The new goal for tobacco policy is included in the government's budget proposal, which was presented on Thursday. According to Lisa Klefbom, policy expert at the Cancer Foundation, the shift implies a radical change.
For several decades, the tobacco prevention work has been about reducing tobacco use, and that is now gone, she says.
The policy we have had is a policy that has served us well and been successful in Sweden when it comes to preventing tobacco use. And that is what is being changed now.
"Harmful health effects"
Klefbom thinks that the decision goes against the EU's plan to combat cancer, which includes a tobacco-free Europe. It also goes against how to work with the issue according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) tobacco convention, which Sweden has signed, she claims.
Tobacco and nicotine are products that we know have harmful health effects, which we know affect children and young people greatly, and we are now seeing an increased use of tobacco and nicotine products among the very youngest, among children, says Lisa Klefbom.
With this reversal, we naturally see a concern about what it will lead to in terms of development going forward.
Forssmed: New goal important
Social Minister Jakob Forssmed (KD) thinks that the change is important:
"The previous goal only covered tobacco use and thereby excluded nicotine products, where we see an increase among young people. 13 percent of ninth-graders and 24 percent of high school students have used snus in the past 30 days, according to CAN", says Forssmed in a written statement to TT.
"These are very alarming figures. Therefore, it is important that we now have a new goal in place that takes into account how the development looks and focuses on reducing harm. The Riksdag has announced that the goal should be changed in this direction, and now we are delivering on that."
