Legal drugs are psychoactive substances whose acquisition and use are legally permitted. However, there are usually restrictions. For example, in the case of legal drugs such as alcohol and nicotine, certain age limits apply in the interest of youth protection, preventing minors from purchasing them. In addition to alcohol and nicotine, caffeine and certain psychoactive medications can also be classified as legal drugs. The latter serve a medical or therapeutic purpose, and such substances are usually prescription-only and must be prescribed by a doctor.
Whether legal drugs or illegal drugs, whether soft drugs or hard drugs – the term "drug" is surrounded by a complex web of definitions that may all mean more or less the same thing, yet refer to different substances. So if one were to ask what all these definitions have in common, one would most likely arrive at an answer by looking for similarities and, in contrast, striking differences. Gaining such a broad overview seems useful here because it allows for a systematic answer to the question: Is snus a drug?
What are drugs?
In German, the term "Droge" has a strongly negative connotation (secondary meaning) – in contrast to English, where "drug" primarily refers to medicines used for medical and therapeutic purposes. The German term seems to have a negative connotation mainly because "Droge" here refers to a non-medical use of a psychoactive substance that has intoxicating, consciousness-altering, or even hallucinogenic properties. In addition, drug consumption is generally associated with a high potential for addiction. If the latter leads to actual addiction and abusive consumption behavior harms health, then the negative aspects of such psychoactive substances come to the forefront. This may also be a reason why the uncontrolled, medically unnecessary use of drugs is socially stigmatized.
In this sense, drugs refer to addictive, mostly harmful, and non-essential substances that affect our psyche. One distinction that almost suggests itself is the one between legal drugs and illegal drugs. The latter are usually, though not always, so-called hard drugs, which are particularly high in terms of addiction potential, harmful effects on health, and, more generally, the degree of danger. For this reason, the private possession and distribution of such substances are legally regulated in many countries and usually subject to strict penalties. However, this does not mean that every hard drug is illegal – in fact, alcohol and nicotine, for example, are also classified as so-called hard drugs in common classification systems – and both substances are known to be legal, albeit with restrictions.*1
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Conversely, not all soft drugs are legal – an example is cannabis, which has been legalized/decriminalized in several countries but remains illegal in many places. - © Image: AdobeStock |
What are soft drugs?
On the website of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care, and Consumer Protection, there is an official description on the topic. It states verbatim:
"Colloquially, the terms 'soft' and 'hard' drugs are often used – mostly in connection with 'illegal' drugs. However, this categorization is confusing, as specific levels of danger are assigned to individual drugs. The danger of a substance does not lie solely in the substance itself but also depends on the method of consumption."*1
In the same public information from the ministry, it is further stated that soft drugs have a low probability of causing physical dependence, although they can still lead to psychological dependence. As examples of soft drugs, cannabis and LSD are mentioned.*1
What are hard drugs?
In contrast to soft drugs, there are the so-called hard drugs, which are described as follows by the Austrian Ministry of Health:
"Hard drugs cause both psychological and – in some cases very rapidly – physical dependence. This includes both 'legal' drugs such as alcohol and nicotine, as well as 'illegal' substances like heroin, cocaine, and crack."*1
Following this classification, physical addiction potential is used as a distinguishing factor. However, as mentioned earlier, it is rather the degree of danger that allows for further differentiation. This danger can be understood in a multidimensional way in terms of potential harm.
A common classification of drugs based on their harm potential is provided in a report by globalcommissionondrugs.org. This report distinguishes between "harm to users" and "harm to others." The former refers to factors such as mortality rate, health damage, addiction potential, impairment of cognitive abilities, loss of material assets, and the breakdown of relationships. The latter, on the other hand, includes the tendency towards criminal behavior, environmental damage, international consequences, family problems, and economic and societal burdens. Based on this, each substance is assigned an overall harm score, with alcohol ranking at the top, closely followed by heroin and crack. Tobacco, incidentally, holds the 6th place in this ranking, right after cocaine.*2
Difference between soft and hard drugs
If one were to define the difference between soft and hard drugs, it could be determined by the sum of multidimensional harmful factors. Hard drugs would thus be considered more harmful than soft drugs, generally in terms of:
- Harm to users AND
- Harm to others
Is nicotine a drug?
When referring to the initial general definition of drugs, nicotine must certainly be classified as a drug. This is because nicotine is a psychoactive substance, meaning it influences our psyche through central nervous system mechanisms. This primarily involves performance-enhancing effects, including short-term increases in attention and cognitive performance*3, as well as effects that promote euphoric and relaxing moods.
And although such performance enhancement might initially sound positive, nicotine, as it naturally occurs in tobacco leaves, has a strong addiction potential. Therefore, a key factor commonly associated with most drugs and their classification as such applies here as well.
>> Did you know that there are different forms of nicotine found in snus – and not all of them have the same addiction potential? In fact, there is a specific form also used in nicotine gums that ensures controlled and slow nicotine absorption. This results in a milder effect, contributing to a lower addiction potential. Read more about it in: Nicotine salt, free-base nicotine, and resinate: Three common nicotine forms in tobacco-free nicotine pouches
Is nicotine a hard drug?
Tobacco is enjoyed by many consumers worldwide and is generally legally accessible, albeit with age restrictions. However, nicotine has a high addiction potential, and smoking, in particular, is responsible for many tobacco-related diseases and deaths. This may also be a reason why some experts consider nicotine a hard drug, even though it is legal and not every form of consumption is equally harmful.*1
For this reason, tobacco—especially smoking—is often explicitly referred to as a hard drug.*4 Given the reasons mentioned above, smoking tobacco can clearly be classified as a hard drug – particularly cigarettes, which have a significant multidimensional harm potential.*5
What is snus made of?
Snus is a chewing tobacco that has been consumed in Scandinavian countries for decades. It originated in Sweden, where it is treated like a food product and is freely available for sale. For this reason, it is commonly referred to as Swedish snus.
Swedish snus consists of tobacco, water, salt, humectants, and flavorings. It can either be placed loosely in the mouth or pre-portioned in small pouches, which are placed between the upper lip and the gum.
>> You might also be interested in: What is Snus?
Nowadays, there is also tobacco-free snus (usually referred to as nicotine pouches). Instead of tobacco, plant fibers are mixed with water, humectants, and nicotine salt, then packed into small rectangular pouches that can be consumed in the same way as “real” tobacco snus.
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Tobacco-free snus comes in many different flavors. And the pouches are not always white – depending on the flavoring, as seen in the image, colored pouches can also be found. - © Image: AdobeStock |
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View allWhat does snus do?
The only active ingredient in snus that classifies it as a drug is nicotine. Whether it contains tobacco or is tobacco-free only matters when assessing its risk potential, which appears to be higher in tobacco due to carcinogenic nitrosamines. There is no clear evidence that pure nicotine itself is carcinogenic, although it is addictive and therefore not harmless.*6 This is one reason why some experts specifically advise against consuming tobacco snus, even though it is not definitively proven to be as carcinogenic as cigarettes.
In any case, the effect of snus is entirely due to the nicotine it contains, and its nicotine-specific effects are the same as those of smoking a cigarette. Instead of inhaling nicotine-containing smoke, snus is placed in the mouth, allowing nicotine to be absorbed through the oral mucosa and eventually entering the body.
How harmful is snus?
Since nicotine is an addictive substance, snus consumption can also lead to dependence. However, compared to cigarettes, snus is less harmful—particularly because it does not pose any risk to the lungs.
When tobacco is burned, numerous harmful substances are released (including toxic tar and hydrogen cyanide). In contrast, snus consumption is smokeless and avoids these smoke-related toxic substances, even though carcinogenic nitrosamines may still be present in tobacco snus. Only nicotine pouches are free from such specific carcinogenic substances, or they contain only very small amounts in some products.*6
Overall, compared to smoking, the use of snus and nicotine pouches appears to reduce the risk of major tobacco-related diseases, such as lung cancer and COPD.
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This is also supported by statistics: In Sweden, where snus consumption is higher than cigarette consumption, there are fewer deaths from lung cancer compared to other EU countries. - © Image: AdobeStock |
Snus can be an alternative for smokers who do not want or cannot give up nicotine consumption but want to reduce their risk of lung disease.
>> You might also be interested in: Snus side effects and long-term consequences
Snus users' surroundings also benefit: Since snus consumption does not produce smoke, there are no health risks associated with passive smoking, and there is no unpleasant smell from stale smoke.
Is snus legal?
In Sweden, snus tobacco is treated like a food product and is legally available, just like cigarettes or alcohol. This means that in Sweden, you can easily buy high-quality snus at tobacco shops. In other EU countries, the sale of tobacco-containing snus is prohibited, but not its consumption. As a private individual, you can buy snus tobacco in Sweden and import it into other EU countries in non-commercial quantities.
In 2019, the sale of snus was legalized in Switzerland. It is quite possible that in the coming years, a shift in opinion will take place within the EU, leading to the legalization of tobacco snus sales.
>> You might also be interested in: Addiction researchers support EU-wide legalization of Swedish oral tobacco
However, tobacco-free snus variants, also known as nicotine pouches, can be legally purchased throughout the entire EU. Today, numerous online shops offer tobacco-free snus, such as Velo Snus.
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View allIs snus a drug or not?
Although Swedish snus is often labeled as a "dangerous trend drug" by the media today, it is a drug that, because it is smokeless, is in any case less harmful than cigarettes. In the case of nicotine pouches, even a significant risk factor linked to the carcinogenic effects of tobacco is eliminated.
We can therefore conclude that while snus is considered a drug because it contains nicotine, it is less harmful to health than smoking cigarettes – both for the consumer and those around them.
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Sources (Links last accessed on 28.02.25):
*1: https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/themen/hilfe_und_finanzielle_unterstuetzung_erhalten/2/sucht/2/Seite.1520230.html
*2 See also: https://www.globalcommissionondrugs.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2019Report_DEU_web.pdf
*3 See: https://www.spektrum.de/news/kognition-nikotin-gegen-neuropsychiatrische-erkrankungen/1924141
*4 See: https://snuzone.com/blogs/infos/suchtforscher-befurwortet-eu-weite-legalisierung-von-schwedischem-oraltabak
*5: An online article from Die Welt lists several reasons why cigarettes are comparable to hard drugs. See: https://www.welt.de/gesundheit/article1760276/Zigaretten-sind-mit-harten-Drogen-vergleichbar.html
*6 See: https://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/343/gesundheitliche-bewertung-von-nikotinbeuteln-nikotinpouches.pdf
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