At the end of February Ehandel.se reported on the Norwegian legislative proposal that would introduce a maximum limit of 12 milligrams of nicotine per gram for white snus. Now, the e-commerce company Snuslageret, part of Swedish Haypp Group, presents a laboratory test conducted by Eurofins. The results show that products sold as nicotine replacement therapy in pharmacies contain over 20 mg/g of nicotine.
The company highlights what it considers an inconsistency in current nicotine regulation. According to Snuslageret, products are assessed differently depending on the category they belong to, rather than the actual nicotine level per unit consumed. They point out that pharmacy products are stronger, despite being untaxed and allowed to be marketed.
It is difficult to understand how a marketed and untaxed product in a pharmacy can be stronger than the unmarketed and taxed products that are now proposed to be banned. Regulation must be based on the actual nicotine level consumed, not on which shelf the product is on or what the product weighs, says Markus Lindblad, Communications Manager at Snuslageret.no.
Demanding Consistent Regulations
Snuslageret highlights the German BRF standard as an alternative. This model from the "Federal Institute for Risk Assessment" accepts higher nicotine levels with the justification that the products must be sufficiently effective to function as an alternative to cigarettes for smokers. The e-commerce company believes that nicotine levels that are too low risk making the alternatives ineffective.
A nicotine limit of 12 mg/g makes the products too weak for smokers who want to quit. This is also shown by this test of nicotine replacement therapy. It may rather slow down Norway's strong transition from cigarettes to less harmful alternatives than supporting it, says Markus Lindblad.
To avoid misleading consumers, Snuslageret now asks the Norwegian Storting (Parliament) to design future legislation differently. The company wants to see regulations based on the actual nicotine content per portion and based on the current industry standard (SIS) developed for all-white snus.