Arvamuse edastamine

Dokumendiregister	Justiits- ja Digiministeerium
Viit	8-1/5425-14
Registreeritud	27.07.2026
Sünkroonitud	28.07.2026
Liik	Sissetulev kiri
Funktsioon	8 Eelnõude menetlemine
Sari	8-1 Justiits- ja Digiministeeriumis väljatöötatud õigusaktide eelnõud koos seletuskirjadega(Arhiiviväärtuslik)
Toimik	8-1/2026
Juurdepääsupiirang	Avalik
Adressaat	CCO
Saabumis/saatmisviis	CCO
Vastutaja	36907270213
Originaal	Ava uues aknas
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Dear Estonian Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Social Affairs,

My name is Beatriz Santos and I am writing to you as the Chief Communications Officer (CCO) of the We Are Innovation global network. Our network has taken over extensive research on Innovative Nicotine Products (INPs) in the recent years and we would like to provide some feedbackP on Estonia’s Draft Amendments to the Tobacco Act.

We consider that the proposals included in this draft do not pose as effective measures to help citizens quit smoking and pave the way towards a smoke-free status.

Examples coming from fellow European nations show that innovation-oriented regulatory approaches tend to be more successful that prohibitionism when the issue is nicotine.

Sweden has become Europe's first smoke-free nation, with smoking rates falling to just 5.4% amongst the general population and only 4.5% amongst Swedish-borns. This was achieved through the so-called "Triple A approach", which focuses on granting smokers the accessibility, acceptability and affordability of INPs. The health benefits are observable: Sweden reports 21.2% fewer smoking-related deaths, 31.3% fewer cancer deaths overall, and 36% fewer lung cancer deaths specifically. Nicotine pouches, in particular, have been having a very significant impact in helping Swedish women quit smoking. Over 50% of Swedish female ex-smokers claim pouches are their preferred INP.
Czechia has recorded Europe's fastest decline in smoking, reducing its smoking prevalence from 30% to 23% in just three years. This progress followed the implementation of a comprehensive national harm reduction strategy that coordinated action across government ministries and differentiated taxation according to the relative harmfulness of nicotine products, encouraging smokers to transition away from cigarettes.
Greece has also demonstrated the potential of evidence-based harm reduction policies, reducing its number of smokers by 14% between 2020 and 2023 after years of stagnant smoking rates. The country shifted from prohibitionist policies to a regulatory framework that allows innovative nicotine products, recognizes their lower risk compared to cigarettes, and applies taxation based on relative harm. This policy change has contributed to a substantial reduction in smoking prevalence.

Meanwhile, Estonia has experienced a 40% increase in smoking rates between 2020 and 2024, after implementing more restrictive policies on INPs: including a ban on vape flavors beyond tobacco and menthol, and severely limiting the acceptability of vaping as an alternative to smoking.

According to the Path to Smoke-Free platform, if Estonia keeps on relying on prohibitions and restrictions regarding nicotine, it will only achieve a smoke-free status by 2115. However, if it adopts an approach closer to Sweden's, the process can be accelerated in 60 years, down to 2055. Given the fact that around 1346 people die in Estonia each either due to smoking (Tobacco Atlas), this can mean saving around 80 760 lives.

Moreover, there are health, economic and environmental arguments to regulate pouches:

Nicotine pouches as a lower-risk alternative to cigarettes. Expanding access to non-combustible nicotine products could encourage smokers to switch away from cigarettes and, over time, quit nicotine altogether.
Unlike cigarettes, nicotine pouches do not involve tobacco combustion, which is the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. Studies have found that they contain significantly fewer harmful and potentially harmful constituents than cigarettes and present a substantially lower overall risk profile. Their slower nicotine delivery may also help reduce dependence compared to smoking.
Regulating nicotine pouches could also generate economic benefits. They are inexpensive to manufacture and distribute, requiring no cold-chain logistics, electricity, or specialized retail infrastructure. They could also contribute to lower long-term healthcare costs by reducing the burden of smoking-related diseases.
From an environmental perspective, nicotine pouches produce no cigarette butts, ash, or smoke-related waste and avoid the battery and electronic waste associated with some other smoke-free products.
They are also discreet, odorless, and do not expose others to secondhand smoke, improving the experience of both users and those around them.

We respectfully encourage the Estonian Government to consider these international experiences and the growing body of scientific evidence when finalizing the proposed amendments to the Tobacco Act. Protecting young people from nicotine initiation must remain a priority, and robust safeguards to prevent youth access should go hand in hand with policies that provide adult smokers with access to lower-risk alternatives. By adopting a proportionate, evidence-based regulatory framework that balances these objectives, Estonia has the opportunity to accelerate progress towards a smoke-free future while improving public health outcomes. We remain at your disposal should you wish to discuss these findings further or receive additional research and data.

Further information at:

Best regards,

Beatriz Santos

CCO

We Are Innovation

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