Although snus cannot really be classified as a drug, there are many countries in Europe where snus is illegal. For example, snus is banned in almost the entire EU. Let`s start with the question everyone is asking: why isn`t it legal to buy/sell snus in the EU? What are the real reasons for the ban on “snus” in the EU? OK, so snus is illegal in Germany. But aren`t other European countries also at risk of a rude awakening? It is sometimes confused with snuff, which is legal. Although snus carries health risks and can also lead to nicotine addiction, it reduces the risk of lung disease. Fortunately, there is an alternative to buy snus legally in Holland. It is by choosing snus that contains no tobacco at all. Why is snus prohibited? And is it still possible to buy snus legally in Dte? Pöschl Tabak, founded in 1902 in Landshut, claims to be the largest snuff manufacturer in the world. Globally, the market share is expected to be around 50% and in Germany around 92%. The company`s well-known products are Gletscherprise, Löwenprise, Johnny Snuff (Austria), FC Bayern Snuff, Andechs Snuff, Mac Craig Snuff – Royal, Glück Auf Prise, Jubiläumsprise (both only available regionally) and Gawith Apricot Snuff, which is produced under license from Gawith Hoggarth Ltd. In addition, four varieties of Schmalzler are produced and distributed: Schmalzler A, Schmalzler D (formerly “Doppelaroma”), Schmalzler SF (formerly “Südfrucht”) and Perlesreuter Waldler Fresco, originally produced by Grafenauer Bogenstätter.

From a prevention point of view, it is recommended to treat these products in the same way as tobacco products. The advice centers and advice to stop consumption are also the same. Cf. prevention cigarettes et cie. Leonard Dingler is a South Africa-based manufacturer that is mainly used in the domestic market. In foreign markets, the Magnet Menthol Snuff brand is mainly known, although Dingler also offers tobaccos that are reminiscent of Bavarian lard by their naturalness. Tobaccos are available in their own tightly closed plastic boxes and are usually coarse and moist. Dingler tobaccos have the reputation of being the strongest tobacco in nicotine and are therefore often recommended for smoking cessation.

Taking snuff, which is held between the thumb and forefinger, and direct feeding to the individual nostril: this method is combined with the use of the snuffbox, which has almost disappeared today, but is still used in England, for example. In the past, this lidded box, often made of silver, was an indispensable part of consumers` socially acceptable behaviour. In addition, this method can be used to protect a possibly existing mustache from unsightly black tobacco residues. This procedure is also called English, because in England is mainly sniffed in this way. Although this brand of snuff, on the market since 1720, was purchased by Imperial Tobacco in 1981 and acquired by Wilsons of Sharrow in 2016, it deserves its own mention because of its very old recipes and its “European” taste, which is no longer produced by any other brand in this way. Tobaccos are generally coarse, moist, sweet, with an intense taste and extremely “gentle on the nose”. Especially the old France recipes are still produced and are unique today. These include: “Old Paris” (dandy Beau Brummell`s favourite snuff), “Bordeaux”, “Macouba”, “Français Carotte” and “Seville”. Founded in 2012 by Scotsman Sir John Scott Bt. Dedicated to exclusive and traditional English snuffs made according to old recipes. It is therefore strange that this less harmful variant has been banned, but cigarettes have not. After snuff had long been available only as imported products in pharmacies in the German Länder, the first snuff factory was built in Offenbach am Main in 1733, the Bernard Company, which still exists today.

From the beginning of the 19th century, however, smoking tobacco became increasingly popular, and in the second half of the 19th century cigarettes in particular. Since the 1920s, at the latest after World War II, most snuff factories have relied on cigarette and pipe tobacco, so that today there are only five manufacturers in Germany with a total production of 270 tons per year. Cultures in Central and South America used snuff long before it was introduced to Europe. The first reports of the monk Romano Pane, whom Christopher Columbus left behind on his second voyage to the island of Hispaniola, concerned a strange ritual of the inhabitants. The first report of 1496 states: “Whenever kings sought advice from their gods because of their wars, because of an increase in fruit production, or because of difficulties, health and disease, they sniffed the grass in their nostrils in their temples. […] The powder is so powerful that it completely robs your mind. In the early 16th century, Portuguese sailors documented snuffboxes in present-day Brazil and Venezuela. A newly founded company that advertises with “Don`t SMOKE – Snuff TOQUE” due to smoking bans across the EU. According to their own statements, no artificial flavors are used. A special feature of Toque is that all tobaccos are offered in applicators, which should meet the need for a discreet cold.

Snuff is a very discreet way to enjoy your nicotine without anyone noticing. Even Helmut Schmidt, known for his eternally burning cigarette in hand, knew this advantage. After receiving a penalty for smoking in public buildings, he snorted his tobacco when the occasion did not otherwise permit. The common cold is associated with various rituals, such as a saying to each cold or another cold if someone has sneezed. In Switzerland, after snuff, the word Priis is usually added by everyone who has a cold, which would be easy to compare with a cheer. The frequency with which snuff is ingested varies from person to person. Some users only take a few pinches a day, others get a pinch almost every hour. On average, users take about 7 to 10 pinches of snuff per day.

A commercial box of snuff contains a capacity of 10 g. Depending on your own habits, this is enough for about 2-3 days. In Germany, snuff has not been subject to tobacco tax since 1993. Finally, the very popular McChrystal`s brand also sources basic tobaccos from Wilsons. The flavoring then takes place at McChrystal according to secret and traditional recipes. The Court of Justice of the European Union decided on 22nd November not to annul the ban on smoke-free snus in the EU. It is clear from the judgment that the reasons for this lie in the field of public health. The archetype of today`s snuff was the powder of “tobacco carrots”[2] (see: “French Carrot” from Fribourg & Treyer): sauced and flavored tobacco is tightly wound in large carrot-shaped structures and stored for four to seven years, some varieties over ten years, i.e. cold fermented. This carrot has become almost meaningless today, but carrots are still produced sporadically. The carrot is the oldest method of tobacco treatment, probably older than smoking: Portuguese sailors brought back in the early 16th century this method of the South American natives, which was initially adopted by European manufacturers.

These snuffs still bear the names of cities where manufacturers have often developed and refined their well-protected recipes over generations. Among the best known are the Spanish of Seville, Pariser, Saint-Omèr or Strasbourg. In non-smokers, snuff does not increase the risk of nose cancer. Because snuff is not inhaled either, there is no risk of lung cancer. But it contains harmful ingredients specific to tobacco and nicotine. Nicotine is a drug and can be addictive in any form of administration, whether smoked, chewed or snorted. According to Gaede, snuffs can absorb 20 to 60 mg of nicotine per day, amounts similar to those of heavy smokers. [8] However, the exact amount can hardly be predicted as it depends on the respective habits and methods of consumption. In addition, each brand contains a different proportion of tobacco and therefore also nicotine. On the other hand, there is a ban on tobacco products in certain public places in Turkey, where it is forbidden to chew and suck tobacco in addition to smoking.

[1] Today, snuffs are often produced by accelerated processes without storage periods of several years. Each manufacturer uses different processes and sometimes mixed forms to obtain its characteristic tobacco. A 2012 study from the University of Bremen suggests that snuff does not increase the risk of nose cancer in non-smokers. Although people who have sometimes sniffled in their lives statistically have a higher risk of developing nose cancer.