Sweden’s Smokeless Success and the Role of Vaping: A Combined Path to Harm Reduction

Stockholm, September 2025 — Sweden has become the focal point of global discussions on tobacco harm reduction, showing how alternative nicotine products can drastically lower smoking rates and improve public health outcomes. Experts suggest that the Swedish experience, rooted in widespread use of smokeless products like snus and nicotine pouches, combined with the growing popularity of vaping, could offer a blueprint for countries grappling with high smoking prevalence.

Sweden’s Public Health Breakthrough

For decades, Sweden has reported significantly lower rates of smoking-related disease compared to its European neighbours. The key factor is substitution. Instead of cigarettes, many Swedes turned to snus and, more recently, nicotine pouches. These oral products deliver nicotine without combustion, avoiding the tar and thousands of harmful chemicals released in cigarette smoke.

Cardiologists point out that while nicotine itself is not harmless, it is smoking and not nicotine that drives the vast majority of tobacco-related illnesses such as COPD, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. By encouraging less risky forms of consumption, Sweden has effectively reduced smoking deaths faster than almost any other European country.

Expert Insights from Sweden

• Dr. Joseph Ashkar highlights that fewer people smoking has translated directly into fewer cases of chronic illness, noting that non-combustible products remain far less harmful than cigarettes.
• Professor Karl Fagerström, who developed the globally used Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, explains that while nicotine is addictive, products like pouches and vapes are far less dependence-inducing than cigarettes and can serve as exit ramps from smoking.
• Industry voices such as Patrick Strömmer stress that Sweden’s model was strengthened by responsible standards, age restrictions and consumer protections long before regulators caught up.
• Consumer advocates such as Samuel Lundell point to the popularity of flavoured pouches and the discreet, convenient formats that made switching appealing for millions.

Where Vaping Fits Into the Equation

While snus and nicotine pouches are central to the Swedish story, experts argue that vaping represents the other half of the harm-reduction picture. For smokers who prefer the familiar ritual of inhalation, vaping offers a way to satisfy nicotine cravings without the smoke.

Research and six months of post-ban data in the UK show that vaping continues to be the most popular quit aid among smokers, particularly as disposables give way to refillable pods and advanced devices. Where smokeless products excel in markets with a cultural tradition of oral nicotine, vaping has the potential to reach smokers everywhere, especially in regions where snus is unfamiliar.

Together, pouches and vapes create a complementary toolkit:

• Pouches appeal to those who want a discreet, spit-free product with consistent nicotine delivery.
• Vapes appeal to those who want the sensory experience of smoking without combustion.

A Blueprint for Global Harm Reduction

Public health experts are now suggesting that the Swedish model, augmented by vaping, could be exported worldwide. The evidence is clear. When smokers have affordable, regulated access to reduced-risk products, they are more likely to switch and less likely to relapse into cigarette use.

Critics caution that youth access, nicotine misuse and misinformation must be carefully managed. Yet the Swedish case, reinforced by the global rise of vaping, demonstrates that a balanced and pragmatic approach to nicotine regulation can save lives.

The Way Forward

As governments debate bans, restrictions and excise taxes, the lesson from Sweden is simple. It is not nicotine that kills, but smoke. With both vaping and smokeless pouches available, smokers have more options than ever to leave cigarettes behind.

If other countries adopt a similar framework, the combined power of vaping and smokeless products could bring the world closer to a smoke-free future.

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