More than 31% of current European smokers would be interested in trying snus if it was legalised, according to a 2020 survey carried out by the organisation European Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (ETHRA).

The research, which gathered 35,000 responses from the 27 EU countries – plus the UK – revealed that harm reduction was the most strongly cited reason for adopting snus (75%).

Six out of ten snus users said they were using the smoke-free products to quit smoking. The survey also reported that 73.7% of snus users had completely quit combustibles.

The current version of the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) prohibits the sale of tobacco for oral use – except in Sweden.

When asked about effective aids they used for quitting smoking, 43.3% of Swedish ex-smokers who responded to the survey mentioned snus and/or nicotine pouches.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join in to hear about news, events, and podcasts in the sector

    See more

     

    What This Means: ETHRA has recommended the lifting of the EU ban on the sale of snus in the upcoming TPD revision. “Even if only a fraction of smokers adopted snus, it would reduce the burden of smoking-related illness and premature death for millions of Europeans,” it concluded.

    Nearly 3% of the survey sample said they were snus users, 1.6% used heated tobacco and 1.5% nicotine pouches.

     David Palacios TobaccoIntelligence staff and Antonia di Lorenzo contributing writer

    Photo: Bengt Wiberg

    Author default picture

    David Palacios Rubio

    Our Key Benefits

    The global novel nicotine market is in an opaque regulatory environment that requires professionals to be on top of industry developments to make informed decisions and optimise their strategy.

    TobaccoIntelligence provides organisations with leading market and regulatory data analysis to anticipate and understand market developments globally and the impact of regulatory changes to the business.

    • Stay informed of any legal and market change in the sector that impacts your organisation
    • Maximise resources by getting market and legal data analysis daily in one place
    • Make smart decisions by understanding how the regulatory and market landscape evolves
    • Anticipate risks in your decisions by monitoring regulatory changes that impact your organisation