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Question: Carissa, what is your favourite piece of THR news from 2023?
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Carissa Düring: I think the most interesting news in 2023 is that nicotine pouches became legal in Finland and on the market. So that will really combat their issues with the black market, with nicotine pouches and snus. And it will benefit the population, their health and their smoking rates. So I'm really looking forward to see how it develops there.
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Question: What are you hopes and wishes for 2024?
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Carissa Düring: Well, I wish for 2024, I wish that the EU will not ban nicotine pouches. There is a risk, but I hope that they will look at the evidence and look to Sweden and what we've done here and realize the potential it has to save lives. And I mean, a ban would be detrimental not only for the whole European Union, but Sweden in particular. And women and the younger generation here who has turned to it as their main alternative. So that is really what I wish for in 2024.
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Question: Stefan. what has been the most exciting THR news in Europe in 2023?
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Stefan Mathisson: In Europe, most exciting thing I think in Europe has been all the activity from from both activists and companies and politicians when it comes to tobacco harm reduction. I'd say we've seen a great deal of campaigning and people speaking out, I think, on the issue. I think overall that's the most important thing that's actually been different from earlier years, I'd say. So that's what the advocacy side.
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Question: What are you hoping will change in Sweden in 2024?
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Stefan Mathisson: In my country, I want everything to continue as it has. We have been on a good track here in Sweden when it comes to talking about harm reduction and tobacco harm reduction in particular. but also in the sphere of other drugs. I would like to see harm reduction on a bigger scale being discussed in Sweden. Not just harm reduction when it comes to drug use in general, but tobacco harm reduction as well. We have the knowledge here to actually have opinions on how tobacco harm reduction works in practice. And since we have a discussion on harm reduction concerning other drugs going on right now, I would like to see those two fields merge for once. That would be a great thing. I would like to see that and... in the context of legislation, of course, to have more robust policies on tobacco harm reduction in Sweden. We're getting there. There's a lot of opposition to having it as a policy, but we need it as a policy. Yeah.