3 min read
Europe Divided: How the EU's Nicotine Policy Fragmentation Hurts Smokers
The EU has a common market—and radically divergent nicotine policies. Sweden has snus and low smoking. The UK has vaping and falling rates. The rest of the EU has neither. The fragmentation is a natural experiment producing uncomfortable results.
Sweden: snus is legal, smoking is near elimination. UK: vaping is embraced, smoking is falling fast. Rest of EU: snus is banned (except Sweden's exemption), vaping is restricted, smoking declines are slower. **The EU's nicotine policy fragmentation is a natural experiment: the countries with the most permissive harm reduction policies have the best outcomes. The experiment's results are uncomfortable for the EU's precautionary framework—and they're being ignored.**
