Is snus a drug? We have the answer

Buying snus in today's age is often filled with prejudices that are not always true. Even if snus is often called a drug by the media, this does an injustice to the tobacco from Scandinavia. Why it is far less harmful to health than smoking cigarettes, we explain here.

What snus consists of

Snus is a tobacco that has been consumed in Scandinavian countries for decades. It originated in Sweden, where it is treated as a food product and sold over the counter. That is why it is usually 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 packaged as small Pouches between the upper lip and the oral mucosa.

Meanwhile, there are also tobacco-free snus (often referred to as nicotine pouches). Instead of tobacco, plant fibers are mixed with water, humectants, and nicotine salts and placed in small rectangular Pouches which can be consumed by sucking, just like the "real" good snus.

How does snus work?

The active ingredient in snus is solely nicotine. Depending on the snus variety and portion size, the nicotine content varies. Unlike cigarettes, which release numerous other harmful substances into the body in addition to nicotine, the consumption of snus is less harmful to health because it only receives nicotine.

Nicotine enters the bloodstream directly through the oral mucosa and is therefore absorbed by the body more quickly than is the case when smoking a cigarette. When nicotine finally reaches the brain via the bloodstream, dopamine is released, which is associated with a positive feeling. Nicotine also increases adrenaline levels and thus also has a stimulating effect.

Those who want to buy snus for the first time should be aware that this feeling is still foreign to the body at first.

Therefore, first-time users may experience a slight burning sensation upon contact with the oral mucosa, but this will not occur during further consumption. If the nicotine content is very high, unproven users may experience dizziness or headaches.

How harmful is snus?

Buying snus is easy, but getting the information is even more important. Swedish snus - regardless of whether it is a tobacco-containing or tobacco-free variety - does in fact contain nicotine. Since this is an addictive substance, the consumption of snus can also be addictive. In contrast to cigarette consumption, however, the consumption of snus is less harmful. While cigarette smoke contains numerous harmful substances (including tar, which can cause lung cancer), snus contains only nicotine. The risk of certain diseases such as lung cancer is therefore lower.

This can also be proven by statistics: In Sweden, where snus consumption is higher than cigarette consumption, there are fewer deaths from lung cancer than in other EU countries. Thus, snus can be an alternative for smokers who do not want to give up nicotine consumption, but want to reduce their risk of lung cancer.

There are also advantages for fellow snus users: Since no smoke is produced when snus is consumed, there are also no adverse health effects as with passive smoking, and there is also no odor nuisance from cold smoke.

Is snus legal?

In Sweden, snus tobacco is treated like food and is legally available there, just like cigarettes or alcohol. This means that in Sweden you can easily buy good snus even at the tobacconist. In the other countries of the EU, the sale of snus tobacco is prohibited, but not the consumption. So as a private person you can buy snus tobacco in Sweden and import it in non-commercial quantities to other EU countries.

In 2019, the sale of snus was legalized in Switzerland. It is quite possible that in the coming years there will also be a rethink in the EU and the sale of tobacco snus will be legalized.

In contrast, the tobacco-free snus variants, which are also known as nicotine pouches, can be purchased completely legally throughout the EU. Meanwhile, there are numerous online stores where you can buy tobacco-free snus, for example Velo Snus or Lyft Snus.

Is snus a drug or not?

Even though Swedish snus is called a fashion drug by numerous media nowadays, it is not a drug in the classical sense, as it only contains nicotine and therefore no mind-altering substances. Snus is less harmful to health than smoking cigarettes - both for the consumer himself and for his fellow human beings.