TOBACCO CONTROL LAWS

The Queen on the Application of Swedish Match AB, et al. v. Secretary of State for Health

A snus manufacturer challenged on several bases the validity of a provision in Directive 2001/37/EC that directs member states to prohibit the marketing of any tobacco products designed for oral use, except those tobacco products designed to be smoked or chewed. The Court held that the Directive properly derived its authority from Article 95 EC, which provided the community with rule-making authority to ensure the internal consistency of the community market. The Court further held, among other things, that: (1) adoption of the Directive was supported by sufficient scientific evidence; (2) the Directive satisfied the principle of proportionality; (3) sufficient reasons existed to treat oral tobacco differently from chewed tobacco at the time of the Directive's adoption; (4) a claim to a right to property could not be based upon denial of a market share; and (5) the Directive's interference with the freedom to pursue an economic activity was justified by the concerns guiding adoption of the Directive. 

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The Queen on the Application of Swedish Match AB, et al. v. Secretary of State for Health, Case C-210/03, Court of Justice of the European Union (2004).

  • European Union
  • Dec 14, 2004
  • Court of Justice of the European Union

Parties

Plaintiff

  • Swedish Match AB
  • Swedish Match UK Ltd
  • The Queen

Defendant Secretary of State for Health

Legislation Cited

Directive 2001/37/EC, Tobacco Products Directive

Tobacco for Oral Use (Safety) Regulations 1992

International/Regional Instruments Cited

Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)
Council Directive 89/622/EEC
Council Directive 90/239/EEC
Directive 2001/37/EC

Related Documents

None

Type of Litigation

Challenge to Government Policies Relating to Tobacco Control/Public Health
Tobacco companies or front groups may challenge any legislative or regulatory measure that affects their business interests. Unlike public interest litigation, these cases seek to weaken health measures. These cases frequently involve the industry proceeding against the government. For example, a group of restaurant owners challenging a smoke free law as unconstitutional.

Tobacco Control Topics

Packaging and Labeling Measures
Measures to regulate the marketing on tobacco packages. This includes both bans on false, misleading, deceptive packaging, as well as required health warnings on packaging. (See FCTC Art. 11)

Substantive Issues

Right to Commerce
A violation of the right to carry on trade, business, or profession of a person’s choice. This right may also be called the right to free enterprise or economic freedom. The industry may argue that a business should be able to conduct its business without government regulation, including whether or not to be smoke free.
Right to Equal Protection
A violation of the right to equal protection under the law, or another form of discrimination. The industry may claim that regulations discriminate against tobacco companies or tobacco products. Smokers may claim that addiction is a health condition, so regulations discriminate against them based on their health condition. Facilities subject to smoke free laws may claim that smoke free (SF) exceptions (e.g., hotel rooms, mental hospitals, etc.) unfairly discriminate against SF businesses because the law should apply to all locations equally.
Right to Property
A violation of property rights, sometimes in the form of an expropriation or a taking by the government. The tobacco industry may argue that regulations amount to a taking of property rights because they prevent the use of intellectual property such as trademarks.
Procedural Defect
The court might consider procedural matters without touching the merits of the case. These might include: improper joinder, when third parties, such as Health NGOs or government officials, seek to become parties to the suit; lack of standing, where a plaintiff fails to meet the minimum requirements to bring suit; lack of personal jurisdiction, where the court does not have jurisdiction to rule over the defendant; or lack of subject matter jurisdiction, where the court does not have jurisdiction over the issue at suit.
Sufficiency of Scientific Evidence
A discussion on whether current scientific evidence is sufficient to justify the regulatory measures.
Ultra Vires Regulation
Subsequent regulations exceed the scope of the originating law.

Type of Tobacco Product

Smokeless tobacco products
Tobacco products that are used by means other than smoking, such as chewing, sniffing, or placing between the teeth and gum. Examples include chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, snuf, snus, gutkha or gutka, and dissolvable tobacco products.
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