Nicotine consumers and tobacco harm reduction advocates can now have a direct impact on EU rules governing nicotine pouches and other tobacco products. 

But they need to act by June 17th.

“This is a great opportunity for ordinary citizens to make sure policymakers in Brussels know their views about how new tobacco regulations should look,” says Patrik Strömer, Secretary General of the Association of Swedish Snus Manufacturers.

On May 20th, the European Commission opened a “call for evidence” process as part of its ongoing evaluation of the current EU legislative framework for tobacco control.

“This evaluation will assess to what extent the framework has fulfilled its goals and whether it is able to support a ‘Tobacco-Free Generation’ by 2040, as announced in the (sic) Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan,” the Commission explains on the webpage where citizens can contribute their views.

Easy to ‘have your say’ on nicotine pouches

Anyone interested in or affected by changes in EU policies governing tobacco and nicotine products can share their views, including public authorities, businesses, civil society organisations, and individual citizens.

The process for submitting comments is fairly straightforward and only takes a few minutes.

Simply visit the EU’s “Have your say” portal for tobacco legislation and create a user profile.

Registered users can then login and submit their views on nicotine and tobacco regulation in the EU in any of the EU’s 24 languages.

The feedback period is open until midnight on 17 June 2022.

‘EU smokers’ lives at stake’

Strömer hopes anyone who uses snus, nicotine pouches, or e-cigarettes takes a few minutes to voice their thoughts on sensible tobacco regulation. 

While the EU’s recently adopted cancer plan references e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid, he is nevertheless concerned that regulators in Brussels may fail to acknowledge the public health benefits of a harm reduction approach in any proposed changes to current tobacco regulation.

“The lives of Europe’s roughly 120 million smokers are at stake,” says Strömer.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure policymakers don’t come up with rules that unnecessarily restrict access to reduced-risk products for adult smokers and make it harder for them to switch from deadly cigarettes to safer alternatives.”

He also encouraged interested consumers to participate in the #voicesforpouches campaign to help activate advocates and make their voices heard.