Instead of someone smoking or vaping, how often have you seen Snus being used in a London pub?
Snus is a dried and refined tobacco, that the user puts in their gums, and gives them a nicotine hit.
It has started to be used widely as a replacement for cigarettes and vaping in London.
Nordic Spirit, one of the main companies that produces the Snus, market it as a “discreet way of enhancing the moment”. However, how bad is it for you?
Economics for consumers
Growth of Snus companies is set at 4.3% until the end of the decade.
With the recent smoking ban where no-one born after 2008 will be able to buy cigarettes and a disposable vape ban to be motioned in Parliament, will Snus fill the market of nicotine demand?
However, is it really a risk free alternative?
Financially, nicotine consumers would find snus a reasonable cost effective alternative to cigarettes or vapes.
According to the tobacco company Haypp, a person smoking 20 cigarettes a day would cost them between £3700 and £4650 a year. Whereas, a person consuming a single can of snus a day, would cost them around £1,340 per year.
Is Snus a “better” alternative?
Louise Ross, Chair of the New Nicotine Alliance, highlighted the other benefits of consuming snus or nicotine pouches over smoking.
“I believe strongly in tobacco harm reduction and allowing people alternatives to smoked tobacco.”
She argued that anything would be better than people consuming cigarettes.
Snus has only been in the UK market since 2019, so long term impacts are not entirely known.
However, according to a study done by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Evidence suggests that tobacco snus use increased the risk of a variety of diseases, including obesity type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Snus is additional to smoking and vaping
Moreover, the same study suggests that 70% of people who use snus, still smoke or vape. Therefore, prevention of the common causes of cancer is not being achieved.
Another study carried out by the University in Huddinge, Sweden found that regular consumption of snus causes changes of white, leathery areas at the site where the snus is placed and a massively increased risk of periodontal disease.
Whilst snus is smoke free, it also contains harmful substances, including metals and hydrocarbons, which are also found in cigarettes.
I spoke to a past chair of the Oral Health Foundation, Ben Atkins, who highlighted the new nicotine culture brought by snus.
“It’s not offensive to have one of those in whilst your in the office.”
The two main Snus companies in the UK, Velo and Nordic Spirit, where reached out to but did not comment.
As of June 2024, the Mayor of London, when asked about his strategy for mitigating Snus usage in London, he responded “most community Stop Smoking Services will be able to support users of smokeless tobacco”.
We reached to the Mayor for further comment, but we do not receive a response.
Is snus really a helpful smoke free remedy, or is just encouraging further consumption of nicotine and increasing the likely hood of cancerous diseases?
With Snus consumption predicted to increase, long term damage by the use of it will only be proven with time.
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StandfirstCity news investigates whether snus is a healthy alternative to cigarettes and vapes
Instead of someone smoking or vaping, how often have you seen Snus being used in a London pub?
Snus is a dried and refined tobacco, that the user puts in their gums, and gives them a nicotine hit.
It has started to be used widely as a replacement for cigarettes and vaping in London.
Nordic Spirit, one of the main companies that produces the Snus, market it as a “discreet way of enhancing the moment”. However, how bad is it for you?
Economics for consumers
Growth of Snus companies is set at 4.3% until the end of the decade.
With the recent smoking ban where no-one born after 2008 will be able to buy cigarettes and a disposable vape ban to be motioned in Parliament, will Snus fill the market of nicotine demand?
However, is it really a risk free alternative?
Financially, nicotine consumers would find snus a reasonable cost effective alternative to cigarettes or vapes.
According to the tobacco company Haypp, a person smoking 20 cigarettes a day would cost them between £3700 and £4650 a year. Whereas, a person consuming a single can of snus a day, would cost them around £1,340 per year.
Is Snus a “better” alternative?
Louise Ross, Chair of the New Nicotine Alliance, highlighted the other benefits of consuming snus or nicotine pouches over smoking.
“I believe strongly in tobacco harm reduction and allowing people alternatives to smoked tobacco.”
She argued that anything would be better than people consuming cigarettes.
Snus has only been in the UK market since 2019, so long term impacts are not entirely known.
However, according to a study done by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Evidence suggests that tobacco snus use increased the risk of a variety of diseases, including obesity type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Snus is additional to smoking and vaping
Moreover, the same study suggests that 70% of people who use snus, still smoke or vape. Therefore, prevention of the common causes of cancer is not being achieved.
Another study carried out by the University in Huddinge, Sweden found that regular consumption of snus causes changes of white, leathery areas at the site where the snus is placed and a massively increased risk of periodontal disease.
Whilst snus is smoke free, it also contains harmful substances, including metals and hydrocarbons, which are also found in cigarettes.
I spoke to a past chair of the Oral Health Foundation, Ben Atkins, who highlighted the new nicotine culture brought by snus.
“It’s not offensive to have one of those in whilst your in the office.”
The two main Snus companies in the UK, Velo and Nordic Spirit, where reached out to but did not comment.
As of June 2024, the Mayor of London, when asked about his strategy for mitigating Snus usage in London, he responded “most community Stop Smoking Services will be able to support users of smokeless tobacco”.
We reached to the Mayor for further comment, but we do not receive a response.
Is snus really a helpful smoke free remedy, or is just encouraging further consumption of nicotine and increasing the likely hood of cancerous diseases?
With Snus consumption predicted to increase, long term damage by the use of it will only be proven with time.
