SMOKELESS TOBACCO

Early day motion 439, tabled 28 June 2005 by Paul Flynn (Labour). Signed by 14 members.

That this House welcomes the remarkable reduction of cancer deaths in Sweden following the drop in smoking by Swedish males from 36 per cent. of the population in 1980 to 17 per cent. now; notes that smokeless tobacco is used by half of Sweden's male tobacco users but is rare among women, resulting in cancer male deaths that are half the European average while female cancer deaths are almost exactly the European average; notes that smokeless tobacco is used as an aid by a third of Swedes who quit smoking; is convinced by the research that smoking reduces life expectancy for a 35 year old smoker by eight years compared with a reduction of a mere 15 days by smokeless tobacco; is persuaded by the Royal College of Physicians' view that smokeless tobacco can be up to 1,000 times less hazardous than smoking tobacco; and believes that the UK ban on the use of Snus moist snuff should be removed so that its health advantages can be shared by British nicotine addicts.

Signatures by party: Labour 10, DUP 2, Conservative 1, Liberal Democrat 1.