Tobacco.org

LETTER: Priority is to establish a system regulating all forms of nicotine 

Sir, European parliamentarians calling for an investigation of the effects of legalising snus, a moist powdered tobacco ("EU asked to study risks of tobacco product", October 25) might ask themselves why a product used for years in Sweden, although illegal in the rest of the European Union, is suddenly attracting so much media attention.

One reason is the spread of smoking bans . . .

Unsurprisingly, the tobacco industry is concerned. Some of those pushing for legalisation point to the low smoking rates in Sweden, ignoring how other parts of the world have achieved similar rates without it. They also ignore the evidence linking snus with pancreatic cancer.

The priority now is to establish an evidence-based system to regulate all forms of nicotine to ensure that the risks and benefits are considered in the same way as with any other drug.

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