Irish Plan Will Cost Lives

The international health experts say their ground-breaking new research shows that nicotine pouches are a game-changer for women in the fight against smoking and have accelerated quit rates to record levels in Sweden, making Ireland’s prohibitionist approach a dangerous mistake that will undermine public health progress.

The comprehensive report Power in a Pouch, released this month, reveals that nicotine pouches have driven a 49% drop in smoking among women in Sweden and helped deliver an almost 200% rise in the quit rate among females since their introduction in 2016.

Dr. Delon Human, co-author of the report and leader of Smoke Free Sweden, said: “Ireland should be learning from Sweden’s success, not ignoring it. The science is clear - nicotine pouches save lives. Banning them will cost lives. The choice for Irish policymakers should be simple.”

First-of-its-kind research in Power in a Pouch shows women rank nicotine pouches almost three times higher than vapes and 56% higher than nicotine gum as their preferred quit aid, identifying the products as the most effective, socially acceptable and stigma-free alternative to cigarettes.

Crucially, Smoke Free Sweden says, the study reveals that flavours play a vital role in helping smokers quit, with 60% of female and 55% of male pouch users identifying the variety of flavours as either their top or second most important reason for choosing nicotine pouches. 

The research found that 26% of women and 23% of men cited “the smell or flavour of tobacco” as traditional snus’s biggest turn-off, showing that smokers actively seek alternatives that do not resemble the product they are trying to quit.

Dr. Human issued his warning after Ireland Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, speaking at the World Conference on Tobacco Control, vowed that Ireland will attempt to “eradicate” nicotine pouches and crack down on coloured and flavoured vapes.

“Such a prohibitionist approach represents a catastrophic policy failure that would particularly harm women smokers,” said Dr. Human, former Secretary-General of the World Medical Association.

“Sweden’s evidence shows these products are life-savers, particularly for women who have struggled for decades to quit smoking at the same rates as men. The research proves that flavours are essential to helping smokers transition away from tobacco - banning flavours in safer alternatives removes a crucial tool that makes quitting possible. If Ireland banned pouches, it would deny female smokers access to the quit aid that works best for them.”

Sweden’s Nicotine Pouch Success Story

Smoke Free Sweden says that Sweden’s approach to safer alternatives has delivered extraordinary public health results. The country’s smoking rate now stands at just 5.3% - barely above the 5% international ‘smoke-free’ threshold. Male lung cancer deaths are 61% below the EU average, with total cancer deaths 34% lower.

In stark contrast, Ireland’s smoking rate remains at 16% - more than three times higher than Sweden's - highlighting the urgent need for effective cessation tools rather than product bans.

Smoke Free Sweden is calling on the Irish government to abandon its prohibition plans and follow Sweden’s evidence-based approach to reducing harm.

The organisation warned that Ireland’s approach during its upcoming EU Presidency from July 2026 could influence wider European policy and undermine public health progress across the continent.

References:

• Power in a Pouch - https://smokefreesweden.org/wp-content/themes/smokefreesweden/assets/pdf/power-in-a-pouch.pdf

Photo Credit:

• Images from Smoke Free Sweden

Dave Cross

Journalist at POTV

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Dave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.