Oppose the Nicotine Limits to Pouches in Sweden Now!

In March, Inga-Lill Askersjö submitted an official report titled En trygg uppväxt utan nikotin, alkohol och lustgas (Eng: A Safe Upbringing Without Nicotine, Alcohol, and Nitrous Oxide) to Jakob Forssmed, Sweden’s Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health. The report was intended to explore whether the goals of the ANTDS-strategy could be updated to incorporate harm reduction principles, which have broad support in the Swedish Parliament.

However, the report doesn’t address harm reduction as its stated purpose suggests. Instead, it focuses on protecting children by lumping together various products without distinguishing their relative harms. This approach ignores the needs of adults and could undermine the health benefits that nicotine pouches offer. The policies proposed in the report are likely to have minimal impact on minors’ use of nicotine products, while restricting access for adults who rely on them.

The proposal is now open for public comment until August 30th, after which the government will present a final version to Parliament. Considerate Pouchers plans to submit feedback, as we find several aspects of the report problematic from a consumer perspective. Here are our main concerns:

1. Proposed Nicotine Limits:

The report suggests capping the nicotine content in snus and nicotine pouches at 12 milligrams per gram. Currently, the SiS standard allows up to 20 milligrams per pouch, a limit that works well. Reducing this would remove over 50% of all snus and nicotine pouch products from the market, affecting three out of four consumers, according to Snusbolaget.

Nicotine pouches are an effective smoking cessation tool precisely because of their satisfying nicotine content. Reducing the allowed nicotine levels could diminish their effectiveness, as they may no longer satisfy cravings. This high nicotine content is a key reason why pouches are more effective than nicotine gum or patches.

2. Measurement Changes:

The report proposes measuring nicotine per gram instead of per pouch. This would likely lead to the production of larger pouches to maintain nicotine content, which would be inconvenient for consumers who prefer small, discreet pouches—particularly women. Moreover, this restriction may not achieve its intended effect. Consumers might simply use multiple pouches at once to compensate, thereby circumventing the limitation.

3. Nicotine-Free Schools:

Another proposal aims to make schools entirely nicotine- and tobacco-free, applying not just to students under 18 but also to adult staff. This makes little sense. Restricting nicotine use during school hours is unlikely to reduce overall consumption among students since they are not supposed to have access to these products before turning 18; instead, it could make nicotine use more appealing due to its forbidden status. Meanwhile, adult staff who depend on nicotine would be unfairly penalized, despite the fact that nicotine pouches don’t harm others like cigarettes do.

The right to use nicotine in the workplace, especially in forms that don’t harm others, should be preserved. Protecting minors is important, but policies must also consider the needs of adult consumers.

Considerate Pouchers will be submitting our response to the proposal and will keep you updated throughout the process. If you have concerns like we do, you can also submit your feedback yourself!

To contact Jakob Forssmed directly, email him at jakob.forssmed@regeringskansliet.se.
Additionally, you can submit your comments to s.remissvar@regeringskansliet.se with a copy to s.hc.delning@regeringskansliet.se. Be sure to include “S2024/00726” in the subject line.