Not to be confused with the dry tobacco product Snuff (tobacco).
Snus (/snuːs/SNOOSS, Swedish:[ˈsnʉːs]ⓘ) is a Swedish tobacco product (in Scandinavia) and non-tobacco nicotine product (outside of Scandinavia; often marketed as nicotine pouches) consumed by placing a pouch of powdered tobacco leaves or powdered non-tobacco plant fibers under the lip for nicotine to be absorbed through the oral mucosa.[1] Whereas the nicotine in tobacco-based snus derives from tobacco leaves, the nicotine in non-tobacco snus can be either naturally or synthetically synthesized.[2][3]
Tobacco-based snus carries many of the same health risks as smoking, although to a considerably lesser degree.[4] Long-term oral tobacco use is correlated with a variety of harmful effects such as oesophagus cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer,[5]cardiovascular disease, stroke[6][7] and adverse reproductive effects including stillbirth, premature birth, and low birth weight.[8] Conversely, non-tobacco based snus, or nicotine pouches, are currently classified as non-carcinogenic.[9][10][11] However, they are still harmful to cardiovascular health due to their nicotine content, and are associated with moderately higher risk of cardivascular disease, stroke, and reproductive harms.[12][13]
The sale of both tobacco based and non-tobacco based snus is illegal in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand and all European Union (EU) countries except for Sweden.[15][16] It is the most common type of tobacco product in Sweden[17] and Norway[18] and is also available in Switzerland. Some European countries, such as the United Kingdom[19] and Estonia,[20] allow the sale of non-tobacco based snus. Snus is also available in the United States.