Implementation of new requirements for heated tobacco products

Karin Sundin (S)

Madam Speaker! It is not every day that we debate a proposal from the government where we agree on the main points across party lines, but in the Social Affairs Committee's handling of the issue regarding the implementation of new requirements for heated tobacco products, all parties have stood behind the requirement and the proposal for new legislation – even if some parties have proposals on how the information should be designed or how the follow-up should proceed. I expect that they will elaborate on that further along in the debate.

I think there is probably more than one reason why we agree this time. The proposal is about banning flavorings in so-called heated tobacco products. It is an EU directive that leaves no room for Sweden, or other EU member states, to do as we wish. The EU has made a decision that a ban on the flavoring of heated tobacco products shall be introduced, and Sweden is a member of the EU. We are therefore doing as we should and fulfilling our commitments. The proposal is also completely in line with European and Swedish tobacco policy, which for many years has already prohibited tobacco products with a scent or flavor other than just tobacco. It is sensible policy.

The proposal means that we clarify that tobacco is harmful to health and that we should not have rules that encourage the use of tobacco. Therefore, tobacco should not taste like anything other than tobacco; it must not be allowed to taste like chocolate or cinnamon, as that would likely entice more people to use tobacco. Consequently, more people would be affected by the harmful effects of tobacco, which would be foolish. Since so-called heated tobacco products are indeed tobacco, these products should also not be allowed to taste like chocolate or cinnamon.

Madam Speaker! It is possibly also the case that today's political consensus is facilitated by the fact that these are products that have not quite gained a foothold on the Swedish market yet. For once, we as legislators are one step ahead. I admit that I have had to google to understand what a heated tobacco product actually is. It is exactly what it sounds like: It is tobacco that is heated up, which causes an emission to be produced that one then inhales.

It is something other than smoking, where the smoke is created by burning the tobacco, and it is of course something other than putting tobacco under the lip in the form of snus. But it concerns tobacco, as we know contains nicotine which is addictive. It impairs the functions of the blood vessels, causes increased heart rate and higher blood pressure, and it can lead to a number of different diseases.

Even though there is not enough research regarding heated tobacco products, we know what traditional smoking can lead to: cancer, COPD and heart attack - among others. The principle that tobacco and also the vapors that arise from tobacco should taste like tobacco, not for example chocolate, should therefore also apply to heated tobacco products. It is a way to counter a development where our citizens' health is risked. Not least, we know that these products are marketed towards a young target group that is vulnerable to the harmful effects.

It is actually only two referral bodies that have opposed a ban on flavoring, and those are the Swedish Tobacco Suppliers Association and one of its member organizations, JTI Sweden AB. They thus represent the industry that earns its money from people using tobacco or nicotine products. It is an industry that has never had people's health as its driving force—other than for marketing purposes. Indeed, these new tobacco products are also marketed as better, or at least less harmful, than traditional cigarettes.

The government notes dryly in its bill that, according to the WHO, there is a lack of sufficient evidence to conclude that these products would be less harmful. And when one listens to the marketing, it sounds a bit like the 1930s, when Lucky Strike was marketed as being gentler on the throat because the tobacco was roasted instead of sun-dried.

Madam Speaker! It is good that we, through EU cooperation, try to keep pace with products that endanger people's health and risk leading to large costs for health and medical care. In that sense, the bill that is on the table today is an example of the EU when the EU is at its best. An implementation of new requirements on heated tobacco products means, among other things, that we facilitate trade within the EU because we have common rules. It also means that we cooperate so that all EU member states shall fulfill the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

It also means that we protect our citizens' health from the negative health effects of tobacco and that we protect our youth from being enticed to start using tobacco with flavorings such as chocolate or cinnamon.

Madam Speaker! With this, I move for approval of the Social Affairs Committee's proposal for a decision.

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Leonid Yurkovskiy (SD)

Madam Speaker! There is a good deal of logic in the proposal, but it is not entirely problem-free. I would say that the EU is at its best when it does not interfere too much in Sweden's affairs.

I perceive this as a pure adaptation to current EU law. The fact that we will not vote against the proposal is largely due to a technicality. In this case, it concerns a delegated directive that arises when the Council and Parliament grant the Commission powers to adopt supplements to decisions made.

We naturally think it is completely unreasonable that politicians from other countries, and often anonymous officials, should regulate how Sweden handles nicotine products and, by extension, how we conduct harm-reduction tobacco policy. Sweden is, as is well known, among the best in the world at this, and we shall try not to lower ourselves to the EU's level. But now we stand here, and we in the Sverigedemokraterna have at least a number of proposals in our follow-up motion that we consider to be constructive – even if the bill is, of course, not a catastrophe for society.

It is no secret that the Sweden Democrats are a snus-friendly party, but we are also a smoking-unfriendly party. I would like to see a Sweden that has zero smokers. Zero nicotine users is also a good future goal, but the most important thing now is that we get as few smokers as possible. This type of proposal from the EU risks harming the Swedish companies that today make less harmful alternatives to smoking available, and it reduces the incentive for individuals to choose the less harmful alternatives.

Relative to population size, Sweden is the country in Europe with the lowest number of tobacco-related deaths, and it is a direct consequence of the fact that snus - but also other nicotine products that are less harmful than smoking - has a larger share of the market. In fact, Sweden is the country in Europe with the absolutely lowest proportion of smokers: approximately 6 percent of the population. This can be compared with Holland, which is second from the bottom of the list and where 12 percent smoke.

At this moment, smoking is also continuing to decrease, and it is a development that we in the Sweden Democrats want to support, not prevent. Therefore, we naturally want to follow up on the effects on Swedish companies and the effects on public health, as well as ensure that illegal trade does not increase as a result of the proposal we are discussing today.

The most important thing must be that the products available on the market meet the quality requirements and that there is an age limit that is complied with. We are theoretically open to new health warnings, but it must occur on Sweden's initiative - not the EU's.

According to a 2020 survey from the European Commission's Eurobarometer, the most common reason respondents chose to use heated tobacco products was that they perceived them as less harmful than other tobacco products for smoking. The Sweden Democrats therefore oppose the fact that cigarette smoke is practically equated with the less harmful alternatives on the market. We believe that the government should carefully monitor and map the effects of what is proposed to enter into force. Furthermore, measures should be taken as needed to strengthen public health work in Sweden and ensure that the proportion of smokers does not begin to increase.

We Sverigedemokrater stand behind all our reservations in the report. For the sake of time, I however move for approval only to Sverigedemokraternas reservation 5, which concerns analyzing the public health consequences of this legislative change and, if necessary, taking measures to strengthen Swedish public health work.

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Jesper Skalberg Karlsson (M)

Madam Speaker! The report we are debating today is based on an EU directive that prohibits heated tobacco products with characteristic flavors. This is an EU directive that Sweden is late in introducing; it has already been implemented in almost all other of the Union's member states. Retailers of these products have therefore had ample time to adjust purchases, inventory, and in-store signage.

The legislative changes shall enter into force on May 1 this year. An important addition to this is that the municipalities, the county administrative boards, and the Public Health Agency shall ensure that their supervision covers the prohibition. We do not expect any large increases in supervision fees, as retailers of heated tobacco products already sell other tobacco products that are covered by supervision.

Madam Speaker! Sweden will soon be the first smoke-free country in the world, according to the definition that says the country is to be considered smoke-free if fewer than one in 20 adults - that is, less than 5 percent of the population - do not smoke daily. That is good. The fewer who smoke, the longer life we can expect to live. It reduces tobacco-related diseases and reduces the pressure on healthcare, because fewer get, for example, cancer as a result of smoking.

For individual people, for their relatives and for Sweden as a country, it is good if people stop habitually smoking tobacco. If the employees in AB Sverige are well, then AB Sverige also does well.

A large part of this we have Swedish snus to thank for. By offering alternatives to smoking cigarettes, those who are addicted to nicotine can use less dangerous alternatives. Snus is not a health product; that must be said. It is, however, a much better alternative than cigarettes. Therefore, it is important that we continue to have clear information about relative danger for those who use tobacco and nicotine products, so that people can make informed decisions about their use.

Mr. Speaker! In different countries, different assessments are made regarding what the path towards a smoke-free country should look like. I want to be clear that from the Moderaterna's side, we will continue to stand up for Swedish snus. We will continue to support the tobacco-free alternatives that are placed on the market. We also stand behind the goal of a smoke-free Sweden.

In this work, it is important that we ensure that children and young people are protected and that consumers receive sufficient and clear information. Therefore, it must, of course, be illegal to sell nicotine products to minors. The supervision needs to be legally secure and effective. The goal of a smoke-free Sweden shall be achieved through a harm-reduction policy.

I vote in favor of the committee's proposal for a decision.

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Karin Rågsjö (V)

Mr. Speaker! Even I had to google what heated tobacco products are. Heated tobacco products, HTP, is a new way to use tobacco. Instead of the tobacco being burned, as in traditional cigarettes, it is heated and forms a nicotine-containing vapor. There are always new products that the tobacco industry can develop - the industry is very good at that, I must say.

In order to comply with requirements in EU directives, the government has now submitted a bill on amendments to the Tobacco Act which entails a ban on characteristic flavors on HTP. The EU Commission also sets requirements for health warnings for this product.

In the proposition, it states that packaging for heated tobacco products for smoking should be provided with health warnings. We think this is somewhat vague and weak. Cancerfonden wants, instead, that one tries to find some type of information text that is combined with direct health warnings. It should not matter whether it is a product for smoking or not. The Government responds that this would be to go further than the EU directives.

Our starting point is that no human being should become addicted to nicotine from any product. We think that is important. Those who become addicted to nicotine through other tobacco products than cigarettes may have a healthier life, but they still become addicted; that is what various surveys show. We are happy to listen to the research and very little to the tobacco industry.

We believe that Sweden should introduce requirements for information and health warnings even on heated tobacco products that are not intended for smoking. Even if the exception that has existed is removed regarding heated tobacco products for smoking, a number of referral bodies argue that heated tobacco products should be provided with a warning.

There is a lot of talk about snus, and it is true that snus is considerably less harmful than tobacco smoking. We have reduced smoking, but we have also been working on this for many years.

The interesting thing is that the tobacco industry is pushing. I do not know how many of you in the chamber have been invited to various dinners, lunches, and happenings with the tobacco industry. I always say no to such things. I think one should say no to such invitations from the tobacco industry or the alcohol industry if one sits in the Riksdag.

White snus is on the rise among young people. It is clearly addictive, and it is designed - with clever flavors - to reach young people. This is how the tobacco industry works, Mr. Speaker. We believe that the government should do something about this to prevent young people from using white snus and other tobacco products.

Vänsterpartiet also wants to introduce a general exposure ban for tobacco products. Several countries have already done so. It is not about any odd countries, but about neighboring countries such as Iceland, Norway and Finland. Iceland was first in 2001. Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Croatia, New Zealand and Australia are other countries that have introduced exposure bans for tobacco. In some of these countries, significantly more people smoke cigarettes than in Sweden, but young people smoke less. The law makes it easier for those people who are trying to quit tobacco.

We believe that the sale of tobacco products should be concealed and that the products should not be allowed to be exposed. We think this is important precisely when it comes to white snus, which is therefore on a sharp rise among young people - one only has to look at, for example, CAN's surveys.

Hjärt-Lungfonden, which has worked with these issues for a long time, recently highlighted its strong concern in a review of the situation for the Social Affairs Committee. We in Sweden take a slightly different path than our neighboring countries in regulating nicotine products. I think SD and the government should reflect on this. If one has a very positive attitude towards snus, it naturally means that the problems can increase. I would like the government and SD to listen more to researchers and less to the tobacco industry.

I vote in favor of reservation 3.

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Dan Hovskär (KD)

Mr. Speaker! I begin by moving to approve the committee's proposal.

The Christian Democrats' goal is to reduce harms linked to tobacco and nicotine. We can achieve this goal by putting effort into urging those who smoke today to switch to smoke-free nicotine products. At the same time, it is important to conduct strong preventive work so that young people neither start smoking nor use other nicotine products.

The Government has proposed amendments to the Act on Tobacco and Similar Products, and the committee supports the Government's proposal.

We Christian Democrats support the ban on heated tobacco products with characteristic flavor in the law on tobacco and similar products. The Government or the authority that the Government decides shall be allowed to issue regulations on which heated tobacco products shall be considered to have characteristic flavor.

Furthermore, the government makes the assessment that packaging for such heated tobacco products that are a tobacco product for smoking should be provided with health warnings. The government or the authority that the government decides shall be entitled to issue regulations on how the health warnings shall be designed.

The government also makes the assessment that the supervisory responsibility that the municipalities, the county administrative boards, and the Public Health Agency have today should also cover the new requirements. The Public Health Agency and the municipalities should be allowed to charge fees for their supervision. Current confidentiality provisions should also cover the Public Health Agency's and the municipalities' supervision of the new requirements.

The legislative changes are proposed to enter into force on May 1 of this year.

I support the committee's position in the report.

So, what is this proposal about? Well, the government has proposed that new requirements should be placed on heated tobacco products. It is about introducing a ban on characteristic flavors on heated tobacco products and that it should be possible to regulate requirements for information texts and health warnings for these products through agency regulations.

That we are now proposing amendments to Swedish law is because it is necessary to implement the European Commission's directives. Previously, there have been exemptions from certain requirements for heated tobacco products, and these exemptions are now being removed.

What is the background to this proposal? Well, in June 2022, the Riksdag decided to say no to a ban on the flavoring of e-cigarettes, but the Riksdag said yes in principle to the government's proposal on stricter rules. The reason was that the government recently tasked several agencies with compiling knowledge on the harmful effects of various tobacco and nicotine products, and it was considered that a sufficient knowledge base was needed before a decision was made on stricter regulation. The Riksdag also issued a notification to the then-government to review the question of making it a criminal offense to give or sell tobacco and nicotine products to persons under 18 years of age.

Mr. Speaker! The Christian Democrats welcomed the new law on stricter regulation of nicotine products and the introduction of an age limit for the sale of nicotine products to limit accessibility for children and young people.

In order to adapt Swedish law to the delegated directive and to meet the Riksdag's announcement, a memorandum has been prepared within the Ministry of Social Affairs with proposals for a ban on heated tobacco products with characteristic flavor. Through the proposals in section 5.4, the announcement is thus finalized.

The Christian Democrats continue to work to reduce the harmful effects for children and young people linked to tobacco and nicotine products.

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Ulrika Westerlund (MP)

Mr. Speaker! Many of us have learned a lot about different tobacco products that we perhaps did not know much about before, both in the preparations for this debate and now as we listen to one another.

Miljöpartiet also welcomes the proposal that heated tobacco products with characteristic flavors shall be prohibited in accordance with the delegated directive. The directive leaves no room for the member states to refrain from introducing flavor restrictions for heated tobacco products, and the proposal is therefore the only reasonable one. As the previous speaker mentioned, these tobacco products will be added to the list in Chapter 2, Section 1 of the Act on Tobacco and Similar Products.

Measures that reduce the risk of especially young people becoming addicted to tobacco or nicotine are important. Different flavorings are a step in creating such an addiction, and it is therefore good that these products shall no longer be sold.

Miljöpartiet, however, wants to make some additions and changes to what is now being proposed.

Today, according to the EU's regulatory framework, there are requirements for information texts and combined health warnings for packaging of cigarettes, rolling tobacco, and tobacco for water pipes. Previously, heated tobacco products have been exempt, but it is now proposed that the same requirements shall apply to heated tobacco products to the extent that they are for smoking.

Cancerfonden suggested in its referral response that the requirement should be extended to all heated tobacco products. Even if the exception that has existed is now removed regarding heated tobacco products for smoking, they argue that even heated tobacco products that are smoke-free tobacco products should be included. The Government responds briefly that they consider the conditions for this to be lacking.

Miljöpartiet considers that it should still be possible in Sweden, and if that is not the case, we believe that the government should investigate how this can be made possible so that requirements for information and health warnings can also be introduced on heated tobacco products that are not intended for smoking.

In this context, I shall also mention that Miljöpartiet considers it urgent that the government generally takes measures that reduce tobacco use among young people. The overall goal in the ANDTS strategy is that the availability of tobacco and nicotine products shall decrease. But currently, the number of products is increasing, and they are easy to obtain. That the government has also chosen to significantly lower the tax on snus is problematic to say the least. Miljöpartiet considers it a clear misprioritization that we find difficult to understand because, according to research, price is an important factor when it comes to the use of tobacco and nicotine products. Miljöpartiet considers that the government should instead quickly investigate what is required to prevent minors from starting to use tobacco and nicotine products and return with a comprehensive proposal.

I join the Left Party and move for approval of reservation 3.

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Jakob Olofsgård (L)

Mr. Speaker! That we are today debating new requirements for heated tobacco products feels a bit counterintuitive, because the proposal can rather be summarized as that tobacco should taste like tobacco, not something else. One should not believe that it is anything other than just tobacco when it comes to heated tobacco products. The person who uses an e-cigarette should know that it is tobacco.

In June 2022, the EU Commission proposed that e-cigarettes with flavor additives should be banned within the EU to protect more people from starting with tobacco products. Now the proposal is being presented here, and this is being done because we need to protect especially young people from starting to use heated tobacco products. This is important.

The difference between me, who is in the middle of life, and the one who is young is that I have been young. It pleases me to welcome a part of the young generation who are now entering the gallery and will take part in a very important subject. It is almost as if I want to linger a little until everyone has arrived.

I can recall a memory from my own youth. In upper secondary school, I smoked secretly. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I am coming out with this. I believe many did it. Why I did it was nothing other than that I wanted to be part of the cool crowd, of course. The cigarettes tasted like shit, and I stopped then. But still, I did this for half a year and had to come home and explain the smell of smoke to my parents, who were strictly against this, and explain why I had foolishly enough let myself get burned under the chin with a cigarette. Where did it come from? Why did I do this? One is young and wants to try and push boundaries and everything liberation is called.

Today, the flavorings that we want to ban are being lured in with this proposal when it comes to e-cigarettes. It should taste like tobacco tastes and nothing else. The products are perceived as harmless because people think it is not dangerous to smoke e-cigs because they do not taste or smell like tobacco. But research today shows the opposite, that nicotine products increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression, and can cause permanent damage to the brain.

The European Commission strives to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2040. It is a bit of a way to go, we can think, but it goes fast there. This means that fewer than 5 percent of the population within the EU shall use tobacco or nicotine products. This is what the EU wants to achieve by 2040, and how shall we get there if we do not take measures? That is what we do here in the Riksdag and what we debate here today. The flavorings on e-cigarettes must not be allowed to be there. It shall taste like tobacco.

Today, more than half of young people state that they consider the good taste to be a reason for wanting to try a new nicotine product. Furthermore, over 60 percent of young people believe that it is easy to obtain both e-cigarettes and white snus when one is underage. Even though the goal should be that young people should not get access to these products, it is actually today's reality that they get access to them in one way or another.

It is very important that legislative proposals are based on research, which this does. Studies show that young people's use of e-cigarettes, alone or in combination with smoking regular cigarettes, increases the risk of diagnosed bronchitis, pneumonia, and chronic cough. Furthermore, a combined use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes can increase the risk of developing various types of lung diseases.

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg say that combined use significantly increases health risks. For example, the flavoring in e-cigarettes can cause cell damage in the mouth and lungs as well as increase the risk of airway inflammations, which is caused by the flavor additives in e-cigarettes both with and without nicotine, which we are banning today.

Implementation of new requirements for heated tobacco products

Dear young people in the stands! Before we used to say "fimpa" (quit smoking), and that is not possible to do with an e-cig, but I say anyway: Fimpa! This is not good.

Researchers argue that it affects the vessels and the heart, that the blood vessels become stiffer - don't ask me to explain how, but they express it that way - and that the use of e-cigarettes is worse than traditional cigarettes from this point of view.

As a Liberal, I also want to bring in the climate perspective on e-cigarettes. 844 million disposable e-cigarettes are thrown away every year. For comparison, that corresponds to six Eiffel Towers.

E-cigarettes consist of plastic, environmentally hazardous substances and traces of heavy metals that often end up in household waste or in nature. This in turn harms animals, nature and the environment. It is not only the containers themselves that damage the environment but also the contents.

Mr. Speaker! That 56 percent of all upper secondary school students in year 2 have tried e-cigarettes is very concerning. Six out of ten young people between 14 and 18 years old express that nicotine products seem less dangerous, which is a likely reason why they try heated tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes. Studies further show that young people who use e-cigarettes are prone to also try what I myself did in upper secondary school – the regular cigarette, which is extremely hazardous to health.

Implementation of new requirements for heated tobacco products

A clear but simple measure is, as we do today, to ban flavorings in heated tobacco products. Through that, we hopefully reach the EU's goal of a tobacco-free generation.

The deliberation was hereby concluded.

(Decisions were made under § 14.)

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