Europeans Has anyone else heard............

[uk.user]

I know what you are saying not rock the boat .....in your view and only your view
But it needs to hightlight now so we don`t pay extreme taxation.....only the same tax as the other users of tobbacco products.....as they say I Hear What you saying .....but have to disagree.
Your on a forum for Snus but not willing to fight its corner
May be this why the Ban has been so long in being lifted......such persons not being willing to speak up

[adm]

I don't think the reason is people not speaking up. I think it's down to a dumb EU that's influenced by "Big Tobacco" and the anti smoking lobby. Given the UK government's current absurd stance on drugs, it's most unlikely that even if snus was legalised it would be done sensibly.

I'm personally doing my bit to spread the snus cause! I've "turned on" a half dozen or so of my friends and acquaintances in the last couple of months.

I don't subscribe to the "don't rock the boat" principle either - if I thought I could make a difference and get snus legalised sensibly and reasonably, then I'd be all for it, but right now I think the UK government would just do its' usual panicked headless chicken thing and implement snus legalisation in about the worst way possible - as a dangerous drug rather than a harm reduction product.

Also - UK tobacco tax is somewhere around 77% at the moment......and I'd rather not pay that as I'm quite pleased my snus habit is significantly cheaper than my old smoking habit was.

Mind you, if it does get legalised, it might get stocked in all the airports and I'd be able to buy it duty free, which is how I used to buy my cigarette baccy.

Hey - I'm all for legalisation, but being a cynic at heart, I know that if it does happen, the UK users will get screwed over.

[uk.user]

On your explaination.....
I can understand you still smoke.....as the freedom of choice is being curtailled by this ban .......as for your sitting back ....as to thinking your views don`t count .
Maybe it would be proactive to start.....to Question.....the ban.....by contacting your Policy makers e.g those M.P`s and M.E.P`s......and bringing to a head .......the fact of the ban.....as maybe they don`t know of it .......and its unequalitys.
Then Maybe and Maybe only this could be resolved.......

[adm]

Ah.... I don't smoke any more....haven't felt the need for a cig at all since I started snussing! And I do believe that this harm reduction option should be available to all smokers - especially as the government is so rabid about getting people to stop smoking.

Hey - I've got an idea....maybe we should campaign to have snus legalised and taxed at the same rate as nicotine gum! Although.... I don't know how it's taxed at the moment, and it seems to be more expensive than cigarettes.....

Anyway. In my mouth now: Kardus 2009. Yum.

[Guest]

UK tobacco tax is somewhere around 77% at the moment......

This is my worry too :/ Aren't a pack of 20 Marlboros about £5.50 now? Probably even more since I stopped smoking a few years back?

Also IMO I don't know if I could see it being legalised here as we seem to have rather a 'nanny state' culture at the moment that has pretty much made leapers of any smokers and are now issuing goverment health warnings on alcohol telling you to only drink 1 1/2 pints of regular strength lager (4%) a day max (or equivalent)

I do see where you're coming from on the 'free movement across EU borders' aspect though but personally I'm just not sure if it would happen and/or whether it would be finacially advantageous to us. As the previous poster mentioned if they did leaglise it here and it was more expensive than in Sweden here they would almost certainly ban it's import along with cigarettes to make sure they collected the taxes locally.

The NHS could surely save lives though getting die hard smokers off cigarettes onto snus. I guess that goes into the politics arena though.

[uk.user]

Can i Suggest the root i`ve taken by contacting M.P`s ,M.E.P`s.....and highlighting the problem....the ban imposes.
I too feel strongly......that there is benefits to using snus for health reasons compared to smoking, i try to inform people to its fact and existence(not always with success......as how do you inform people to a better way when it is banned).
That is why we should try to get the ban lifted.....by means of voicing our disatufaction of the ban.......as you have said without being slated in the pocket....and making sure we arn`t stitched.

Have you seen the Wikipedia page on Snus .......it was unbias.....but now since someone in their good nature(polite there) has edited....its become wholly bias.......this what we are up against on this forum and in general....if the ban was lifted in Europe .....then it would get rid of the Misrepetition of this product we use

[Mordred]

I downright deleted the list of carcinogens from the wiki and was pretty close to deleting the whole "debate" section.

But seriously, "Snus may contain these carcinogens", some of which aren't carcinogens in the first place, such as nicotine. Wow. That's like saying it may rain tomorrow. The level of stupidity of these people. I mean, it's a fricking encyclopedia and they go there and add shit like that, with no citation, nothing.

I think we need a concerted effort to keep the wiki article clean and objective.

To the OP, wait, do you expect the EU to do anything reasonable? Really?

The European Union got started when a couple of countries thought "Hey, we're buying iron ore from you and you're buying the fuel to melt it from us, yet we're taxing each other, that makes no sense" and decided to create the beginnings of a free market. It was all benefits back then.

Fast-forward 50 years and look at the impossible mess we have today. Which member state really benefits from the EU being in place? Try none. It's become a ridiculously expensive amalgamate of the worst politicians that their respective countries wanted to get rid of.

Screw the EU. If I want bad politicians making stupid choices, at least let me vote for them, like I can in the national elections. For the EU, the candidates on the list are usually the top guns, but those never go there, they stay national and send the morons to the European parliament.

And yeah, I'm ranting. Sorry.

[chossy]

I haven´t heard anything, then again I don´t listen too much either.

Lidl sells snus in Sweden just like any other grocery store does, they dont have too much of brand selection though.

The price of cigarettes are mostly fixed and cost the same everywhere, currently the prices are:

39 SEK for non premium brands like Level, Corner, L&M
47.50 SEK for Marlboro etc.

Snus, if you buy it in the cheapest places:

Kronan portion 192 SEK per roll
Lucky strike 280 SEK per roll
Knox portion about 170 SEK per roll
General lös 340 SEK per roll

[Estonia]

People here sell snus for like $60+ for roll (illegal dealers).
I'd rather haved legal and taxed stuff. Don't think it would be more expensive than it is right now.

[Mazur]

People here sell snus for like $60+ for roll (illegal dealers).

Is this stuff from Stockholm or from Sankt Peterburg?

[adm]

Yeah.....why bother with actually saving lives when you can do loads of political posturing and still rake in the tax money eh?

I'm sick of living here at the moment. Too many bullshit lies. Especially when the Chief Medical Officer comes clean about pot being relatively harmless, yet the government ignores his advice and reclassify it as a harder drug.....yet do nothing about cigarettes and alcohol.

So much hypocrisy and so few bullets.....no wonder we're not allowed to own shoulder launched anti-armour missiles anymore.

[Estonia]

People here sell snus for like $60+ for roll (illegal dealers).

Is this stuff from Stockholm or from Sankt Peterburg?

From Stockholm/Sweden or just on the ships that sail (they sell tax-free).
In Russia snus isn't really popular, so not that big choice of snus there.