MEPs to get first-hand look at the Swedish success story as country marks last World No Tobacco Day before becoming Smoke Free
Brussels, May 31 – On World No Tobacco Day, leading global health experts have delivered the landmark report “The Swedish Experience: A roadmap for a Smoke Free society” to key Members of the European Parliament.
This marks a potential momentous turning point in the fight against tobacco and Sweden’s last World No Tobacco Day before becoming smoke free.
Sweden’s smoking rates are set to drop below 5% in the coming months. This is the level below which the country will be considered officially ‘Smoke-free’. No other country in the European Union is even close to replicating this achievement and none are currently on track to even achieve it by the EU’s target of 2040, in 17 years’ time.
“Sweden’s approach to tobacco control is more than a case study, it’s a playbook for change“
“Sweden’s impending achievement of a ‘smoke-free’ status sets the bar for what is possible in public health with strategic policies. World No Tobacco Day is an opportunity to recognize the remarkable progress that has been made in creating a smoke-free society”, said Dr. Delon Human, a former adviser to three WHO Directors-General and to the UN Secretary-General on global public health strategies and leader of the Smoke Free Sweden initiative.
The country’s groundbreaking strategy to minimise the harmful effects of tobacco smoking and save lives is detailed in a recent report entitled “The Swedish Experience: A roadmap for a Smoke Free society”, which underscores the importance of sensible harm reduction policies, in addition to traditional tobacco control. Key MEPs have been sent the report, with the hope that the science that underpins it will also allow for better policy-making when it comes to less harmful alternatives to tobacco.
“Sweden’s approach to tobacco control is more than a case study, it’s a playbook for change“, said Dr. Human. “I hope that this report can serve as a scientific cornerstone for MEPs to draft policies that embrace less harmful alternatives to tobacco, ultimately protecting public health and saving countless lives in the process.”
The full report is available here: smokefreesweden.com/report_en
Smoke Free Sweden is a campaign which encourages other countries to follow the Swedish model when it comes to Tobacco Harm Reduction. Sweden is about to become the first ‘smoke-free’ European country in 2023, with a smoking rate of below 5 percent. This is a huge achievement, and will be 17 years ahead of the 2040 EU target. This can be attributed to Sweden’s open attitude towards alternative products.
For more information please visit www.smokefreesweden.org