In the global battle against smoking, Sweden stands poised to achieve a historic milestone as the first nation to reach the World Health Organization's "smoke-free" threshold. With nearly half of its male population once regular smokers, Sweden's remarkable transformation is now inspiring a worldwide movement through initiatives like Quit Like Sweden (QLS).  Through the use of conventional preventative and cessation techniques along with the provision of easily accessible, socially acceptable, and reasonably priced alternatives to smoking, Quit Like Sweden seeks to inspire other nations to emulate the Swedish Experience.

The Current Headline ~ I Quit Like Sweden (QLS), which was introduced at a conference in Brasilia with politicians, medical experts, and policymakers, aims to inspire and assist nations across the world to follow Sweden's lead. Sweden is expected to become the first country in the world to achieve official "smoke-free" status later this year." Sweden has achieved this remarkable feat by ensuring that safer alternatives to smoking are accessible, acceptable, and affordable," said Suely Castro, creator of QLS and a harm reduction campaigner originally from Brazil. By enabling its smokers to convert to goods that provide only a fraction of the hazards, such as snus [traditional smokeless tobacco] and other smoke-free options like vapes and nicotine pouches, a nation where 49% of males used to smoke regularly has nearly eradicated this scourge. Compared to their European counterparts, Swedes have far lower rates of cancer incidence and mortality, therefore they are benefiting from improved health. Now Quit Like Sweden will spread this word around the world, utilizing knowledge and encouraging cooperation amongst interested parties to assist nations in duplicating the Swedish Experience.

Methodology: Combination of Tobacco Control With Harm Minimization ~


A Very Powerful Initiative Towards Tobacco-Free Surrounding ~ 
(Source: Google Images) 

The Swedish model combines recommendations in the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC), including reducing the supply and demand of tobacco and banning smoking in certain places, but it adds an important element: accepting that smoke-free products – such as vapes and oral pouches – are less harmful alternatives to traditional cigarettes. “For adult smokers, switching to non-combustible alternatives is highly recommended,” said AHRA president Dr. Kgosi Letlape. “Where governments have allowed these alternatives into their environment, the use of combustibles has come down and health benefits have been derived.
“What should not be allowed is for people to continue lying that non-combustibles have no health benefits for adult smokers.”

Certain Statistics Signifies Public Health Benefits for Individuals and Society ~ “Some people do need the kick that nicotine gives. Harm reduction products are giving that without the danger to their health.” The benefits of Sweden’s strategy are remarkable. The country’s smoking rates just 15 years ago were more than 150% higher than they are today. It now has the lowest percentage of tobacco-related diseases in the EU and a 41% lower incidence of cancer than other European countries. 

A Few of the Statistical Report’s Findings and Recommendations for Use in Additional Nations ~ Acknowledge that using smoke-free goods is far less dangerous than smoking. Urge smokers to replace their smokes with less dangerous options. Give information based on facts. Tobacco goods don't come without any risks. For instance, e-cigarettes are 95% less dangerous than traditional cigarettes. A smoker should convert from traditional cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, notwithstanding the risks involved. Create regulations that will facilitate the availability of smokeless substitutes for cigarettes. For instance, differentiating tariffs incentivize smokers to convert from cigarettes to less dangerous options.

Conclusion Regarding India's Future Prospects ~

• Approximately one-third of the 267 million tobacco consumers in India are smokers. The other two-thirds use products made of smokeless tobacco, which is significantly more harmful than snus. The WHO has been recommending new, significantly less harmful tobacco and nicotine alternatives that don't burn tobacco in the same way that they did for snus twenty years ago. The WHO recommends that governments prohibit, regulate, and tax all tobacco products equally, based on the same health hazards, in the materials prepared for the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
• This is true even though scientists agree that burning tobacco causes most of the negative effects of smoking—not the tobacco or nicotine itself. In essence, they're telling smokers who refuse to give up that it would be better for them to keep smoking. Thanks to smokers having an alternative to cigarettes, smoking rates have dropped outside Sweden, setting new records in this regard. Unprecedented drops in smoking rates have been observed in Norway, the UK, New Zealand, and Japan as safer substitutes for dangerous cigarettes have replaced them. The WHO only has to follow research when it comes to smoking; there's no need to reinvent the wheel. Users of tobacco products have a right to enhance their health by having access to nicotine-supplying choices with far lower health risks.