{"id":8074,"date":"2024-09-25T11:26:11","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T09:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snusforumet.se\/?p=8074"},"modified":"2024-12-14T09:49:20","modified_gmt":"2024-12-14T08:49:20","slug":"harm-reduction-gains-ground-in-updated-swedish-tobacco-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snusforumet.se\/en\/harm-reduction-gains-ground-in-updated-swedish-tobacco-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Harm reduction gains ground in updated Swedish tobacco policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Swedish government\u2019s latest budget proposal includes new language that changes the overarching goal of tobacco and nicotine policy from reducing consumption to reducing harm.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a clear political statement from the government that harm reduction is now the focus of tobacco policy, and it\u2019s primarily a message directed at its own agencies,\u201d says Patrik Str\u00f6mer, Secretary General of the Association of Swedish Snus Manufacturers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On September 19th, the government presented its 2025 budget proposal<\/a> to parliament. The proposal includes an important change that could ultimately improve public health in Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the budget, the government writes that it wants the goal of Sweden’s tobacco policy to “take into account the varying harmful effects that different tobacco and nicotine products can cause.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mirrors goal of alcohol policy  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The previous goal was solely to reduce the use of tobacco and nicotine products, regardless of the product’s risk profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCigarettes and smoked tobacco pose a greater health risk than smokeless tobacco and nicotine products, such as snus,\u201d writes the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The change means that the goal of tobacco and nicotine policy now reflects the goal of alcohol policy: reducing medical and social harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe previous goal only covered tobacco use and thus essentially excluded the nicotine products where we see an increase among young people,\u201d Christian Democrat Social Minister Jakob Forssmed wrote in a statement to Swedish news agency TT<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important that we now have a new goal in place that reflects current developments and focuses on reducing harm. Parliament has indicated that the goal should be changed in this direction, and now we are delivering on that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smoking poses greatest health risks  <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Str\u00f6mer calls the government\u2019s decision to introduce a policy that effectively distinguishes between smoked tobacco and nicotine \u201clogical and obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor a long time, Swedish alcohol policy has been aimed at reducing the medical and social harm from alcohol, while tobacco policy has aimed at reducing consumption, regardless of the product and the number of consumers,\u201d says Str\u00f6mer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He points out that it is the smoke from cigarettes, not the nicotine, that poses the greatest risk for diseases and calls the previous approach \u201cresistant to facts and harmful to health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn all other contexts, it is obvious that reducing the risk of disease is desirable, but this has not been the case for tobacco.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move comes on the heels of a June parliamentary vote approving a 20 percent reduction in the tax on snus. At the same time, taxes on cigarettes and other combustible tobacco products will rise by nine percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweden\u2019s new tobacco tax regime, set to take effect on November 1, 2024, is meant to reflect the relative harm of different tobacco and nicotine products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Products deemed to be hazardous to health are taxed and the greater the health hazard, the higher the tax,\u201d the parliament\u2019s tax committee wrote at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New agency guidelines expected<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Str\u00f6mer believes the updated public health goals help clarify Sweden\u2019s strategy for managing alcohol, narcotics, doping, tobacco, and gaming (ANDTS). Parliament rejected the government\u2019s most recent attempt to update Sweden\u2019s ANDTS strategy back in 2021<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Swedish Public Health Agency (Folkh\u00e4lsomyndigheten) and the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) have until November 15th to inform the government about how they plan to update their approach to tobacco and nicotine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the very least, the agencies should provide factual information on their websites and update medical advice for doctors,\u201d says Str\u00f6mer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA smoker should also be able to get advice from their doctor about less harmful alternatives like snus or nicotine pouches and how switching could improve their health – something that hasn\u2019t been the case previously.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sweden\u2019s decision to incorporate harm reduction into both tax and tobacco policy, coupled with its already low smoking rates, should strengthen the country’s ability to serve as an example to other EU countries, Str\u00f6mer adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the long run, the decision could further strengthen Sweden\u2019s position as the country that has successfully reduced smoking and achieved the WHO goal of a smoke-free nation. Within the EU, the goal is to reach this by 2040, and Sweden is practically there already. Everyone should see that as a major success,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Swedish government\u2019s latest budget proposal includes new language that changes the overarching goal of tobacco and nicotine policy from reducing consumption to reducing harm.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218],"tags":[267,251,273,248,451,388],"class_list":["post-8074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regulations","tag-andts-2","tag-harm-reduction-2","tag-nicotine-pouches","tag-patrik-stromer-en","tag-skademinimering-en","tag-sweden"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHarm reduction gains ground in updated Swedish tobacco policy - Snusforumet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Swedish government\u2019s latest budget changes the goal of tobacco and nicotine policy from reducing consumption to reducing harm.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/snusforumet.se\/en\/harm-reduction-gains-ground-in-updated-swedish-tobacco-policy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Harm reduction gains ground in updated Swedish tobacco policy - 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