European Commission asked to investigate use of snus to reduce smoking

Campaigners who want to relax the Europe-wide ban on snus, an oral tobacco, have succeeded in formally asking the European Commission to investigate whether its use could help people to stop smoking.

MEPs called on the commission on 24 October “to investigate the health risks associated with consumption of snus and its impact on the consumption of cigarettes” as part of a wide ranging strategy towards a smoke-free Europe.

The tobacco has been banned throughout the European Union since 1992 and is only allowed in Sweden, where it is so much a part …