A ban on flavourings, plain packaging, stricter advertising rules and the same legislation for all nicotine products. These are some of the demands highlighted by Swedish public health organisations and experts in their responses to the European Commission’s consultation on the forthcoming Tobacco Products Directive (TPD3).
Vejpkollen has reviewed the Swedish consultation responses ahead of the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (TPD). Although the organisations represent different sectors, many of the same proposals recur.
Among the most common demands are a ban on flavourings in both e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, standardised or plain packaging, stricter marketing rules – particularly on social media – and that all nicotine products should be subject to the same regulations as traditional tobacco products. Several organisations also want to give Member States the option to introduce even stricter national rules than those decided by the EU.
”The industry has adapted its strategies”
The role of industry is a recurring theme in the consultation responses.
The organisation A Non-Smoking Generation argues that the tobacco industry has deliberately adapted its strategies to create a new generation of nicotine users.
– “The tobacco industry has adapted its strategies to maintain and increase nicotine dependence among young people,” the organisation writes.
The Cancer Foundation also describes how current legislation has enabled the industry to launch new nicotine products.
– “Loopholes in Swedish regulations have created gaps that the tobacco industry has been able to exploit,” writes the Cancer Foundation.
Several organisations also refer to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and emphasise that future legislation must be protected from the influence of the tobacco industry.
Rejects harm reduction
Another common thread is the view on harm reduction. The Heart and Lung Foundation explicitly states that the concept should not be included in the forthcoming legislation.
– “All references to the concept of harm reduction should be removed,” the organisation writes, arguing that e-cigarettes and other smoke-free nicotine products do not reduce the harms of smoking but instead risk increasing overall nicotine use, particularly amongst young people.
A different view from that of the users’
At the same time, the organisations’ description differs markedly from the picture that many Swedish users stated in their own responses to the European Commission’s consultation. In Vejpkollen’s previous review, many individuals described how e-cigarettes – and nicotine pouches in particular – had helped them to give up smoking or to avoid relapsing into smoking cigarettes.
This view is not shared by several of the Swedish public health organisations.
Tobaksfakta, for example, states that there is no scientific evidence to support the view that smokers should be offered smoke-free nicotine products to help them quit smoking.
– There is no scientific evidence to suggest that smokers should be offered alternative nicotine products to help them give up smoking. On the contrary, research shows that the use of e-cigarettes and snus increases the risk of taking up smoking or becoming a dual user, the organisation writes.
Disrupt the treatment model
The Tobacco and Nicotine Prevention Clinic at Örebro University Hospital also rejects the idea that nicotine pouches have a role to play in smoking cessation. The clinic argues that these products actually hinder “treatment” by perpetuating nicotine dependence and increasing the risk of both dual use and a relapse into smoking. Instead, it points to established methods such as behavioural change, medication and support from smoking cessation counsellors.
– “We see absolutely no need to use nicotine pouches to help smokers quit. On the contrary, they complicate our approach by perpetuating addiction and increasing the risk of dual use and a relapse into smoking,” the clinic writes.
Editor’s note: Several tax-funded organisations
Several of the organisations cited in the article are part of the membership network of the non-profit think tank Tobaksfakta, through which they work together to shape public opinion on tobacco and nicotine issues.
Tobaksfakta is funded, amongst other things, by government grants for tobacco prevention work, membership fees and contributions from regions, foundations and funds.
The Cancer Foundation and the Heart and Lung Foundation are funded mainly through donations from individuals and companies, whilst several other organisations in the network, including A Non-Smoking Generation and Doctors Against Tobacco, receive government grants for their tobacco prevention work.
The Tobacco and Nicotine Prevention Clinic at Örebro University Hospital is a region-run specialist clinic within the Örebro County Region and is funded as part of the standard healthcare system.
