Health experts announced this week that Sweden has achieved a groundbreaking public health milestone. It is now the first country globally to reach a smoke-free status by falling below the critical 5% smoking threshold.With smoking rates dropping to an impressive 4.5% among Swedish-born adults, the Nordic nation has demonstrated a revolutionary approach to tobacco control that stands in stark contrast to traditional prohibition strategies employed by other countries.While the overall national smoking rate is slightly higher at 5.3% when including immigrants, health professionals are celebrating the significant achievement decades ahead of European Union (EU) projections..U.S. lawmakers call out FDA for slow ‘smoke-free’ product review amid growing illegal market.Smoke-Free Sweden’s Delon Human attributed Sweden's success to a progressive harm reduction strategy initiated in the 1960s when nearly half of Swedish men smoked. Instead of implementing strict bans, the country has promoted safer nicotine alternatives like snus, nicotine pouches, and vapes, along with public education and strategic tax policies favouring non-tobacco nicotine products.The strategy has yielded remarkable results. Sweden now boasts a 41% lower cancer rate compared to the EU average and demonstrates the lowest rate of tobacco-related diseases in the region..Health Minister provides no evidence to support nicotine pouch restrictions.Anders Milton, a Swedish physician involved in tobacco control, emphasized that legal access to varied nicotine products and proportional taxation have been crucial to the country's success.The nation's overall nicotine consumption has shifted, rising from 18.5% in 2022 to 20.2% in 2024, indicating users are transitioning to less harmful alternatives rather than completely abandoning nicotine.Michael Landl from the World Vapers' Alliance praised Sweden's model, suggesting it could provide a blueprint for other nations struggling with high smoking rates..France to ban nicotine pouches.This achievement stands in sharp contrast to the EU's current approach, which remains aligned with World Health Organization policies that emphasize prohibition over harm reduction.Tobacco control experts worldwide are calling on the EU to study and potentially adopt Sweden's consumer-friendly regulatory framework, which has demonstrably improved public health outcomes.As the first country to reach the smoke-free goal decades ahead of schedule, Sweden has set a new international standard for effective tobacco control, proving that innovative, evidence-based strategies can transform public health.
