About
Quit Like Sweden is an independent public health learning initiative that examines Sweden's experience in reducing smoking prevalence and explores how relevant insights can inform smoking reduction efforts in other countries.
Over recent years, the initiative has engaged with diverse international audiences to share evidence, encourage dialogue, and support context-specific approaches to smoking reduction. Sweden's progress offers valuable lessons, but the focus is on learning and adaptation, not replication.
The aim is to contribute to pragmatic, evidence-based public health conversations that respect cultural, social, and regulatory differences, while helping reduce the harm caused by smoking globally.
Our Mission
Our mission is to reduce smoking rates worldwide by empowering other countries to Quit Like Sweden.
Over 8 million people worldwide lose their lives to smoking each year. Countries are overwhelmingly losing their battle against smoking, except for Sweden. Sweden is about to become the first country in the world to quit smoking.
Sweden has similar measures and programmes focused on smoking cessation and prevention to many countries around the world, but what sets Sweden apart is its comprehensive approach, which includes enabling people who smoke to choose alternatives instead.
Our Impact
The Swedish Experience has captured global attention, with Quit Like Sweden featured in over 40 media outlets worldwide, including
Who We Are
Suely Castro is a passionate advocate for harm reduction, who has worked on assessing the impact of international approaches to Tobacco Control, focusing on the experience and real-world effectiveness of alternatives to smoking.
She has dedicated nearly two decades to researching and travelling the world advocating for alternative nicotine products to be Accessible, Acceptable, and Affordable to those seeking to quit cigarettes. Suely works tirelessly to foster collaboration and dialogue across borders. Inspired by her personal experience with the impact that smoking and the absence of alternatives can have on families, she set up Quit Like Sweden after witnessing first-hand Sweden's incredible achievement. Her goal is to bring the Swedish Experience to the world to help save and improve the lives of millions of people.
Professor Marewa Glover is one of New Zealand's leading tobacco control researchers. She has worked on reducing smoking-related harm for 32 years.
She is recognized internationally for her advocacy on tobacco harm reduction; and locally was a Finalist in the New Zealander of the Year Supreme Award in 2019 recognising her contribution to reducing smoking in NZ. In 2018, Dr Glover was appointed Tobacco Section Editor for the Harm Reduction Journal. In that year she also established the Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking an international program of research aimed at reducing smoking-related harms among Indigenous peoples globally. The Centre's research was funded through to 1 September 2024 with grants from Global Action to End Smoking (formerly known as Foundation for Smoke-Free World), an independent, U.S. nonprofit 501(c)(3) grantmaking organization, accelerating science-based efforts worldwide to end the smoking epidemic. Neither Marewa nor the Centre have any commercial interests in any nicotine or tobacco products.
Dr Anders Milton is a physician with extensive experience in public service, a highly sought-after consultant in the healthcare sector and a former Chair of the World Medical Association.
He was previously the President and CEO of the Swedish Medical Association (SMA), President of the Swedish Red Cross, the People and Defence Foundation and the Swedish Confederation of Professional Associations (SACO). He is the current owner and CEO of Milton Consulting and Chair of the Snus Commission. He is also Chair of three foundations that work with education for children and adolescents and several companies in the field of life science.
Our Story
Watch Suely Castro explain why she founded Quit Like Sweden
at the launch event in Brazil in April 2024.
We need your help to empower other countries to Quit Like Sweden.
We want to bring together public health and public policy experts, policymakers, NGOs, those who smoke and those who have quit, as well as their families and friends.
If you are interested in making a donation to Quit Like Sweden, please contact us at [email protected]