Snus is popular with youths

Snus has become more popular than cigarettes among Scandinavian youths.

It is too early to say whether this also applies to the Faroes, but snus has become a clear trend among Faroese teens too, according to dentists.

Snus is a type of moist, powdered tobacco held in the mouth between the lips and the gums.

 >> SEE ALSO College introduces comprehensive smoking ban

An Instagram survey carried out by KvF’s morning programme in which 700 teenagers were asked whether they used snus, one-third replied yes.

The EU banned the sales of snus in 1991. In Sweden, snus sales remained legal as the country did not join the EU until 1994 and insisted on holding on to its snus legality status.

This has led to a slow but steady increase in the popularity of the substance in Sweden, first among old men but now also among youngsters of both sexes.

>> SEE ALSO Fewer smokers than ever

As the Faroe Islands are not members of the EU, snus sales never became illegal here either. And now, young boys in the Faroes are increasingly starting to take up this habit too, according to Jona Sjúrðaberg, chairwoman of the Faroese Dentists’ Association.

“We are seeing a clear change these days,” she says. “We used to see older men with mouth and tooth problems from snus, but now the number of young people with these problems is on a steady rise.” 

She does, however, add that she has not yet seen any girls with these problems.

Translated by prosa.fo