Sweden renews vow to fight EU snus ban
Published: 12 Sep 12 16:57 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/43190/20120912/
Sweden's trade minister on Wednesday promised the government will renew efforts to legalize exports of snus - or moist snuff - following a new EU proposal to ban all smoke-free tobacco products outside of Sweden.
- EU commission quashes snuff ban rumours (19 Apr 12)
- Snus 'worse than smoking' for infant apnea (1 Sep 11)
- Snus boosts post-heart attack mortality: study (30 Aug 11)
”Our struggle is in no way over,” said Ewa Björling to news agency TT following the announcement that Swedish snuff will most likely continue to be illegal outside of Sweden.
Snus, is a tobacco product invented in Sweden in the early 1800s. While maintaining its popularity, it has been on the rise in Sweden after smoking was banned in restaurants in 2005.
The European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Consumers Protection on Tuesday revealed a proposal where all smoke-free tobacco should be banned outside of Sweden.
The Swedish government has for years been trying to sway the EU to allow snuff to be exported in Europe, referring to laws on free movement as well as public health.
In Sweden currently only 11 percent of the adult population are smokers compared to the EU average which is 28 percent.
“Snuff is a lot less dangerous than cigarettes and we are trying to make it clear that we have adequate regulations in place here; how to produce it, distribute it, not to mention the age limit for purchase. We think these are good regulations even on an EU-level,” she told TT.
Swedish tobacco giant and snuff manufacturer Swedish Match is accusing the European Commission to have folded to pressure from companies that are earning millions from the sales of nicotine chewing gum.
“EU directives should be based on science and ought to be proportionate to the issue. From that perspective, it seems strange to suggest a monopoly for cigarettes and medical products and a total ban on smoke-free tobacco,” said Swedish Match spokesperson Patrik Hildingsson to daily Dagens Nyheter (DN).
The proposal will now be considered by the European Commission, followed by negotiations in the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament.
The EU’s new directive on tobacco is expected to come into effect in 2014.
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The EU is trying to protect its lucrative smoking taxes while it sinks beneath the waves of bankruptcy and depression!
Or the EU's EU COMMISSION is so anti-tobacco with so much of Hitlers former anti-tobacco laws now enacted they are outlawing anything and everything.
Perhaps its time sweden simply left the EURO ZONE and made its own trade treaties with whomever they want too.
Personally, I find that stuff vile, but seriously, it would never occur to me to ask for a law to prevent someone else from using it. Why the hell is it any of my business? I find Surströmming much more disgusting, so how about a law against that?
Studies have shown that 80% of people with Oral Cancer use tobacco.
http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@nho/documents/document/oralcancerpdf.pdf
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/smokeless
ANOTHER brain-dead politician.
Many studies the most recent done by the Royal College of Physicians in London conclusively found no association with snus use and oral cancer they concluded it was over 90% safer than smoking cigarettes.
The anti tobacco and cancer organisations always quite the doom and gloom and have based their finding on the use of 'dry snuff' which is used orally in the south of america this tobacco is high in TSNA's which are the toxins that cause cancer.
The levels of TSNA's are negligible in Snus.
In America there as been a 7% increase in smokeless tobacco use 'Dip' over that last 20 years and in the 80's they said there would be a 50% increase in oral caner and peoples jaws would drop off yet the number of oral cancer cases has been steadily declining yet more people are dipping their tobacco rather than smoking it.