Petition against potential EU regulations gets thousands of signatures
14th Jul 2023
Swedish nicotine pouch users are raising their voice against higher taxes and flavour bans from EU through a petition. – All EU citizens that wants nicotine pouches to remain an attractive, significantly less harmful, alternative to cigarettes should engage, says petition starter Markus Lindblad from Haypp Group.
Within just a few weeks, the petition has been signed by over 10 000 Swedish nicotine pouch users, raising their voice as the EU-commission is getting closer to releasing their proposal on minimum excise taxes on nicotine pouches. Indications from previously leaked documents shows that the commission is contemplating taxes that would result in over 700% tax increase for pouch users.
Markus Lindblad of Haypp Group, who is the petition starter through Snusbolaget highlights in an interview for vapekollen.se that this is a potential issue that would impact all nicotine pouch users, as well as smokers, within the EU.
– If the EU decides on a crazy high minimum excise tax on tobacco free nicotine pouches, it will become a significantly less attractive alternative to smoking. It will limit Sweden, and EU:s, possibilities to use economical incentives to promote less harmful products, Markus Lindblad says.
– The tobacco related death in Sweden is half of the EU average because of the long history of having access to attractive yet safer nicotine alternatives. Nicotine pouches has great potential to increase the public health in Europe. If Europeans switched out their cigarettes for pouches to the same extent as Swedes, hundreds of thousands of deaths could be prevented every year.
Flavour bans – “grossly simplified”
The petition also brings up flavour bans. In Sweden, as well as in other EU countries, public health agencies and state supported lobbying organizations are critical towards the increased use of nicotine pouches. One commonly brough up tactic to curb the use is flavour bans. Specifically flavours that are believed to attract youth. A stance that Markus says is grossly simplified.
– We know that smokers that switch to tobacco free nicotine products usually prefer sweet fruity flavours. Probably to make a clean break with the tobacco flavour they know so well from cigarettes. We also know, based on our sales data, that there are no substantial differences between age groups when it comes to preferred flavours. There is no specific flavour that attracts a certain age group. No matter what age, people like the taste of strawberries, mint, and orange, Lindblad says.
Sign the petition
So far, the petition has received over 10 000 signatures. Snusbolaget invites all EU citizens to sign the petition which states the following:
– No tax shock on tobacco free nicotine pouches
– No flavour bans from the EU
– Let the Swedish alternative nicotine experience save lives in the EU
