Sweden - Clearing the Air

The fightback begins: Sweden seeks to block Spanish pouch ban

The Swedish government has announced that it will mount a legal challenge to Spain’s proposed ban on nicotine pouches at the EU level. Swedish Minister for Foreign Trade, Benjamin Dousa, announced that his government planned to submit what’s known as a Detailed…

News Legislation

NNPA Warns French Nicotine Pouch Ban Would Undermine Public Health and Violate EU Law

The Nordic Nicotine Pouches Alliance (NNPA) has blasted the French government’s proposed blanket ban on nicotine pouches, warning that such a move would undermine harm reduction efforts, violate EU principles, and deliver a significant setback to public health. In its formal response…

Legislation News

Court overturns vaping ban on Barcelona beaches

A vaping ban on Barcelona’s beaches has been overturned after a successful appeal from anti-smoking campaigners. The Former Smokers Association appealed against the local legislation that has been in force since July 2022. Being caught vaping or smoking on the seafront of…

News Harm Reduction

Spain risks undoing smoking success with vape ban, report warns

Spain is set to undo its recent drop in smoking rates by heavily restricting safer alternatives, a new report has warned. Last year, Ministry of Health statistics revealed an impressive 22 per cent decline in Spain’s daily smoking rates, which dropped from…

News Harm Reduction

Spain has made “no progress” in fight against smoking, leading psychologist warns

Spain has made “no progress in the fight against smoking” and should switch to Sweden’s more effective approach, a leading psychologist has warned. Karl Fagerström, clinical psychologist and creator of the widely-used nicotine dependence test, said Spain’s current prohibitive strategy is likely…

News Legislation

Luxembourg criticised for proposing de facto ban on nicotine pouches

Luxembourg has been widely criticised for its proposed ‘de facto’ ban on nicotine pouches. The European Commission, Greece and Sweden have all raised several objections to the draft Bill, which limits the strength of nicotine pouches to a very low 0.048g and…

News Harm Reduction

France’s vape and nicotine pouch bans could trap millions in smoking, report warns

A new report from global health advocacy group Smoke Free Sweden compares the prohibitive tobacco control policies of France with the Swedes’ more regulatory approach. It highlights how Sweden’s embrace of nicotine alternatives, such as vapes and snus, has resulted in the…

News

Dutch official compares vaping to heroin and crack use

A junior minister in the Netherlands has compared vaping to heroin and crack cocaine use in a presentation to other politicians. State Secretary Vincent Karremans told the Dutch House of Representatives that he wants to prevent people from starting to vape and…

News

Australia’s vape ban is “causing more harm than it mitigates,” experts say

Australia’s strict ban on vapes has inadvertently led to a violent black market and dangerous health risks from unregulated products, a new expert paper has said. Vapes can only legally be bought in Australia from a chemist following a consultation with a…

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