Selling snus and Nicotine pouches in the EU
There is a ban on traditional snuff distribution, which has been in force in the European Union since 1992. The only country exempted from this rule in the EU is Sweden. This is partly because Swedes are very attached to snus which is their traditional stimulant. In Swedish, there is even an idiom ‘fint som snus’ – beautiful as snus, which is supposed to be synonymous with the highest quality or form.
Selling snus in the EU
There is a ban on traditional snuff distribution, which has been in force in the European Union since 1992. The only country exempted from this rule in the EU is Sweden. This is partly because Swedes are very attached to snus which is their traditional stimulant. In Swedish, there is even an idiom ‘fint som snus’ – beautiful as snus, which is supposed to be synonymous with the highest quality or form.
In 1995 the European Union wanted to ban the product also in Sweden (which at that time was about to enter the EU). Sweden however, managed to convince the European Commission that this could lead to the rejection of EU membership in a general, national referendum.
Sweden maintained the right to use brown snuff only in the territory of the country and committed itself not to export it to other EU member states. Snus is also not prohibited outside the EU, e.g. it is very popular in Norway, and it is also distributed in the US. Moreover, brown snuff can be legally sold in Switzerland.
Nicotine pouches are not prohibited in the European Union
The legal situation of nicotine pouches is totally different. It does not contain any tobacco leaves, but only cellulose, which is a carrier for pure nicotine. For this reason, nicotine pouches are currently not regulated by the TPD legislation in most of the EU countries.
Since nicotine pouches are not covered by the TPD directive, it means that it is not necessary to register the product in the EU. In addition, the sale of nicotine pouches in the European Union is not prohibited in any way. However, each country may have its own, different legislation for nicotine pouches.
