Our standpoint
The adverse health effects of tobacco use are primarily related to inhalation of smoke. Scientific data clearly demonstrate that the health risks associated with smokeless products in the Western world are significantly lower than those of cigarettes.
Data from both Scandinavia and the US show that smokeless tobacco is used by many smokers for smoking cessation purposes. The Swedish experience is also that the availability of snus has contributed to less people taking up smoking. Swedish males have record low rates of tobacco-related disease although their overall rate of any tobacco-use is comparable to that of other countries.
We are convinced that smokeless tobacco products manufactured according to Swedish Match’s quality standards play an important role to achieve harm reduction, as has been demonstrated by several scientific studies. Smokeless tobacco provides a sensible alternative to cigarettes and other smoking products, foremost because it does not deliver toxic pyrolysis products. In addition, environmental tobacco smoke is not an issue with smokeless tobacco.
We do not claim that our smokeless products could not have any adverse health effects. We recognize that tobacco use raises valid questions about nicotine dependence, and the role of nicotine in special populations such as during pregnancy and among patients with cardiovascular conditions.
We believe that society needs to develop pragmatic and effective harm reduction strategies for the tobacco area to help reduce the adverse health, social and economic consequences of tobacco use. Since it is widely recognized that a “Tobacco-Free World” will not happen within a foreseeable future the primary goal of harm reduction should be to reduce the negative consequences of tobacco use without requiring total abstinence from nicotine. In such a strategy, Swedish Match’s smokeless products can play an important and constructive role.