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  • Writer's pictureÇağın T. Eroğlu

Why banning vape flavours hurts smoking cessation efforts

Understanding the critical role of flavours in vaping as a harm reduction tool and why Brussels should reconsider its proposed ban


There is a false belief that vape flavours—the often fruity flavours given to electronic cigarettes—are a ‘way in’ to vaping, leading people who have never used nicotine products before to take up vaping. The reality is very different. In fact, they are a way out of smoking. Vaping is the most effective instrument ever discovered for helping people quit smoking, and given it is much less harmful (it has 0.5% of the cancer risk), people using vapes to quit smoking is a good thing.

Unfortunately, the myth about vaping being harmful rather than helpful has reached the corridors of power. Brussels now looks set to seriously consider a blanket ban on flavoured vaping products. Governments including France and Germany have already thrown their weight behind the proposal, ignoring the unintended consequences for consumers.

Flavours are the nudge we need to keep encouraging vaping as an effective alternative to mankind’s deadliest consumption epidemic, smoking. Politicians must preserve the place of vaping flavours in the market. If they want to introduce new regulation, they should target specific products which do harm, not introduce a blanket ban on flavours.

Politicians in Brussels may dislike flavours. They may like their black coffee and their vanilla ice cream. That’s up to them. But as a matter of fact, flavours matter. That’s why they exist—for vapes, ice cream, sweets, and much more. Flavours offer a distinct experience. Our deliberations over these choices enhance our enjoyment and satisfaction. It’s common sense. Flavours make vaping more attractive, which is essential for building a smoke-free Europe.

But vaping flavours are different from ice cream ones. Vaping is an effective alternative to a consumption device, traditional cigarettes, which are much more harmful. Policymaking for nicotine consumption must recognise the science behind reducing harm from smoking. It’s an inconvenient but inescapable fact that vaping is a less harmful alternative to traditional smoking. Importantly, flavours are a crucial part of what makes vaping products effective.

Poor policy makes people less healthy, because it discourages them from switching from cigarettes to vapes. Misinformation already abounds in the world of vaping. A recent study funded by Cancer Research UK found more than half of smokers incorrectly believe vaping is at least as harmful as smoking, meaning they are less likely to switch. A ban on vape flavours would just throw fuel on that fire.

A sustainable consumption policy should include some nudging for those who are not up to speed on the scientific research about the relative harms of vaping and smoking. When it comes to vaping misinformation, flavours matter. Awareness campaigns do, too, but communicating the science to the masses can be tough. Flavours are the most effective way to nudge uninformed consumers to switch to vaping.

We must distinguish between vaping flavours and flavoured tobacco products, such as mint cigarettes and shishas. While the latter is a way to disguise harmful tobacco with an appealing taste, the former is a tobacco-free, science-backed way to keep the harm reduction experience sustainable. This distinction is critical and often misunderstood by policymakers.

Bans are rarely the way forward, but if Brussels really wishes to ban harmful products, it would be better off focussing on those which are threatening the lives of many consumers continent-wide, such as flavoured cigarettes.

It is worth mentioning the controversy around children accessing vapes. While it is essential to keep vaping products out of kids’ hands by cracking down hard on the small minority of vendors willing to sell to children, the so-called ‘teen vaping epidemic’ has been wildly overblown. It should not inform policies which will affect adult vapers, such as a flavour ban.

Under-18s vaping is an issue of enforcement, not lawmaking. It is already illegal to sell vapes to kids, and rightly so. All we need is for that law to be enforced. Banning legal flavours for adults won’t do anything to keep illegal products away from children. Flavours are an indispensably useful nudge for adults who switch and consume vapes contra cigarettes. In the end, it shouldn’t be taboo to recognise that adults like flavours, too.

Brussels must reconsider its stance on banning vaping flavours and focus on products which truly pose a risk. Effective harm reduction policies should maintain flavours to ensure vaping remains a viable and attractive alternative to smoking.

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