because of switching to snus and then have given up snus," she said. THE OBSERVER , LONDON Saturday, Feb 25, 2006 Read more about Swedish Snus News This page in på Svenska language. This page in Auf Deutsch language. This page in en Français language. This page in in Italiano language. This page in En Español language. |
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