Iceland recently adopted new legislation regarding nicotine products. This new law includes regulations on marketing, licensing, and product requirements. While these regulations are generally welcomed, some parts of the regulation lack a consumer perspective. The European Union should consider this perspective when revising its own Tobacco Products Directive.

Due to the rapid growth of new products, technological developments, and market changes, the European Commission is evaluating the legislative framework for tobacco control from the first quarter of 2022 to the third quarter of 2023. And shortly, the European Commission is expected to present its proposal for a new Tobacco Excise Directive.

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, BfR, released a health assessment on nicotine pouches today. Among other things, it deals with harm reduction, Sweden’s low smoking rate, and the nicotine strength of nicotine pouches.

There are strong indications that nicotine pouches will be regulated or at least considered when the European Union revises its Tobacco Product Directive. Will EU legislators and EU countries understand the harm reduction potential of nicotine pouches when deciding how to regulate them?

The Guardian reports that a record 4.3 million people are vape users in the UK. The figures come from new research by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). The cousin to the nicotine pouch is more popular than ever, and most vape users are former smokers. That’s positive, but there are concerns about young people’s use of the products.

The Czech Republic took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on July 1, 2022. While the Czechs will need to carry the EU through an energy crisis, a war in Ukraine, and galloping inflation, they will also have a six-month window to shape public health policies.

Last month Pouch Patrol reported that the European Commission had opened a “Call for Evidence” which would inform the future regulation of nicotine products. The consultation received a record number of almost 25,000 contributions from organisations and experts, but mostly: EU citizens.

In June 2022, Haypp Group, initiator of Pouch Patrol and the world largest e-retailer of nicotine pouches, responded to the European Union’s call for evidence on the legislative framework for tobacco control.

The National Coalition Party of Finland (Finnish: Kansallinen Kokoomus, Swedish: Samlingspartiet), the liberal-conservative party in Finland, recently decided at its party congress to work towards making the sale of snus legal in Finland.

As Pouch Patrol reported earlier this year, the British government commissioned an independent review of smoking-related health disparities in February. The independent study, led by Javed Khan, was published last week and the recommendations align with harm reduction strategies.