Švédsko ukazuje Evropě cestu: Používání nikotinových sáčků pro lepší zdraví

So here we are, Stockholm, Mynttorget, right in front of Parliament. Coffee bike, cinnamon buns, and real people telling their stories. Swedes who quit smoking thanks to nicotine pouches.

And here’s the thing: Sweden is the proof some of the rest of Europe pretends not to see. This country is on track to become the first smoke-free nation in the EU. How?  by allowing safer products. Not by strangling them with taxes. By letting adults make adult choices. By letting nicotine pouches exist.

I know what you’re thinking: “But surely regulators in Brussels understand this, right?”

Not really. Some want to copy Finland’s disaster: banning flavors and therefore pushing people back to cigarettes. Others talk about impossible nicotine caps. Meanwhile, Sweden’s real-world success sits in plain sight.

In Stockholm, we didn’t just talk to pouch users. We spoke with their friends, their colleagues, their partners, people who no longer breathe second-hand smoke because someone close to them switched. That’s the forgotten angle: nicotine pouches don’t just help smokers; they protect everyone around them.

And let’s talk about women. In Sweden, pouches have been a game-changer. Female smoking rates have dropped faster than almost anywhere else in Europe. When safer alternatives are available and acceptable, women switch, and stay switched.

We collected stories, handed out dozens of postcards signed by Swedes to MEPs, and reminded politicians right across the street that public health isn’t about slogans,  it’s about results. Sweden has results. Today, the smoking rate among Swedish women has dropped to 5.7%, down from 11.2% in 2015, a remarkable 49% decline. Also, in Sweden, nicotine pouches have helped reduce smoking rates to just 7%, compared to the EU average of 23%.

You’re probably wondering: “So what’s the point of this tour stop?”

Simple. To tell Europe: follow Sweden’s lead. Stockholm proves that science and facts beat prohibition every time.

Because the truth is obvious: nicotine pouches save lives, reduce smoking, and create healthier communities. Sweden didn’t get here by accident. And if Brussels has any sense left, it will let Sweden lead the way.