Islandsparadoxen: Att förbjuda framtiden för att skydda det förflutna

So Iceland —land of glaciers, data centers, and social progress— wants to join the war on nicotine pouches. Yes, that Iceland. The same country that runs on geothermal energy and uploads its genes to public databases is suddenly feeling very… 1990s.

I know what you’re thinking: “Surely Iceland, of all places, is embracing safer nicotine alternatives, right?”

Well, no.

A growing number of Icelandic MPs are pushing for tighter controls on nicotine pouches — including sales bans to minors (fine), advertising restrictions (understandable), but also: plain packaging, retail limitations, and severe limitations on pouch strength. In other words, a slow, bureaucratic ban.

You’re probably wondering: “Wait, but isn’t Iceland one of the most innovative societies in Europe?”

Exactly. That’s what makes this so weird.

While countries like Sweden are racing toward smoke-free status thanks to harm reduction products like pouches, Iceland seems ready to hit pause — or even rewind. Meanwhile, cigarettes remain legal. Legal and lethal.

Let’s do the math.

Iceland’s youth smoking rates are down. That’s good. But guess what else is down? Adult smoking rates, thanks in part to new nicotine alternatives like pouches. The shift isn’t hypothetical — it’s happening. And instead of encouraging it, lawmakers want to regulate these products as if they were candy-flavored dynamite.

I know what you’re thinking now: “But don’t they just want to protect kids?”

Of course. So do we. That’s why we support age restrictions, warning labels, and ingredient standards. But you don’t protect kids by punishing adults. You don’t fight smoking by banning what helps people quit.

This is about more than pouches. It’s about policy priorities. If Iceland wants to be the smart, forward-thinking country it claims to be, it can’t fall for the old prohibition playbook.

Because here’s the truth: when you overregulate safer alternatives, you don’t reduce nicotine use. You just push it underground — where it’s unregulated, untested, and far more dangerous. We’ve seen it with vaping bans. We’ll see it again with pouches, if this continues.

If Iceland truly wants a healthier future, it should follow the evidence — not the fear. Regulate pouches like the products they are. Let people make informed choices. And let science, not stigma, lead the way.