Two Chew bag products banned in Bavaria - new tobacco regulation hinders harm reductive alternatives
The popularity of chew bags among EU-snusers might just have taken a major step in the wrong direction for harm reduced alternatives to smoking. The Bavarian court in Germany recently decided to ban all further distribution of chew bags as they now are classified as snus.
The decision will utmost affect Germany but could potentially affect the rest of Europe if the court order is seen as presedential guidance.
Expected decision on chew bags
This means that chew bags which has similarities to Swedish snus could be classified as the same product even though they’re very different. Chew bags use long-cut tobacco and are meant to be chewed on before it's placed under the lip for the tobacco to release its nicotine content. Snus uses ground cut tobacco which is designed to release the nicotine contents without the need to chew prior to use.
For more knowledge - read our article on Chew bags - deep dive into tobacco pouches