Sweden is smoke-free. Germany still bans the products that helped get it there.
Berlin, 14 October 2026. A group of Vikings just smashed a giant cigarette in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The message to Berlin: look North.
Sweden is now officially smoke-free. According to CAN, the Swedish research institute, daily smoking fell to 3.7 percent in 2025. That’s below the 5 percent threshold for the first time.
Swedes didn’t get there through higher taxes and tougher bans. They got there by switching to smoke-free alternatives like nicotine pouches.
“Germany keeps debating tobacco taxes while Sweden has already solved the problem,” said Juan Taborcia, spokesperson for Considerate Pouchers. “The answer is not complicated. Let adults buy nicotine pouches legally, set clear rules, and keep them away from kids.”
1.5 million users. Zero legal shops.
Around 1.5 million Germans already use nicotine pouches regularly, according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). But they can’t buy them in a German shop. So they buy them online, mostly from sellers abroad. No age checks. No quality control. No oversight.
“The ban didn’t stop anyone from using pouches. It just pushed them onto a black market,” said Taborcia. “That’s worse for consumers and worse for everybody.”
Germany is also leaving money on the table. The Bundestag’s own Research Services estimated a regulated market could bring in around 500 million euros a year in tax revenue.
What Considerate Pouchers wants
Legal sale of nicotine pouches in Germany, with:
- A minimum age of 18
- Wide variety of flavors
- Nicotine cap of 20mg per pouch
- Real age verification, in shops and online
- Quality standards
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