The Hungarian Government issued a statement on its anti-smoking measures, dismissing the significant harm reduction benefits of vaping and other smokeless alternatives. This stance not only denies globally accepted scientific consensus but also appears to deliberately undermine the proven success of countries like Sweden in their harm reduction initiatives, according to the World Vapers’ Alliance.

Michael Landl, Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance, stated: “It’s deeply concerning that the Hungarian Government chooses to sidestep the vast body of scientific evidence supporting vaping as a viable harm-reduction tool. Their attempt to marginalise the success of the Swedish model is a regressive move and not befitting of a government that should prioritise public health”.

The World Vapers’ Alliance points out that Sweden has the lowest smoking rate in the EU and is the only country on track to achieve the European Union’s smoke-free goal. Notably, Sweden’s smoking rate has plummeted by 55% over the last ten years.

The Swedish success story contrasts strongly with that of the rest of Europe with the average smoking rate across the rest of the European Union being more than 3.5 times higher. In turn, the success at combatting smoking has led to a huge reduction in smoking-related deaths, now being 22% lower in Sweden than the EU average.

This has been due to Sweden embracing tobacco harm reduction. So, while Swedish nicotine consumption is similar to most other EU countries, the cancer incidence is 41% lower than in the rest of Europe, with total cancer deaths being 38% lower.

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