"SNUS" NEEDS FURTHER RESEARCH

1.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 10th Oct 2007

Some smokeless tobacco, such as Swedish 'snus', may lead to reduced cancer mortality rates if used as a replacement for cigarettes and therefore merits further research and a fair assessment of its possible benefits, despite a ban in most European countries, according to Liz Lynne MEP (UK,ALDE)

Liz today hosted a meeting of the European's Parliament's MEP's Against Cancer Intergroup to investigate and take evidence from experts on the risks of certain types of smokeless tobacco.

The meeting came as the European Commission's Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) evaluates the health effects of smokeless tobacco products such as snus, which is sold loose or in small pouches and placed under the upper lip.

Under the EC Tobacco Products Directive (2001/37/EC) the marketing of oral tobacco is banned in all EU-countries except Sweden, where it is widely used. Its use is also popular in Denmark and non-EU member Norway.

Speaking after the meeting, Liz Lynne said:

"We need more research in order to better understand the possible risks and benefits of the use of snus and my hope is that today's meeting went some way to help to inform MEPs of the current medical arguments.

"No-one is saying that snus is in any way good for you, it may cause a variety of cancers, but it is suspected that Sweden's low cancer mortality rate may be connected to its use, as people make the switch from cigarettes.

"While some undoubtedly think that all tobacco use should be banned, many anti - smoking campaigners have argued that if smokeless tobacco significantly reduces the health risks for users and those around them, as there is no passive smoke, then perhaps we should look again at snus as part of a harm reduction strategy."

ENDS

Note to editors

Photo captions:

1) Liz Lynne MEP (c) with Lourdes Chamorro (far left, European Commission); Dr. Olof Nyrén, (centre left, Professor of Epidemiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm); Karl Fagerstrom (centre right, Director of the Smokers' Information Centre, Helsingborg); Adamos Adamou MEP (far right, Cyprus)

2) Liz Lynne MEP (r) at the meeting on Tobacco Control and the use of Snus

Liz Lynne MEP is founder and co-chair of the European Parliament's MEP's Against Cancer group. For further information on the European Commission's investigation into smokeless tobacco please see:

http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/04_scenihr/docs/scenihr_o_009.pdf

Last week, in a report by the Royal College of Physicians on how oral forms of nicotine might help to wean the most addicted smokers off cigarettes, snus was singled out as a potentially useful cessation aid.

http://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/news/statements/faq_hrna.htm