Sweden Shows What Happens When the Market is Allowed to Meet Demand

The media likes to paint nicotine pouches as some sort of alt-right symbol of frontier masculinity. Back on planet Earth, the harm reduction product has been crucial in helping Swedish women quit smoking.

In the world of smoking harm reduction, one of the more troubling sex disparities is the uneven uptake of snus between Swedish men and women. Data from 2024 suggests that men use snus at a rate of over 2:1 compared to women.

There are many reasons to explain this disparity, including cultural norms around snus use. However, on a more practical level, many Swedish women were less inclined to use the tobacco product because it was bulky and prone to staining teeth. The tragedy here is that these health gaps have resulted in 23% higher rates of lung cancer among Swedish women.

The introduction and adoption of nicotine pouches help address these differences. The product is cleaner and smaller, factors which Swedish women have cited as making the product more appealing. Since tobacco-free nicotine pouches were introduced in 2016, smoking prevalence among Swedish women has dropped by half.

A recent Smoke Free Sweden report, titled Power in a Pouch, drives the point home. Drawing from a list of authors, such as the brilliant Delon Human, Marwema Glover, Martin Cullip, and more, it’s the sort of brilliant and insightful paper that is the hallmark of this hard-working group.

Furthermore, pouches are just another example of the market responding to the needs of the populace in a way that the government seems unable or unwilling to do. A big part of Sweden’s smoking prevalence success is that the government just got out of the way and allowed citizens to quit in the way that worked for them.

That’s why Sweden is winning the smoke-free race by a country mile. Its closest competitor could also be posting these numbers, if it weren’t for the frankly insane prejudices of its former PM.

Ardern’s fumble

When Jacinda Ardern became New Zealand’s Prime Minister in 2017, the positivity was palpable. She was the antithesis to the grey men in grey suits that typically make up the ruling class, and her victory was seen as a watershed for a progressive, empathetic, inclusive style of leadership.

Faced with the possibility of COVID deaths, Ardern essentially pivoted into authoritarianism by granting police sweeping powers to punish those breaking or bending the rules. Roadblocks, arrests, and no-warrant home entries were a remarkable abuse of civil liberties.

COVID protestors were met with riot police, and democratic processes were bypassed. It was a crazy time, and it wasn’t just Ardern who lost her mind.

However, her brand suffered some damage during the COVID-19 pandemic. New Zealand’s pandemic response was summarised as “go hard, go early.” However, initial support for these draconian measures evaporated, as citizens began to question whether shutting down society, businesses, schools, and freedom of movement was actually kind.

Led down the Ardern path

Singling Ardern out for overreach during COVID isn’t particularly fair. Even self-proclaimed sceptics of government overreach, like Boris Johnson, put the hammer down during the pandemic. However, one look at Ardern’s treatment of nicotine pouches undermines her liberal brand.

During her tenure as Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern strongly opposed the legalisation and sale of non-tobacco nicotine pouches. When the government debated changes to its vaping and smokefree legislation in 2020, Ardern compared pouches to snus. Rumour has it that it was “based on pure prejudice from her time working there and not liking it!”

Most people broaden their horizons when they visit other countries. Ardern is different. If we are to credit these rumours, she develops biases to bring home like twisted souvenirs. Her government’s ambitious Smokefree 2025 Action Plan was perhaps the biggest victim of this thoughtless legislation.

Final thoughts

The overall New Zealand adult smoking prevalence dropped from 9.4% in 2021 to 6.8–6.9% by 2023/24. Progress has plateaued in recent years. As the brilliant behavioural scientist Dr. Marewa Glover said of the Power in a Pouch report, “Health data and women’s testimonials show pouches are safe, socially acceptable, and fit modern lifestyles. They’re pragmatic, effective, and our best hope for a smoke-free future.”

Sweden has shown that offering products that women actually want can reduce health disparities between the sexes. What kind of progressive would have an issue with that? Only a fake one.