Sweden Cut Smoking to 3.7%. Can the UAE Follow?

Quit Like Sweden's event  in Dubai shared Sweden's lessons and challenged common myths about nicotine

DUBAI, UAE, Oct. 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sweden is the only country in Europe to reach smoke-free status, 16 years ahead of the EU's 2040 target. Daily smoking has fallen to just 3.7 per cent. That success was the focus of Innovation in Public Health: The Swedish Experience, held by Quit Like Sweden on 12 October.

Sweden adopted WHO tobacco control measures and accepted that alternatives that do not burn tobacco can help adults quit. It did not choose between tobacco control and harm reduction. It used both.

Central to this are the Three A's: alternatives must be accessible, acceptable and affordable. Without all three, cigarettes remain the easier option.

Alternatives that do not burn tobacco, such as nicotine pouches, snus and vapes, expose users to far lower levels of harmful chemicals than cigarettes. These are viable options for people wanting to stop smoking.

Speakers agreed that misperceptions remain a major barrier. "Better understanding of where the harms of smoking come from, among both the public and healthcare professionals, is important for a more effective approach to reducing smoking-related harm," said Consultant Pulmonologist Dr Mohammad Fawzi Katranji.

Many believe shisha and medwakh are safer alternatives. They are not: all three burn tobacco. One shisha session can equal more than 40 cigarettes. As the late Professor Michael Russell, a UK stop-smoking pioneer, said 50 years ago: "People smoke for nicotine, but they die from the tar."

Dr Rachel Kaminski of Saudi German Hospital said many patients want to stop. "What they lack is proper support: dedicated cessation services, treatment covered by insurance, and something realistic to offer those who cannot quit," she said.

Dublin addiction specialist Dr Garrett McGovern showed that people with mental health conditions are more likely to smoke and less likely to quit.

Beatriz Santos of We Are Innovation showed how, in Sweden, snus reached men and nicotine pouches, a tobacco-free redesign, reached women.

"Behind every smoking statistic is a person, a family and a community affected by smoking-related disease. Sweden has shown what is possible. The challenge now is to translate those lessons into approaches that work for the UAE and the wider region," said Suely Castro, Founding Director of Quit Like Sweden.

No two people quit the same way. Public health works best when it offers more than one way out.

Contact

Quit Like Sweden
Email: info@quitlikesweden.org