European Union policy on snuff
Some news articles about snuff
European Union policy on snuff: a statement in favour of evidence based regulation for public health
ABSTRACT
Public health case: We believe that the partial ban applied to
some forms of smokeless tobacco in the EU should be replaced
by regulation of the toxicity of all smokeless tobacco including snuff. We
hold this view for public health reasons: smokeless tobacco (snuff) is
substantially less harmful than smoking and evidence from Sweden
suggests it is used as a substitute for smoking and for smoking
cessation. To the extent there is a "gateway" it appears not to lead
to smoking, but away from it and is an important reason why Sweden
has the lowest rates of tobacco related disease in Europe. We
think it is wrong to deny other Europeans this option for risk
reduction and that the current ban violates rights of smokers to
control their own risks. For smokers that are addicted to nicotine
and cannot or will not stop, it is important that they can take
advantage of much less hazardous forms of nicotine and tobacco—the
alternative being to "quit or die"... and many die. While nicotine
replacement therapies (NRT) may have a role in harm reduction,
tobacco based harm reduction options may reach more smokers and in a
different, market based, way. Chewing tobacco is not banned or
regulated in the EU but is often highly toxic, and our proposal could
remove more products from the market than it permitted.
Regulatory options: We believe that the EU policy on smokeless
tobacco should adapt to new scientific knowledge and that the
European Commission should bring forward proposals to amend or
replace Article 8 of directive 2001/37/EC with a new regulatory
framework. Canada has developed testing regimens for tobacco
constituents and these could be readily adapted to the European
situation. A review of EU policy in this area is required no later
than December 2004, and we believe the Commission should expedite the
part of its review that deals with harm reduction and regulation of
tobacco products other than cigarettes so as to reconsider its policy
on smokeless tobacco. We held this view before Swedish Match brought
its legal proceedings to challenge EU legislation and we will
continue to hold these views if its action fails.
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Tobacco Control
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