No More EU To EU Snus Sales! (EU Members Please Read!)

[Premium Parrots]

Isent she a bit FAT?

yea a tad. but I've been ****ing the same skinny wife for 33 years. That gal looks pretty inviting to me about now.

hell Chads even looks good about now.





not

[CreteCoater]

I like a little meat on the bones

[Darwin]

A woman like that appearing in Flyover Country would precipitate an anti-anorexia intervention.

[Snusdog]

A woman like that appearing in Flyover Country would precipitate an anti-anorexia intervention.

Brilliant!!!

Here in SC ..........................she would just get her ass checked out when she walked by


The only ensuing intervention...............would involve a fleshlight.....................and a decent memory

[Snusdog]

if I could read japanese.....I'd order me a shit load of radio active snus: http://www.rakuten.co.jp/snus/

There fixed that for ya

[Kutzi]

Anyone ordered from odenssnus.com yet, or are we still waiting for credit cards to be accepted? I know I am.

Im waiting, too, don't want to try that wire transfer... always feels strange and risky to me with all those endless long numbers and codes when doing an international money transfer. (Or is wiretransfer automated? anyway, i trust my CC more)

*Rations last can to last for weekend + ??? days*

[Jan]

There fixed that for ya

yup. Fukushima Extra Strong Cesium flavoured.

No, seriously speaking it is amazing to see snus being sold as far as Japan.

[Snusdog]

Just got a response from Swedish Match, which does preplex me a bit.

Dear Mr ****,

To Swedish Match’s knowledge a number of internet retailers have recently chosen to review their Internet sales of snus to countries within the European union. This is in turn a consequence of the export ban of Swedish snus as stipulated in the Tobacco Directive 2001/37/EG.

Swedish Match does not offer any Internet retailing, does not condole unlawful commercial distance retailing and can only state that the current development is an unfortunate result of EU legislation that raises understandable questions amongst snus users living outside Sweden. It is not up to manufacturers of Swedish snus such as Swedish Match to question or challenge the current Internet restrictions or other legislative measures currently being reviewed by the Commission pending the new Tobacco Directive currently being drafted.

Best regards,

Johan Wredberg

Here is what I think is happening in the EU


SM's letter is truly fascinating as much for what it does not say as for what it says. There are all types of gaping holes here. For example, Johan writes

a number of internet retailers have recently chosen to review their Internet sales………. stipulated in the Tobacco Directive 2001

It is utterly incredible that a number of unconnected merchants spread over the better part of western Europe one day, all at once, without prior correspondence, decided they would review a 10 year old law and put themselves out of business.

In another example Johan writes:

It is not up to manufacturers of Swedish snus such as Swedish Match to question or challenge the current Internet restrictions or other legislative measures

First, hell yes it is up to those who make their living in a field to question, lobby, and legally challenge any law that directly and adversely effects their field. Second, what current legislation? Between this week and last week there has been no new law or reversal of old law that would alter the legality of snus sales in the EU. And yet SM is acting as if there has been.

Johan continues,

or other legislative measures currently being reviewed by the Commission pending the new Tobacco Directive currently being drafted.

I find this explanation utterly fascinating. The new law has not even been drafted, no one even knows what it is or what its final form will be. Various options are under review and pending…………..and yet SM has decided to act as if a law that is not even written has been passed and set in stone.

Now all this would be baffling to the point of insidious except for one thing, the one thing we know for certain has happened. There was a court case in Finland.

And here is how I think that court case fills in the glaring gaps in SM’s letter and makes it less fantastical.

I speculate that as a part of their case, the anti tobacco group in Finland presented a reading of the current EU snus law that had not hitherto been considered or challenged. Regardless of the details of that reading the end result was it claimed that the current EU laws made internet sales of snus illegal within a defined parameter (something like any internet site selling snus to a country is defined by law as operating in that country…………….and thus no different than a bricks and mortar shop actually located in that country……………thus in countries where it is illegal to sell snus it is illegal for internet sites to sell/ship snus……….However, a manufacturer …………….like GN............. is specifically designated to the country of production…………..to the end that GN is not legally defined as operating in any other country but the one where it produces its product...........Therefore GN can sell over the internet while Northerner cannot).

That is the case that was presented in Finland (it was intentionally presented first in Finland because of their strident stand against snus). And the Judge upheld their reading of EU law. They now have a reading that has been upheld by a member court. There is now precedence.

That was step one.

Step two comes when SM gets wind that this anti-tobacco group is planning to prosecute its case in other EU nations against other distributors. Finland was not an isolated gripe. It was an intentional, strategic, first step in an all too familiar tobacco campaign.

This campaign now carries the weight of a reading of EU law that has already been upheld by one member court and it has this ruling on the eve of new tobacco regulations.

The objective of the campaign is to get a majority of member courts to uphold this reading.

The purpose of this campaign is to one court at a time by default define the new EU tobacco policy by proving snus IS ALREADY and HAS ALWAYS BEEN illegal in the EU

SM sends out the warning and all sales by internet sites stop.

[chadizzy1]

hell Chads even looks good about now.

awww shucks

[precious007]

Isent she a bit FAT?

fat?

she's gorgeous!

:^)

[chossy]

[B][SIZE=3]

That is the case that was presented in Finland (it was intentionally presented first in Finland because of their strident stand against snus). And the Judge upheld their reading of EU law. They now have a reading that has been upheld by a member court. There is now precedence.

Is this comparable to the cannabis laws of The Netherlands vs. EU?

Cannabis sales, purchase and possession are legal in certain amounts. But I´m pretty sure a webshop selling from Holland to EU members would be illegal?

So is the ruling in Finland wrong judicially?

Actually it´s an interesting topic.

Thanks Dog

[khalid]

I remember reading in the briefing documents circulated prior to the consultation, that the big concerns around internet sales were, selling to minors and that warning labels would not be in the language of the country being sold to.

As possession of snus is not illegal in the EU, so far as I can gather, the comparison with internet cannabis sales is missleading. The swedes are specifically prohibited from exporting Snus to the E.U, this is the issue. They have been doing so unchallenged and unlawfully and this has been called by the Fins.

It is of interest that this should be happening at a time that the EU is considering relaxing the ban on snus.

[chossy]

It is of interest that this should be happening at a time that the EU is considering relaxing the ban on snus.

Thanks Khalid, however relaxing the snus ban I´d take with a fistful of salt, remember how small and insignificant Sweden is in this nightmare bureaucracy we call EU.

Even if they would discuss it, it would take years.

[muddyfunkstar]

I get the feeling SM's main worry is that the EU may overturn the ruling that snus is legal in Sweden. That would explain them being uber-cautious and not wanting to rock the boat.

[chossy]

I get the feeling SM's main worry is that the EU may overturn the ruling that snus is legal in Sweden. That would explain them being uber-cautious and not wanting to rock the boat.

That will never happen