Though highly popular, and fully legal, in Sweden, snus is actually banned in the rest of the EU. Snus is a tobacco product that is contained in small pouches that users simply place under their top or bottom lip. In this way they can absorb the nicotine into their bloodstream rather than smoking. Although Europeans can’t purchase snus, there is no such restriction for the USA. Snus can be conveniently bought online from snusdirect and shipped via UPS. Users can find a whole range of different products catering to a wide variety of tastes and styles, even including tobacco-less options.

Why the ban?

The ban on snus has actually been in place since 1992 in Europe, initially because of fears that snus would become a “gateway” to smoking among young people. In 2014 the EU created the Tobacco Products Directive (TDP), which prohibited member countries from marketing tobacco for oral use. Interestingly though, the definition for oral use excludes those products that can be inhaled or chewed as powder. Therefore you may well feel confused as to why snus is banned as it should come under this exception. But the reason for this ban is a strong one, and not going to be dropped any time soon.

Is it healthy?

The main reason for the snus ban was for health reasons. This was due to a report published by the World Health Organisation finding snuffs were carcinogenic. However, it is argued that snus and snuff are very different, and this report should not have been used as a basis for banning snus. But a report in 2008 did find an increase in oral cancer in those that used snus on a daily basis. However, other studies could not confirm the correlation between the use of snus and an increase in cancer, thus creating a little more controversy around the ban amid calls for it to be lifted.