The rapid increase of nicotine products calls for stricter regulation and more effective prevention

“The rapid increase in the use of nicotine products requires political decisions that respond to changes in the market. Proactive regulation of new products is necessary to prevent the initiation of use and health harms, and to achieve the objectives of the legislation”, says Senior Specialist Otto Ruokolainen from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

Legislation, health communication and changing attitudes have significantly reduced smoking. Nevertheless, in 2024, nine percent of Finnish women and 11 percent of men aged 20–64 still smoked daily. New products, such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, have introduced new challenges.

The Tobacco Act entered into force in the late 1970s and has been amended several times since. In the 1990s, smoking in workplaces was prohibited, in the 2000s smoking in restaurants was banned, in 2012 a display ban on tobacco products entered into force, and in 2020 the sale of menthol cigarettes was prohibited. Tobacco tax has been increased regularly since 2009. Plain packaging was introduced for tobacco products and e-cigarettes in 2023.

The use of new nicotine products can increase rapidly, especially among young people. This was seen, for example, when disposable vape devices similar to e-cigarettes became more widely available to young people in the early 2020s, particularly through social media. The use of e-cigarettes causes nicotine dependence and impairs normal lung function. Among young people, use increases the risk of later transitioning to cigarettes.

A change in the interpretation of regulations concerning nicotine pouches in 2023, in turn, led to an uncontrolled liberalisation of sales, after which use has multiplied among both young people and adults.

"Experimentation with and initiation of tobacco and nicotine products mainly take place by the age of 20. Young people need information about the harms of tobacco and nicotine products and the development of dependence. In addition, it is important to highlight the actions of the tobacco and nicotine industry that promote sales and slow down effective legislation", says Senior Specialist Hanna Ollila from THL.

"The significantly increased use of new products is explained not only by their availability but also by their attractiveness and dependence-enhancing characteristics. New devices, flavour ranges and colourful packaging appeal to young people. At the same time, additives that enhance nicotine absorption, such as menthol, increase the risk of dependence."

The international World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) also obliges Finland to take effective measures to prevent and reduce tobacco consumption, exposure to tobacco smoke and nicotine dependence. WHO FCTC further obliges the protection of health policy from the influence of the tobacco industry and other actors promoting its interests.

Quitting use is reflected in societal savings

The costs caused by smoking are significant: direct and indirect healthcare expenditures in Finland are estimated at approximately EUR 1.3 billion per year. New nicotine products are not yet reflected in these estimates.

"The wide availability of tobacco and nicotine products makes it more difficult to achieve the objective of the Tobacco Act, according to which less than five per cent of adult population in Finland would use tobacco and nicotine products daily by 2030. In recent years, development has moved in a worrying direction in terms of this objective", notes Ruokolainen.

In addition to the objective of Finland’s national legislation, one of the goals of the EU’s cancer plan is also to significantly reduce the use of tobacco products. The aim of the programme is a tobacco-free generation, meaning that less than 5 percent of the population will use tobacco products by 2040. The objective has recently been confirmed in the EU’s Safe Hearts Plan.

Strengthening cessation services in social and healthcare services would have positive effects on both public health and the economy. If smoking were reduced in line with the objective of the Tobacco Act to below five per cent in 2030, more than 1,100 new cases of lung cancer, more than 6,000 new cases of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and nearly 3,000 new cases of coronary heart disease would be avoided over the next 10 years in Finland compared with a situation in which the current trend in smoking continues.

Regulation and prevention must be strengthened

A legislative amendment that entered into force in August 2025 restricts the flavourings permitted in nicotine pouches, bans the distance sale of nicotine pouches and requires plain packaging for the products after a transition period. In addition, possession of tobacco substitutes, such as vapes, was prohibited for under-18-year-olds, which provides better opportunities to intervene in their use in schools and educational institutions.

The most popular flavourings, such as menthol and mint, however, remain permitted in nicotine pouches. The maximum nicotine limit for nicotine pouches of 16.6 milligrams per gram is high in international comparison. In many other countries, the limit is clearly lower, for example four milligrams, or the sale of nicotine pouches is altogether prohibited.

The quantitative limits for legal traveller imports – for both nicotine pouches and snus – are also exceptionally high in Finland, which weakens the effects of the Tobacco Act and national tobacco taxation.

Key further measures to achieve the objective of the Tobacco Act include raising the age limit for the sale of all tobacco and nicotine products to 20 years, reducing the nicotine limit in nicotine pouches, and banning all flavourings in them. Regular tax increases on all tobacco and nicotine products reduce demand and use.

Smoke-free housing should be strengthened. A systematic and gradual reduction in the number of sales points, including by increasing supervisory fees, would also support the prevention of initiation and success in quitting use.

"Overall, the rapid increase of nicotine products requires political decisions that respond to changes in the market. Proactive regulation of new products is essential to prevent initiation of use and health consequences, and to achieve the objectives of the legislation", says Ollila.