Sweden - Clearing the Air

Safer nicotine products saving lives, experts say in call to WHO

International health experts are calling on governments to embrace safer nicotine alternatives as proven tools to cut smoking, prevent disease and save lives. The appeal comes in The Safer Nicotine Revolution: Global Lessons, Healthier Futures, a landmark new report published ahead of…

News

Spain to ban vaping and smoking on beaches, bar terraces and stadiums

Spain is preparing a sweeping outdoor ban on both smoking and vaping. The draft law would outlaw their use on bar and restaurant terraces, beaches, stadiums, bus stops, children’s play areas and sports centres. Vapes, heated tobacco, shisha and nicotine pouches would…

News

Nicotine pouch sales jump 92% in Wales as users report health boost

Nicotine pouches are becoming increasingly popular in Wales, with new figures showing sales volumes rose by 92 per cent between 2023 and 2024. A study reported by the South Wales Argus found that 59 per cent of people who started using nicotine…

News

Experts warn Brussels tax hike risks reversing Sweden’s smoking decline

Health experts say Brussels is putting Sweden’s smoke-free success at risk, warning that a huge EU tax hike on nicotine pouches could dismantle the world’s leading harm reduction model. Smoke Free Sweden, a global public health initiative, submitted its response to the…

News

EU tax plan would make smoke-free 2040 target “practically impossible,” warns harm reduction advocate

The European Union (EU) is facing a mounting backlash over proposals to impose sweeping new bloc-wide taxes on safer nicotine products. Advocates warn the measures would undermine public health goals, drive people back to smoking, and ignore scientific evidence on tobacco harm…

News

New Zealand nears smoke-free status thanks to vaping, says minister

New Zealand is on the cusp of becoming one of the first countries to go officially smoke-free - and it’s thanks to vaping and other safer nicotine alternatives, according to its Associate Minister of Health. In a passionate parliamentary speech, Casey Costello…

News Science

STUDY: Flavour bans make things worse

Flavor bans for vaping are associated with increased cigarette use and black-market activity, including the risk of youth access and reduced consumer safety, according to a new policy paper from the Tholos Foundation. The report draws on a combination of academic literature,…

News

Smokeless nicotine is at the heart of Sweden’s smoking decline, says leading expert

Smokeless nicotine products - not abstinence - are driving Sweden’s dramatic drop in smoking, according to a leading clinical psychologist. “Smokeless nicotine is at the heart of Sweden’s smoking decline,” said Karl Fagerström, a prominent researcher who spent his career developing smoking…

News

Swedish finance minister hits back at EU tax on nicotine pouches

Elisabeth Svantesson, the Swedish Minister of Finance, has hit back at plans - first revealed on Clearing the Air - to make levies on tobacco and nicotine products part of the EU budget. “Leaks suggest that the EU Commission will next week…

Subscribe to Newsletter