EU Health Chief Says Pouches Are “As Harmful as Cigarettes” Evidence Remains Pending

Press Release:

In an interview published by Euractiv, EU Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi stated that he is “100% convinced” nicotine pouches are as harmful as cigarettes. At the same time, the European Commission confirms it is still awaiting further evidence from World Health Organization studies scheduled for publication in 2026.

This contradiction raises serious questions about how conclusions are being drawn in EU public health policy.

Cigarettes cause cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory illness primarily because of combustion. Burning tobacco exposes users to carbon monoxide, fine particulates, and thousands of toxic by-products that damage the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. This mechanism is well established in decades of epidemiological and toxicological research.

Pouches do not burn, do not produce smoke, and do not expose users to combustion-related toxins.

Risk assessments consistently reflect this difference. On relative harm scales used in public health research, cigarettes score 100, while nicotine pouches score approximately 0.1, representing a 99.9% lower health risk compared to smoking.

Real-world outcomes reinforce this science. Sweden, where smoke-free oral nicotine products are widely available and affordable, has the lowest smoking rate in the European Union at approximately 5.3 percent. The country also records around 44 percent lower tobacco-related mortality than the EU average, the lowest lung cancer incidence in Europe, and lower rates of cardiovascular disease compared to neighboring countries.

These outcomes were achieved through risk-proportionate regulation that encouraged smokers to move away from combustion, not by treating all nicotine products as equally dangerous.

Despite this evidence, the Commission’s current position equates smoke-free nicotine products with combustible cigarettes, while simultaneously acknowledging that further WHO-led studies will not be available until 2026.

Juan Rafael Taborcía, Global Spokesperson for Considerate Pouchers, said:

“Declaring that nicotine pouches are ‘100% as harmful as cigarettes’ while admitting that key evidence is still pending does not reflect how science normally works. We already know what causes smoking-related disease. Combustion does. Pouches do not involve combustion. Public health policy should follow what is already established, not suspend judgment selectively.”

Considerate Pouchers calls on the European Commission and Member States to align nicotine policy with existing scientific evidence and real-world outcomes. Treating fundamentally different products as if they pose identical risks removes incentives for smokers to switch to safer alternatives and risks slowing progress on smoking reduction across Europe.