The Real Youth Crisis? 29% Still Smoke in Europe

You’ve heard the story before: regulators across Europe are sounding the alarm about flavored nicotine pouches. “They’re targeting children!” “They’re getting teens hooked!” “They look like candy!” 

But here’s something they never talk about:

According to the latest EU data, 29% of young adults (ages 15–24) still smoke.

Let that sink in.

Almost a third of Europe’s youth is still lighting up, in 2025.

And yet somehow, the problem is… pouches?

Sweden Proves It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way

Now take a look at Sweden, the country that regulators love to ignore.

In Sweden:

• Nicotine pouches are legal
  
• Smoking is no longer the norm — it’s barely hanging on
  
• Just 3% of young Swedish adults smoke
  
• The country has 41% fewer tobacco-related cancers than the EU average
  
• And it’s on track to become the first smoke-free country in the world (under 5% adult smoking)
  

No bans. No hysteria. Just policy that respects science and people’s behavior.

So What’s the EU Actually Doing?

Instead of asking why so many young people still smoke, policymakers are focused on banning the very products that have helped Swedish youth stay smoke-free.

They claim it’s about health. But if that were true, they’d copy Sweden, not punish it.

Maybe the real addiction here… Is to outdated thinking.