By Ion Axinescu

Copyright euroweeklynews

Spain has recently been in the headlines when it tightened anti-smoking rules by approving a draft reform of the tobacco law. This new law would ban smoking and vaping on bar and restaurant terraces.

Spanish authorities want to reduce the number of smokers and address an issue that burdens the healthcare system.

Like other European countries, Spain is now looking to Sweden. In recent years, the Scandinavian country has pulled off what no other European country has managed: it’s now basically a smoke-free society.

The Swedish miracle: from smoke to pouches

Back in 2012, more than one in ten Swedes smoked. Fast forward to 2024, and the numbers have been slashed in half. Among Swedes born in Sweden, just 4.6 per cent light up, a figure so low it’s practically invisible compared to the EU average of 24 per cent.

And that mark makes Sweden the first EU country to cross the ‘magic’ 5 per cent “smoke-free” threshold. And here’s the big twist: they didn’t get here by banning everything in sight. They got there by swapping those Marlboros for pouches, sticks, and vapes.

The strategy? Just switch, don’t quit

So, basically, instead of telling smokers to go cold turkey, Sweden opened the door to a lot of alternatives such as snus, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco, or e-cigs. Harm reduction became a national policy. The Parliament officially enshrined this approach in December 2024, declaring cigarettes the real villain, while giving safer products a green light.

“Sweden succeeded because it let adults choose smokeless nicotine instead of choking on smoke,” concluded a source from British American Tobacco.

Less cancer, less death

The results? Quite amazing. Sweden now reports:

41 per cent fewer cancer cases than the European average.
44 per cent lower tobacco-related mortality.

Public health experts like Dr. Delon Human call it “undeniable proof” that swapping to safer nicotine massively reduces disease, disability, and also premature death.

And they’ve built policy around that proof. Cigarettes are heavily taxed in Sweden. Snus and other reduced-risk products? Much cheaper. It’s a tax system designed not to punish nicotine, but to punish the most harmful version of it.

Replicating a working model

Now, eyes are turning south. Spain is trying to replicate the model, but it’s not the only one. New Zealand, the UK, and Japan are all experimenting with harm reduction. And, in fact, already they have seen smoking plummet.

For instance, Japan’s cigarette sales crashed by 43 per cent in just five years thanks to heated tobacco. The UK’s vapers? Nearly three million quit smoking using e-cigs.

No bans, just bold harm reduction

So Sweden didn’t nag people into quitting. It wasn’t banned, but innovated. By flipping the script from “quit or die” to “switch and live,” it’s kind of rewritten the rulebook on tobacco control.

And now, as Spain and other countries queue up to copy the strategy, one thing’s clear: the smoke-free future isn’t about prohibition, but about smart harm reduction.

Read here more news from Sweden.