Vapeboss – Sweden currently has the lowest smoking rate in the European Union, almost achieving "smoke-free" status. This means that Sweden has fewer than 5 percent of its total population as daily smokers. The use of alternative tobacco products to reduce smoking prevalence has been implemented by utilizing alternative tobacco products, especially snus or nicotine pouches. The mortality rate related to nicotine product consumption in Sweden is also significantly lower compared to other European countries.

Snus is a moist powder tobacco product placed under the upper lip for a long time. It is largely popular in Scandinavian countries, but is only legal in Sweden, where it is considered an effective tobacco harm reduction product. In fact, snus has not only given Sweden the lowest smoking rate in Europe, but more importantly, it has also reported the lowest lung cancer rates across the continent. Sweden has gone further than most countries to eradicate cigarettes, which it believes has resulted in a series of health benefits, including low rates of lung cancer sufferers.

Members of the European Parliament Sara Skyttedal, Johan Nissinen, Tomislav Sokol, Dr. Christopher Russel, and Federico N. Fernández, and a group of researchers from the global network We Are Innovation, discussed the successful strategy implemented by Sweden. This was, of course, known after leading the country to achieve its determined national smoking rate target, far ahead of other EU countries.

Meanwhile, the EU has set a goal to achieve this level by 2040 but tends to support strategies that experts believe will be counterproductive to achieving it. Many experts praise decades-long anti-smoking campaigns and legislation as factors creating the current conditions, while others consider the increasing prevalence of "snus," a smokeless tobacco product banned elsewhere in the EU but marketed in Sweden as an alternative to cigarettes, as a success factor. Whatever the reason, the 5 percent target is now almost reached. Notably, only 6.4 percent of the Swedish population aged 15 and over were daily smokers in 2019, the lowest number in the European Union and well below the bloc's average of 18.5 percent, according to Eurostat statistics agency.

Sharifah Ezzat Wan Puteh, Hospital Management and Health Economics at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), stated that alternative tobacco products implement a risk reduction system. With a low health risk profile, these products become one of the alternatives to reduce the number of smokers. Alternative tobacco products, such as nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes, and heated tobacco products, are considered to have a lower risk profile than conventional cigarettes. These products are also maximized by several countries to reduce smoking prevalence and improve public health.

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