Smoke Free Sweden: Nicotine Pouch Restrictions Deprive Canadian Women of Best Tool to Quit Smoking

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On International Women’s Day (March 8), Canadian policymakers are being warned that strict controls on oral nicotine pouches are limiting access to an innovation linked to one of the world’s sharpest declines in female smoking.

The warning accompanies the release of a new report, Empowerment in a Pouch, documenting how access to tobacco-free nicotine pouches has accelerated Sweden’s progress towards becoming smoke-free, particularly among women.

“Sweden’s experience shows what happens when women are given realistic alternatives to smoking,” said Professor Marewa Glover, behavioural scientist and co-author. “When safer options are accessible, women quit at scale. When access is constrained, many simply continue to smoke.”

Since nicotine pouches became available in Sweden in 2016:

• Women’s smoking rates have fallen by nearly 50%, now among the lowest globally.
• Women’s quit-smoking rates increased around threefold, putting Sweden on track to become the first smoke-free country (adult daily smoking below 5%).
• Female smoking is declining six times faster in Sweden than elsewhere in Europe, according to WHO statistics.

In Canada, oral nicotine pouches are regulated as non-prescription Natural Health Products and can only be sold behind pharmacy counters. This limited access may unintentionally slow the transition away from cigarettes, especially for women who struggle to quit using traditional methods.

The report highlights why pouches have proved effective. They contain no tobacco and involve no combustion. Used under the lip, they deliver pharmaceutical-grade nicotine without smoke, vapour or odour. Research shows women value their discretion, convenience and compatibility with work and family life.

Participants rated nicotine pouches as the most effective quitting aid, outperforming vapes and traditional nicotine replacement therapies. Women ranked pouches almost three times higher than vapes and 56% higher than nicotine gum. Sixty percent of female users cited flavour variety as a key reason for choosing pouches.

“As Canada reviews its nicotine framework, it faces a clear policy choice,” said Dr Delon Human, co-author and former secretary-general of the World Medical Association. “Regulation should reflect relative risk. Restricting smoke-free products more tightly than cigarettes risks slowing progress on cessation and leaving women with fewer effective ways to quit.”