E.U. Panel Says Oral Tobacco Is Addictive, Hazardous

GENEVA — Swedish-style snuff hasn't been proven to help people quit smoking, a European Union panel said, dealing a blow to tobacco companies that lobbied for lifting a ban on the product.

Smokeless tobacco is addictive and hazardous to health, the committee said in a report on its Web site. Evidence that the snuff, known as snus, may help Swedish smokers stop isn't sufficient to lift an E.U. ban because it's "not possible to extrapolate the patterns of tobacco use" to other countries, the committee said.

Cigarette makers have been moving into smokeless tobacco products, trying to create a new market as public smoking restrictions spread through America and Europe. The E.U. banned snus for health reasons before Sweden joined. The country negotiated an exception to the rule, becoming the only E.U. nation where the product can be sold legally.