Has snus use helped Swedish smokers quit?
Firstly, to what extent has snus use had an impact on smoking in Sweden? There are several reasons to question the often repeated mantra of the tobacco manufacturers and some researchers, who claim that snus use reduces smoking in Sweden. When compared to most European countries, Sweden has never had a high smoking prevalence in males and will therefore not reach a high lung cancer rate. Smoking has continuously decreased in most western countries without the help of smokeless tobacco. Especially, substantial investments in tobacco control have had an impact on smoking habits in countries such as Canada and California. Recent surveys in Sweden show that of regular snus users, 36% smoke daily or occasionally alongside with their snus use and 39% have never smoked. If all Swedish men are considered, at the most 5% may have had some help from snus in quitting smoking (1). There is still no longitudinal data explaining to what extent snus, in the individual case, has played a major role in
