Sweden Becomes First Smoke-Free Country in Europe

Recent news on May 25th highlighted Sweden’s significant progress in reducing smoking rates and its goal of becoming the first “smoke-free” country in Europe. A group of public health experts in Sweden jointly released a report, emphasizing the effective implementation of tobacco control policies and the role of emerging nicotine substitutes like electronic cigarettes in achieving this milestone. With this remarkable achievement, Sweden has surpassed the European Union’s target of achieving a smoke-free society by 2040.

The concept of a “Smoke-Free” society entails that the smoking rate of a specific population group is below 5%. Dr. Anders Milton, a former President of the Medical Association and one of the report’s authors explained Sweden’s pioneering strategy to reduce smoking’s harmful effects and save lives. He suggested that if the rest of the European Union adopted Sweden’s successful tobacco control approach, it could potentially save more than 30,000 lives within the next decade. Another author, Dr. Delon Human, former secretary-general of World Medicine, emphasized that transitioning from traditional combustible cigarettes to e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches is a far better alternative than continuing smoking.

While no nicotine product can be entirely harmless, e-cigarettes have been found to reduce harm by 95% compared to combustible cigarettes, making them a safer option to some extent. Moreover, e-cigarettes offer higher and purer nicotine transmission efficiency compared to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). As a substitute for reducing the carcinogenic elements of combustible smoke and alleviating nicotine dependence, e-cigarettes have proven to be an effective tool for smoking cessation.

Smoking-related deaths reached a staggering 7.7 million globally in 2019, according to data from The Lancet survey. Furthermore, medical research has established a positive correlation between smoking and cardiovascular and lung diseases. Thus, smoking cessation is imperative to safeguard public health. The emergence of e-cigarettes not only provides smokers with a healthier means of obtaining nicotine but also reduces the prevalence of social smoking and the harm caused by second-hand smoke.

The use of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation and harm reduction has gained acceptance in some countries, and mounting evidence continues to highlight their advantages. A notable study published by Wiley-BlackWell, involving the University of Southern California and Boston University, explored the prospective association between e-cigarette use frequency patterns and cigarette smoking abstinence among adult smokers in the United States. The study followed 5,699 adult smokers for five years and revealed that 560 individuals successfully quit smoking through the continuous use of e-cigarettes. The researchers discovered a positive correlation between continuous e-cigarette use and the success rate of smoking cessation. After accounting for factors such as time and personal preference, the study concluded that daily use of e-cigarettes increased the probability of successful smoking cessation by four times over a 12-month period.

Sweden’s acceptance of smoke-free alternatives as less harmful options played a vital role in their successful tobacco control strategies. The benefits of Sweden’s approach are evident, with the country experiencing a 38% lower total number of cancer deaths and a 41% lower cancer incidence compared to other European nations. Sweden stands out as the EU country with the lowest proportion of tobacco-related diseases.

As a relatively new tobacco product, e-cigarettes have gained popularity due to their unique flavors and user appeal. However, it is crucial for the public and the media to have a balanced perspective on e-cigarettes rather than vilifying them. Treating e-cigarettes as beneficial alternatives can have a more positive impact on public health overall. Dr. Fagerström, the author of the Swedish report, believes that if other countries adopt Sweden’s approach of reducing the supply and demand for combustible cigarettes, while implementing varying tax rates and offering financial incentives to smokers who transition to less harmful alternatives like e-cigarettes, it could greatly benefit the global population.