Has The EU Missed The Point On Vapes?

To many people, including the National Health Service, switching from smoking cigarettes to using vapes can have significant health benefits. Yet it seems that over in the EU a different opinion has been formed.

While there is an understanding here that vaping is a healthier alternative to smoking, with the NHS noting that there is “growing evidence” that they can help people quit, the European Commission has proposed a ban on the sale of flavoured tobacco products, arguing that these can lead to tobacco addiction and thus cause millions of cancer cases.

EU Health and Food Commissioner Stella Kyriakides remarked: “With nine out of ten lung cancers caused by tobacco, we want to make smoking as unattractive as possible to protect the health of our citizens and save lives.”

The commission’s argument is that the emergence of flavoured products like e-cigarettes will encourage youngsters to take up the habit, with social media promoting their use and the likely consequence being that these products will act as a gateway to smoking cigarettes.

Of course, no vape store in the UK will be directly affected if a ban occurs, which some might consider a benefit of not being in the EU anymore (whether or not one agrees with Brexit overall).  Even so, it is worth being aware of the ban if it does happen and you plan a trip to one of our European neighbours, as you won’t be able to buy any vapes there or take them in with you.

The curiosity is that the rationale being claimed by the Commission is one that runs so contrary to the views of the best experts on health in the UK. When the NHS is telling us that a 2019 study showed vaping was twice as effective at helping people to quit smoking as nicotine patches or gum, one might well ask where the Commission is getting its data from.