As EU leaders prepare to overhaul tobacco rules, Swedish MEP Jessica Polfjärd is calling for a reality check — and defending Sweden’s success story in the fight against smoking.

“Snus is already banned outside of Sweden, and now we’re seeing the same push against white snus,” Polfjärd warns in a new opinion piece published in the Borås Tidning newspaper, using the common Swedish term for nicotine pouches. 

“But the Swedish model is not a problem — it’s a solution.”

Fear and overregulation: the real threats

In the piece, Polfjärd explains that snus has helped Sweden achieve the lowest smoking rate in the EU. 

According to recent statistics, daily smoking has dropped to nearly five percent, while countries like Germany, Bulgaria, and Greece still see more than 20 percent of adults lighting up every day.

Despite this, some EU members are doubling down on heavy-handed regulation, including calls to restrict or even ban newer, smokeless products like nicotine pouches through high taxes or extreme packaging requirements.

“There’s a strange idea that what’s unfamiliar must be dangerous,” writes Polfjärd. 

“But letting fear dictate tobacco policy will only hurt public health.”

Letting the numbers speak for themselves

She points out that Sweden has more or less already met the EU’s own goal to cut daily smoking to below five percent by 2040 thanks to snus and nicotine pouches, which are significantly less harmful than smoking.

“Tobacco and nicotine use won’t vanish overnight,” Polfjärd argues. 

“What we can do is offer better alternatives to help people quit smoking and improve their health.”

Jessica Polfjärd: a model to export, not ban

Polfjärd believes the Swedish tobacco model isn’t something to fear or suppress. It’s something to learn from. 

She welcomes stronger rules to keep nicotine out of the hands of minors and ensure serious producers follow the rules, but not at the cost of cutting off access for adults who need safer alternatives.

“The Swedish exemption for snus must be defended,” she writes. 

“And that includes white snus. For us, it’s obvious that snus should continue to be sold in Sweden as it always has. The only thing that needs changing is Europe’s attitude.”