Europe needs to snuff sense

 This article appeared in the March 1st 2008 edition of the Gotlands Allehanda. 

The Swedish tobacco industry has been producing snuff in its present form since the 1800s and the industry has annual sales in the current situation billions.  Today, the Swedish snus is in principle only for Swedes and Norwegians. Health hazards surrounding snuff are under constant debate, but researchers have long agreed that the risks of snus is substantially less than for smoking.

 Today smoke over a billion people and that smoking is a serious public health problem, there is no doubt. In Europe, the death of over 1.2 million people each year from tobacco-related diseases. In the Swedish health services are there to urge smokers to switch to snuff as smoking cessation resources.

It is prohibited to sell snus in the rest of the EU. It prevents the Swedish snus industry to sell in the other EU countries. But the ban deprives especially the other EU citizens a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco. The EU decision is based on research from the early 1980s, research that today challenged and overturned thrown. The warning on snuff dosorna has been changed from “causes cancer” to “This tobacco product can damage your health and is addictive”.

Snuff is not a health product, but not to take advantage of its possibilities as an alternative to smoking is stupid. Therefore, we, as members of the Riksdag and the European Parliament, have long worked to get the EU to reconsider the snus ban. We are pleased to Trade Ewa Björling’s initiative, when she recently wrote to the European Commission and took a position on the Swedish snus in the European market.

If the European market opened up to snuff, it would mean great opportunities and many new jobs. It is therefore important that Sweden operates a clear line with the EU, which will put snuff in the European market.