Several Norwegian political parties want to see the country legalise nicotine pouches, arguing they are a less harmful alternative to traditional snus and cigarettes.  

Nicotine pouches have been banned in Norway since 2017. However, a 2024 survey shows that over 20 percent of Norwegians use the product – often by bringing it in from neighbouring Sweden, despite the risk of fines. 

‘Tragic’ to fine healthier alternatives

Now, three out of four center-right parties in Norway, including the Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet), want to legaliise nicotine pouches.  

Bård Hoksrud, deputy chair of the Norwegian parliament’s Health and Care Committee, calls the ban “silly.”

“I think it’s tragic that those seeking a healthier alternative are fined because it’s illegal in Norway. It should be a product that is encouraged,” Hoksrud tells Norway public broadcaster NRK. 

Erna Solberg from the Conservative Party (Høyre) also wants to see more sensible regulation in Norway. 

“I find it very strange. We have a clear goal in Norway to reduce tobacco use. So we believe we should open up to allow the sale of (nicotine) snus without tobacco,” she told NRK. 

The need for ‘risk-proportionate’ regulation 

Even Norway’s public health agency acknowledges that nicotine pouches are a healthier alternative to cigarettes. 

Karl Erik Lund, researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (Folkhälsoinstitutet), believes nicotine pouches can help reduce smoking and its associated health risks. 

“As a matter of principle, I believe that a risk-proportionate regulation of nicotine products should guide policy, including taxation, marketing rules, and product presentation,” he tells Snusforumet. 

A complex equation 

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Directorate of Health (Helsedirektoratet) opposes legalisation. The agency argues it could lead to increased youth usage that results in nicotine addiction.  

But Karl Erik Lund is not convinced. 

“The product’s net contribution to public health depends on the relative composition of users – smokers versus never-smokers – as well as the magnitude of the health damage or benefit each group experiences,” he explains.

“It’s a complex equation, but our calculations, based on usage patterns of tobacco snus, show that health benefits outweigh health risks. The same likely applies to nicotine pouches.” 

Legalise nicotine pouches to save lives in Norway

Sweden’s public health results speak for themselves, says Patrik Strömer, Secretary General of the Association of Swedish Snus Manufacturers.  

Sweden is the first smoke-free country in the EU. That should be Norway’s top reason to make nicotine pouches available to adults, he argues. 

“Swedish men have the lowest incidence of lung cancer in Europe, and our low smoking rate shows we’re doing something right. Norway could save many lives by adopting Sweden’s harm-reduction stance,” says Strömer. 

Policymakers should listen to researchers 

Lund believes public agencies must be more willing to listen to researchers instead of “following advice from activists with perfectionist agendas.” 

“Given nicotine’s many and varied uses, a nicotine-free society is as utopian as a drug-free society. Politicians have long understood the latter is impossible and have gradually adopted a more pragmatic stance. I hope this will eventually happen in the nicotine field as well,” he tells Snusforumet.