Tobacco and Tobacco-Free Nicotine Products, etc.

The party programme's commitment to restrictive regulation of alcohol and tobacco supports the implementation of stricter rules for tobacco-free nicotine products. The programme also identifies tobacco companies as a destructive actor to isolate and views healthcare as part of broader public health work. The counter-proposal's requirements for minimum pack size, nicotine cap and sales ban are therefore supported by the plan, even though the exact threshold values are not addressed there.

• restrictive nicotine regulationdecisive»Vi vill se en restriktiv reglering av alkohol och tobak.« (party programme ↗)“We want to see restrictive regulation of alcohol and tobacco.”
• isolate tobacco companies politically»spelar en destruktiv roll, som fossilkapitalet eller tobaksbolagen.« (party programme ↗)“play a destructive role, like fossil capital or tobacco companies.”
• public health before industry interest»Vården behöver ses som en del i det bredare arbetet med folkhälsa.« (party programme ↗)“Healthcare needs to be seen as part of the broader work of public health.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme gives all children the right to a safe upbringing in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and explicitly free from drugs, and holds democratic decisions above market interests. Requirements for minimum package size, caps on nicotine content, and prohibitions on sales are measures that protect young people from nicotine products. The plan does not mention nicotine products, so the assessment is derived and uncertain.

• upbringing free from drugsdecisive»och till en trygg uppväxt fri från droger och våld.« (party programme ↗)“and to a safe upbringing free from drugs and violence.”
• the Convention on the Rights of the Child as foundation»Alla barn ska ha rätt till en trygg uppväxt i enlighet med FN:s barnkonvention.« (party programme ↗)“All children shall have the right to a safe upbringing in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
• democracy before the market»Demokratin har därför företräde före marknaden.« (party programme ↗)“Democracy therefore takes precedence over the market.”

The counter-proposal wants to implement restrictions on nicotine content and package size and prohibit dealing in it now. The plan explicitly wants to counteract dealing in addictive substances and apply the precautionary principle to harmful substances, with special regard to products children use. Tightening the regulations thus follows from the plan's health and children's perspective, even though these specific limit values are not mentioned.

• counteract dealingdecisive»Polisens arbete ska därför fokusera på att motverka försäljning och langning av narkotika.« (party programme ↗)“Police work shall therefore focus on counteracting sales and dealing in drugs.”
• away with harmful substances»fasa ut giftiga ämnen omgående, speciellt från produkter för barn.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“phase out toxic substances immediately, especially from products for children.”
• special protection for children»Barn är särskilt känsliga för många miljögifter, och de produkter och miljöer som barn använder och vistas i måste värnas särskilt.« (party programme ↗)“Children are particularly sensitive to many environmental toxins, and the products and environments that children use and spend time in must be specially protected.”
• precautionary principle»Försiktighetsprincipen måste gälla vid bedömning av kemikalier, eftersom det kan ta tid innan negativa effekter blir tydliga.« (party programme ↗)“The precautionary principle must apply to the assessment of chemicals, since it can take time before negative effects become clear.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan does not address nicotine products, but its core principle is freedom from paternalism and that the individual himself shall be able to take responsibility for his health and lifestyle. The counter-proposal's demands for minimum package size and ceiling for nicotine content are detailed regulation of adults' choices, which the plan argues against. The children's perspective, which the sales prohibition protects, pulls in the opposite direction.

• freedom from paternalismdecisive»vi försvarar alla människors frihet från förmynderi« (party programme ↗)“we defend all people's freedom from paternalism”
• personal responsibility for health»förutsättningar för att individer ska kunna ta ansvar för sitt välbefinnande, sin hälsa och livsstil.« (party programme ↗)“conditions for individuals to be able to take responsibility for their wellbeing, their health and lifestyle.”
• individual self-determination»Centerpartiet kommer alltid att kämpa för ett friare Sverige där människor kan bestämma mer över sina egna liv.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Centerpartiet will always fight for a freer Sweden where people can determine more of their own lives.”
• children's perspective carries weight»Av största betydelse är då barnens rättigheter och perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Of paramount importance is then the rights and perspective of children.”

The party programme establishes that tobacco-prevention work shall be conducted purposefully and that new recruitment shall be kept back, and that special consideration shall be given to children and young people's sensitivity. A distribution ban, a minimum package size, and an upper nicotine limit are measures that precisely keep back new recruitment among young people, in line with the plan's position that debut should be postponed. The plan does not, however, take a stand on the specific threshold values.

• keep back new recruitmentdecisive»Det tobakspreventiva arbetet ska bedrivas målmedvetet och nyrekryteringen hållas tillbaka« (party programme ↗)“Tobacco-prevention work shall be conducted purposefully and new recruitment kept back”
• consideration for children and young people»särskild hänsyn tas till barn och ungas känslighet« (party programme ↗)“special consideration is given to children and young people's sensitivity”
• later debut among young people»ungdomar skjuter upp sin alkoholdebut« (party programme ↗)“young people postpone their alcohol debut”
• knowledge-based public health policy»Folkhälsoarbetet och de förebyggande hälsoinsatserna ska vila på kunskap« (party programme ↗)“Public health work and preventive health measures shall rest on knowledge”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The plan requires age limits for tobacco purchases and restrictive legislation that reduces harms, with preventive measures for children and young people as priority. A ban on sale to minors and limited nicotine content and package size are precisely such measures, and they serve the plan's goal of low total consumption. The plan therefore argues for implementing the proposals now.

• age limits for tobaccodecisive»ungdomar prioriteras. Det ska finnas åldersgränser för« (party programme ↗)“[children and] young people are prioritized. There should be age limits for [tobacco purchases]”
• restrictive legislation»aktiv prispolitik, försäljningsmonopol och en restriktiv lagstiftning, skapas förutsättningar för att minska« (party programme ↗)“active pricing policy, sales monopoly and restrictive legislation, conditions are created to reduce [harms]”
• low total consumption»alkoholskador genom en låg totalkonsumtion.« (party programme ↗)“[alcohol harms through] low total consumption.”
• prevention for children and young people»I det förebyggande arbetet ska insatser för barn och« (party programme ↗)“In the preventive work, measures for children and [young people shall be implemented]”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The counter-proposal wants to implement detailed regulation of products—minimum package size and nicotine content cap—which is wrong in relation to the plan's line of great personal freedom and against nudging in everyday choices, and contrary to the party programme's view that politics lacks the ability to micromanage. The part about banning dealing is closer to the plan, but the plan's answer to youth use is primarily strengthened parental responsibility. Overall, the documents speak against the demand.

• great personal freedomdecisive»I Sverige är friheten stor och ska så förbli.« (party programme ↗)“In Sweden freedom is great and should remain so.”
• no to detailed regulation of everyday choices»Där miljöbovar betalar för sig, men du kan unna dig en plastpåse när du veckohandlar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Where environmental villains pay, but you can treat yourself to a plastic bag when you do your weekly shopping.”
• politics cannot micromanage»att detaljstyra och överpröva en så komplicerad process.« (party programme ↗)“to micromanage and review such a complicated process.”
• parental responsibility first»Betona och förstärka föräldraansvaret« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Emphasize and strengthen parental responsibility”

The election manifesto assumes that the individual themselves should shape their life without public control, and the plan wants rules to be cost-effective and existing rules to be reviewed rather than expanded. Requirements for minimum package size and maximum nicotine content are such detailed control of legal products that the plan does not support. A dealing prohibition is instead close to the plan's action against crime that affects young people, but the counter-proposal as a whole does not carry this.

• individual's free choicedecisive»Varje individ ska stå fri att göra sina egna val och forma sina egna liv, utan att det offentliga ska styra dessa val.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Every individual shall be free to make their own choices and shape their own lives, without the public controlling these choices.”
• cost-effective rules»Nya regler ska vara kostnadseffektiva och befintliga regler behöver ses över.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“New rules shall be cost-effective and existing rules need to be reviewed.”
• do not punish lifestyles»inte genom ett ensidigt fokus på bestraffningar av oönskade levnadssätt hos enskilda« (party programme ↗)“not through a one-sided focus on punishment of undesired lifestyles in individuals”
• protect youth against crime»Krafttag mot den brottslighet som drabbar unga« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Action against the crime that affects young people”