To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2021 to Question 72543, on Oral Tobacco, what the serious adverse health outcomes caused by snus are; and how those risks compare with the risks associated with smoking.
Answered on
15 December 2021
Oral tobacco, including snus, is banned in the United Kingdom under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. There is evidence that oral tobacco products can contain carcinogenic substances which increases the risk of adverse health effects. This includes an increased risk of oesophageal and pancreatic cancer, high blood pressure, increased mortality in the aftermath of a heart attack or stroke and type 2 diabetes. While the risks of adverse health outcomes caused by snus are far lower than smoking, it remains the Government’s policy to help people to quit all forms of tobacco use.