{"id":8122,"date":"2024-10-29T15:53:41","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T14:53:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snusforumet.se\/?p=8122"},"modified":"2024-10-30T16:00:17","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T15:00:17","slug":"finland-rescinds-new-tobacco-law-in-wake-of-suspected-flavour-favouritism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snusforumet.se\/en\/finland-rescinds-new-tobacco-law-in-wake-of-suspected-flavour-favouritism\/","title":{"rendered":"Finland rescinds new tobacco law in wake of suspected flavour \u2018favouritism\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Finnish government has withdrawn a new law banning all flavours in nicotine pouches – except those sold by a specific tobacco company – following questions about whether a minister had a personal interest in pushing the law through.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early October, Finland passed a new tobacco law that categorised nicotine pouches as tobacco products. The law also included restrictions on flavours, banning all \u201ccharacteristic scents or flavours\u201d except for menthol, mint, tea, ginger, rosemary, and wood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minister accused of doing local firm\u2019s bidding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It didn\u2019t take long for questions to arise about the consultation process that resulted in the new law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It first emerged that Finnish nicotine pouch manufacturer Strengbergs Habit Factory in Jakobstad had submitted a late proposal suggesting that certain herb and spice flavours should be exempt from any flavour ban alongside menthol and mint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was then also revealed that the former leader of the Swedish People’s Party (SFP), who is also from Jakobstad, may have exerted influence in pushing through the company’s requests. Despite the company\u2019s proposal being submitted at the last minute, the law\u2019s final language matched the company\u2019s wishes nearly word for word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Anna-Maja Henriksson denies that her ties to Jakobstad or the fact that the town is an SFP\u2019s stronghold influenced her actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis company could just as easily be based in Helsinki, Kuopio, or Rovaniemi. From a principled viewpoint, the Swedish People\u2019s Party would have had the same stance,\u201d Henriksson told broadcaster Svenska Yle<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to open up the flavour discussion to tackle the gray economy. We wanted Finland to gain more tax revenue rather than see it going to Sweden. In the worst-case scenario, it could lead to black market sales here, with negative consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Law goes back to the drawing board<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Snusforumet followed Finland\u2019s government transition<\/a>, when Prime Minister Petteri Orpo opened the door to regulating nicotine pouches. It marked a positive shift from previous restrictive policies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was even hope that Finland could inspire other EU countries to reconsider their nicotine policies. Now, it seems that the tobacco law will not include harm reduction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the wake of the flavour controversy, the government announced that the law will be withdrawn<\/a> and a new bill introduced in line with the original proposal, which only allowed mint and menthol flavoured nicotine pouches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finnish ministers support the decision, arguing that doing otherwise risks giving the impression that a single company has the power to exert undue influence over legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicotine policy based on science<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Patrik Str\u00f6mer, Secretary-General of the Association of Swedish Snus Manufacturers, is following the debate over the scandal with great interest. He\u2019s concerned about Finland\u2019s short-sighted approach to tobacco and nicotine policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf Finland had initially adopted a science-based model, it would have been impossible to push through anything that even hints at self-interest,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe lack of reason, logic, and rational risk assessment is now leading Finland backward to bad policy that results in far too many smokers and consequently worse public health.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Finnish government has withdrawn a new law banning all flavours in nicotine pouches – except those sold by a specific tobacco company – following…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8124,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[218],"tags":[301,488,273],"class_list":["post-8122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regulations","tag-finland-2","tag-flavour-ban","tag-nicotine-pouches"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFinland rescinds new tobacco law in wake of suspected flavour \u2018favouritism\u2019 - Snusforumet<\/title>\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\/finland-rescinds-new-tobacco-law-in-wake-of-suspected-flavour-favouritism\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finland rescinds new tobacco law in wake of suspected flavour \u2018favouritism\u2019 - 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